At 81, Barry Manilow Bids Farewell with Special Live Shows: 'I've Still Got My Voice and My Energy'

Barry Manilow is opening up astir his determination to embark connected a farewell circuit — and looking backmost connected really nan euphony manufacture has evolved since he was astatine his peak.

Speaking to Billboard in a communicative published connected Wednesday, June 4, nan 81-year-old popular fable opened up astir his The Last Concerts series, which are taking successful conscionable a fewer cities astir nan U.S. "that person been truthful supportive" complete his much than 50-year euphony career.

According to nan "Copacabana" singer, his clip arsenic a touring musician has made him bespeak connected his profession — and immoderate of his '70s-'80s philharmonic peers.

"It’s like, ‘What? Am I nan only 1 left?'” he told Billboard. “It’s Billy Joel, and Elton [John] is not good and Rod [Stewart] and Neil [Diamond]. Diana Ross is still successful awesome shape, I think."

"There must beryllium only a fistful of group successful my world that are still there," he continued. "I’m still healthy. I’m beardown and I’ve still sewage my sound and my energy. The nighttime I can’t deed nan F earthy connected 'Even Now,' that’s nan nighttime I propulsion successful nan towel. But I tin still do it."

Manilow besides addressed Joel's recent wellness diagnosis, which he went nationalist pinch successful precocious May.

“Oh, it’s truthful horrible, truthful horrible,” Manilow said of nan "Uptown Girl" musician's test of normal unit hydrocephalus (NPH), a information wherever excess cerebrospinal fluid builds up successful nan encephalon ventricles. “It conscionable collapsed my bosom erstwhile I heard astir Billy Joel. I’m specified a instrumentality of his work. I really dream he’s capable to get backmost to it.”

Manilow is group to resume his residency astatine nan Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino connected June 12 pursuing his stops astir nan U.S. — which see stops Utah, Idaho, Oregon and California arsenic good arsenic a last capacity successful San Jose, Calif. connected July 20.

“It’s a bittersweet acquisition for maine because I cognize that I’m not coming backmost present and [the fans] cognize I’m not coming backmost here," he told nan outlet of his farewell shows. "And erstwhile I decorativeness and I opportunity ‘goodbye’ it is goodbye.“

"I’ve ne'er felt that before. Usually I cognize that [on] nan adjacent tour, I’ll astir apt travel backmost here. But this clip I cognize I’m not coming backmost to these cities. I’ve been doing this for truthful galore years, and I’ve done these cities complete and complete and over, but this is it,” he shared.

The "Mandy" crooner besides said astir really his ain euphony has evolved during his decades successful nan industry, sharing that he hopes to put retired a past grounds — 1 pinch a modern sound.

“This’ll astir apt beryllium my past album,” he said, reflecting connected nan upcoming activity that will beryllium his first since Night Songs II in 2020.

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“I’ve been moving connected it for a agelong time…for truthful agelong that nan style of euphony has changed," he told Billboard pinch a laugh. "I had to spell backmost and redo [the songs] truthful they sounded a small much contemporary. I had to return each nan strings out, each nan inheritance vocals out, 'cause they don’t do that anymore. They don’t usage strings and inheritance vocals and each that. Even I heard that it sounded dated, truthful we had to spell backmost and redo it.”

"I deliberation group who for illustration what I do will for illustration this album; I don’t cognize astir everybody other who likes today’s music, but it’s a coagulated album," Manilow added.

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The superstar has antecedently embarked connected aggregate "one past time" tours and said he "just couldn't" time off location "for weeks astatine a time" immoderate longer successful a 2017 interview with PEOPLE. However, he later walked backmost his comments and continued touring, and has since said that he'll beryllium spending "the remainder of his career" successful Las Vegas for his residency.

"By keeping working, you enactment young, aliases astatine slightest you enactment vibrant and your encephalon is ever working. And that's maine — I've ever sewage thing going on," Manilow told PEOPLE successful 2023.

"You would deliberation I'd beryllium saturated pinch this stuff," he added astatine nan time, "and I'm not, because nan audiences conscionable emotion these songs, and I'm truthful grateful for it."