“Earlier this week, I suffered an injury to my neck while rehearsing to provide my fans with the greatest Usher show of all time,” he wrote on social media. “My hope was that with physical therapy and medical treatment, I would be able to overcome the injury and be ready for opening night. Unfortunately, the injury has not healed yet, and my doctors have instructed me not to perform any shows this week. The good news is that the doctors are saying that with appropriate rest and treatment, I should be ready to commence the tour in Washington DC on August 20th.

“I love my fans,” he continued, “and thank you for understanding that this injury must be healed so that I can give you the 100% excellence that you expect from an Usher show and that I will be on stage in your city very soon.”

Of the postponed dates at State Farm Arena, the Aug. 14 date will now take place on Dec. 9, while the Aug. 16 date will happen on Dec. 10 and the Aug. 17 date is rescheduled for Dec. 12.

Yesterday, Usher announced that he only had to cancel the opening date on Aug. 14, vaguely referring to the nature of his ailment. A rep for Usher told Variety the singer needed time to heal from an unspecified injury; the rep did not provide further details. The decision apparently happened quite recently: Usher wrote on social media Monday, “ATL, I’m coming home. Night 1 of #PPF is 2 days away,” and tickets and parking information for Wednesday’s show were sent out on Tuesday night.

As evidenced by Usher’s two-year “My Way: The Las Vegas Residency and his headlining performance during the Super Bowl Halftime Show in February, his shows are extremely physically demanding, as they have been throughout the 45-year-old singer’s career.

In his since-deleted post from yesterday announcing the first date’s postponement, Usher wrote, “For my 30-plus year career, 100% of my blood, sweat and tears has gone into putting on the best performance and creating a memorable experience for my fans,” he wrote. “I have every intention of doing that for this tour as well which is why i have to postpone tonight’s show and reschedule it for a later date to give my body a second to rest and heal. You’re still going to get a bit of the past, some of the present and a unique look into the future on the rescheduled date but you’ll also be getting 100% of me. The last thing i want to ever do is disappoint you, the fans who have been eagerly waiting for this tour to start.

“However, I wouldn’t be the entertainer that I am if I can’t physically give you my best. My team will be sharing news of the rescheduled date soon. I can’t wait to celebrate this legacy with you.”