At 81, Barry Manilow is saying goodbye to touring, but not before performing a series of special live shows. The legendary singer-songwriter opened up about his decision to embark on a farewell tour, revealing that he wants to perform while he's still healthy and able to do so.

"There must be only a handful of people in my world that are still there," Manilow told Billboard. "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."

Reflecting on His Career and Peers

Manilow's farewell tour has made him reflect on his career and his peers, many of whom are no longer with us or are dealing with health issues. "It's like, 'What? Am I the only one left?' Billy Joel, and Elton [John] is not well, and Rod [Stewart] and Neil [Diamond]. Diana Ross is still in great shape, I think," he said.

Manilow also addressed Billy Joel's recent health diagnosis, saying, "Oh, it's so horrible, so horrible. 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."

The Last Concerts Series

Manilow's farewell tour, dubbed The Last Concerts series, will take him to a few select cities in the US, including Utah, Idaho, Oregon, and California, with a final performance in San Jose, California 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 said.

"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 added.

New Music and a Contemporary Sound

Manilow is also working on a new album, which he hopes will be his last. "This'll probably be my last album," he said. "I've been working on it for a long time... for so long that the style of music has changed."

"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," he explained.

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