‘Still Got My Voice and My Energy’

Barry Manilow is opening up about his decision to embark on a farewell tour — and looking back on how the music industry has evolved since he was at his peak.

Speaking to Billboard in a story published on Wednesday, June 4, the 81-year-old pop legend opened up about his The Last Concerts series, which are taking in just a few cities around the U.S. “that have been so supportive” over his more than 50-year music career.

According to the “Copacabana” singer, his time as a touring musician has made him reflect on his career — and some of his ’70s-’80s musical peers.

“It’s like, ‘What? Am I the only one left?’” he told Billboard. “It’s Billy Joel, and Elton [John] is not well and Rod [Stewart] and Neil [Diamond]. Diana Ross is still in great shape, I think.”

“There must be only a handful of people in my world that are still there,” he continued. “I’m still healthy. I’m strong and I’ve still got my voice and my energy. The night I can’t hit the F natural on ‘Even Now,’ that’s the night I throw in the towel. But I can still do it.”

Manilow also addressed Joel’s recent health diagnosis, which he went public with in late May.

“Oh, it’s so horrible, so horrible,” Manilow said of the “Uptown Girl” musician’s diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), a condition where excess cerebrospinal fluid builds up in the brain ventricles. “It just broke my heart when I heard about Billy Joel. I’m such a fan of his work. I really hope he’s able to get back to it.”

Manilow is set to resume his residency at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino on June 12 following his stops around the U.S. — which include stops Utah, Idaho, Oregon and California as well as a final performance in San Jose, Calif. on July 20.

“It’s a bittersweet experience for me because I know that I’m not coming back here and [the fans] know I’m not coming back here,” he told the outlet of his farewell shows. “And when I finish and I say ‘goodbye’ it is goodbye.“

“I’ve never felt that before. Usually I know that [on] the next tour, I’ll probably come back here. But this time I know I’m not coming back to these cities. I’ve been doing this for so many years, and I’ve done these cities over and over and over, but this is it,” he shared.

The “Mandy” crooner also spoke about how his own music has evolved during his decades in the industry, sharing that he hopes to put out a last record — one with a contemporary sound.

“This’ll probably be my last album,” he said, reflecting on the upcoming work that will be his first since Night Songs II in 2020.

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“I’ve been working on it for a long time…for so long that the style of music has changed,” he told Billboard with a laugh. “I had to go back and redo [the songs] so they sounded a little more contemporary. I had to take all the strings out, all the background vocals out, ’cause they don’t do that anymore. They don’t use strings and background vocals and all that. Even I heard that it sounded dated, so we had to go back and redo it.”

“I think people who like what I do will like this album; I don’t know about everybody else who likes today’s music, but it’s a solid album,” Manilow added.

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The superstar has previously embarked on multiple “one last time” tours and said he “just couldn’t” leave home “for weeks at a time” any longer in a 2017 interview with PEOPLE. However, he later walked back his comments and continued touring, and has since said that he’ll be spending “the rest of his career” in Las Vegas for his residency.

“By keeping working, you stay young, or at least you stay vibrant and your brain is always working. And that’s me — I’ve always got something going on,” Manilow told PEOPLE in 2023.

“You would think I’d be bored with this stuff,” he added at the time, “and I’m not, because the audiences just love these songs, and I’m so grateful for it.”