diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index 9f77abcdfd1..66cb7e3d65f 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
                                                          -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 Changes with Apache Traffic Server 5.0.0
 
+  *) [TS-2589] Don't hold up the response until the server starts sending
+   content
+
   *) [TS-2563] Always set the SSL default verify paths.
    Author: Wei Sun <sunwei@yahoo-inc.com>
 
diff --git a/plugins/experimental/metalink/test/headers b/plugins/experimental/metalink/test/headers
new file mode 100755
index 00000000000..0d3a93d4f31
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/experimental/metalink/test/headers
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+
+print '''1..1 headers
+# The response isn't held up until the server starts sending content'''
+
+from twisted.internet import error, protocol, reactor, tcp
+from twisted.web import http
+
+def callback():
+  print 'not ok 1 - No response yet'
+
+  reactor.stop()
+
+reactor.callLater(1, callback)
+
+class factory(http.HTTPFactory):
+  class protocol(http.HTTPChannel):
+    class requestFactory(http.Request):
+      def requestReceived(ctx, method, target, version):
+
+        ctx.client = None
+        ctx.clientproto = version
+
+        ctx.write('')
+
+server = tcp.Port(0, factory())
+server.startListening()
+
+print '# Listening on {0}:{1}'.format(*server.socket.getsockname())
+
+class factory(protocol.ClientFactory):
+  def clientConnectionFailed(ctx, connector, reason):
+
+    print 'Bail out!'
+    reason.printTraceback()
+
+    reactor.stop()
+
+  class protocol(http.HTTPClient):
+    def connectionLost(ctx, reason):
+      try:
+        reactor.stop()
+
+      except error.ReactorNotRunning:
+        pass
+
+      else:
+        print 'not ok 1 - Did the proxy crash?  (The client connection closed.)'
+
+    connectionMade = lambda ctx: ctx.transport.write('GET {0}:{1} HTTP/1.1\r\n\r\n'.format(*server.socket.getsockname()))
+
+    def handleStatus(ctx, version, status, message):
+      print 'ok 1 - Got the response status'
+
+      reactor.stop()
+
+tcp.Connector('localhost', 8080, factory(), 30, None, reactor).connect()
+
+reactor.run()
diff --git a/proxy/http/HttpTunnel.cc b/proxy/http/HttpTunnel.cc
index ca2f60cf100..0fc6c77d84f 100644
--- a/proxy/http/HttpTunnel.cc
+++ b/proxy/http/HttpTunnel.cc
@@ -891,8 +891,7 @@ HttpTunnel::producer_run(HttpTunnelProducer * p)
     p->chunked_handler.dechunked_reader->consume(p->chunked_handler.skip_bytes);
 
     // If there is data to process in the buffer, do it now
-    if (p->chunked_handler.dechunked_reader->read_avail())
-      producer_handler(VC_EVENT_READ_READY, p);
+    producer_handler(VC_EVENT_READ_READY, p);
   } else if (p->do_dechunking || p->do_chunked_passthru) {
     // remove the dechunked reader marker so that it doesn't act like a buffer guard
     if (p->do_dechunking)
@@ -912,9 +911,8 @@ HttpTunnel::producer_run(HttpTunnelProducer * p)
     //p->chunked_handler.chunked_reader->consume(
     //p->chunked_handler.skip_bytes);
 
-    if (p->chunked_handler.chunked_reader->read_avail()) {
-      producer_handler(VC_EVENT_READ_READY, p);
-    } else if (sm->redirection_tries > 0 && p->vc_type == HT_HTTP_CLIENT) {     // read_avail() == 0
+    producer_handler(VC_EVENT_READ_READY, p);
+    if (!p->chunked_handler.chunked_reader->read_avail() && sm->redirection_tries > 0 && p->vc_type == HT_HTTP_CLIENT) {     // read_avail() == 0
       // [bug 2579251]
       // Ugh, this is horrible but in the redirect case they are running a the tunnel again with the
       // now closed/empty producer to trigger PRECOMPLETE.  If the POST was chunked, producer_n is set