Rabid Barry Manilow fans throw panties at 83-year-old icon as he returns to Vegas stage following cancer treatment: 'I feel like a teen idol again!'

Barry Manilow made a triumphant return to the stage Thursday night, following a 'break' from shows amid his recovery from lung cancer.

The 83-year-old - who was a smoker from the age of nine onwards but transitioned to vaping in later years - revealed last December that he was undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous spot on one of his lungs. 

Although his illness is now in remission, the healing process has seen him scrap or postpone several concerts over the course of this year.

After thundering through 29 shows this summer, including a six-city UK arena tour, Manilow had to cancel two dates of his Las Vegas residency The Hits Come Home! in August, and then announced that he was taking time off until October 8.

When the date arrived this week, Manilow hit the stage at the Westgate Las Vegas in a sparkling outfit and crowed: 'I'm back!,' in footage obtained by the Daily Mail.

The delighted audience burst into cheers and even threw underwear onto the stage, prompting the Copacabana hitmaker to joke: 'I feel like I'm a teenage idol again.' 

The Daily Mail has contacted a representative for Manilow for comment. 

A set of men's boxers was the first to land in front of Manilow, who picked it up and deadpanned: 'You want me to send this to the laundry or something?'

He gingerly handed the item back to its owner, only for someone else to hurl another undergarment at him, this time a pair of bright pink panties.

'Now, you're dancing!' said Manilow, who got a laugh by adding: 'I'll keep this one,' and tucking the garment into a pocket of his bedazzled slacks.

In August, Manilow had to pull out of a concert in Lexington, Kentucky at the last minute under 'unforeseen circumstances' and then scuttled two of his Las Vegas residency dates because of 'technical and vocal problems.'

Days later, he issued a statement informing fans that after the exertion of his road work, including his UK arena shows, he needed to take a 'break' until October.

'We just finished a fantastic summer tour. 29 shows in 68 days. The shows were fantastic. The audiences were fantastic. And I sounded fantastic. But it seems that we were pushing a little too hard,' he said. 'Now we all need to sit down and shut up.'

Manilow, who has been with his husband Garry Kief since 1978, announced he had stage one lung cancer in late 2025 after concluding a run of Christmas concerts.

The tumor was found after Manilow suffered fortnight-long bouts of bronchitis, prompting his doctor to suggest that he undergo an MRI.

Manilow shared that he was 'going into surgery to have the spot removed. The doctors do not believe it has spread and I'm taking tests to confirm their diagnosis. So that's it. No chemo. No radiation. Just chicken soup and I Love Lucy reruns.'

He confirmed that he would have to postpone his scheduled January tour dates, but at that point still intended to take the stage in February.

However he ultimately had to delay all his shows from February through mid-March, following a 'very depressing visit' with his surgeon.

Manilow explained that he was still unable to 'sing more than three songs in a row' in spite of the fact he had been 'using the treadmill three times a day,' adding that the doctor said his 'body isn't ready' for the rigors of a 90-minute concert.

Nevertheless, by summer he soldiered through his UK arena tour and several other concerts before another spate of cancelations in August.

The New York City native undertook his summertime road work in support of his 33rd studio album What a Time, which he released this June.

Once Before I Go, the album's lead single, was co-written by the late Australian singer Peter Allen, who died in 1992 at the age of 48 after contracting AIDS.

In an interview this March, Manilow reflected that his cancer had 'really, really made me take stock of my life' and stopped him 'in my tracks,' via People. 

'This made me stop and think about: Have I done what I wanted to do, and have I made people happy? Have I been a good friend? All of those cornball things that I’ve read for all of my life, I started to think about that, too,' he said. 'And the answers are yes. And as a matter of fact, there are more yeses than I ever thought.'