Citing Illness, Hoyt Axton Cancels Show at Crazy Horse : Country: The musician, 55, is said to be ‘in high spirits’ after heat exhaustion forced him to cut short the first set of his ’93 tour Tuesday night.

SANTA ANA — Telling the audience he wasn’t feeling well and that the “years are catching up to me,” Hoyt Axton cut short his early show and canceled his late show at the Crazy Horse Steak House on Tuesday night.

A representative from Axton’s management firm said Wednesday that the 55-year-old country singer had “suffered from heat exhaustion” on the Crazy Horse stage, where the temperature was “like 120 degrees” and had not had anything to eat or drink all day Tuesday.

“He’s now in bed (in a Los Angeles hotel room) eating and drinking water, and he’s a lot happier,” said Linette Jones of the Charles H. Stern Agency in West L.A. “He’s in high spirits right now.”

Tuesday’s 7 p.m. show was Axton’s first concert anywhere in 1993 and launched a three-city tour that the singer intends to complete, Jones said. “He’s leaving (Thursday) night for Reno.” The tour is scheduled to end in British Columbia.

Axton reportedly looked and sounded chipper during the Tuesday show, but about an hour into it he asked for a chair and sat on stage while his band played three numbers. He then returned to the spotlight to sing “The No No Song.”

But after that song, he told the crowd: “I’ve been on this planet 55 years, and they’re all catching up with me tonight. I’m going to have to ask you to cut me a little slack . . . .” He said he didn’t feel up to “jumping around” and singing “Joy to the World,” one of his biggest hits and a song he normally saves for the last part of his show.

When several in the audience started shouting their disappointment, he said he “could try it” but then reconsidered, said he just didn’t feel well, apologized and left the stage.

Reiser said the Crazy Horse may reschedule Axton for August or September and that tickets for Tuesday’s 10 p.m. show would be honored then, or ticket holders can request a refund. A club spokeswoman said several people had called to inquire about Axton’s health.

Five years ago at the Crazy Horse, country singer Waylon Jennings experienced chest pains between shows and was hospitalized. He subsequently underwent bypass surgery.