RAPID CITY - Willie Nelson has decided to play his Sept. 26 concert at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center after all, according to civic center officials.

After briefly canceling the performance, Nelson made the decision to play Rapid City and the other Midwest-area dates he had canceled after taking a brief break in Hawaii, scivic center marketing director Steve Montgomery said.

Montgomery said Nelson's wife and others had convinced him to cancel the performances because he was exhausted after playing the 2007 Farm Aid festival. However, Nelson later decided he owed it to his fans to play the shows, Montgomery said.

"He was in Hawaii and said: 'I can't (cancel); I owe these people. I've got to do these dates.' So he's back," Montgomery said.

Nelson was first scheduled to appear in Rapid City July 18 but canceled due to exhaustion. He had also canceled his rescheduled Sept. 26 date for the same reason.

Montgomery said ticket holders who bought tickets can still use them. And there are still additional tickets available at the box office, he said.

The civic center had announced the initial cancellation Wednesday.

"Basically, it's like yesterday didn't happen," he said Thursday afternoon. "Tickets are on sale as they always were."

As of Wednesday, about 2,500 tickets had been sold for Nelson's show, which will be a half-arena setup that will accommodate about 3,200 people, according to Montgomery.

He said civic center officials are "pleased" that Nelson is going to play, and he expects the show to sell out.

Contact Ryan Woodard at 394-8412 or ryan.woodard@rapidcityjournal.com