Kenny Loggins announces This Is It farewell tour (original) (raw)
Kenny Loggins will ride into the danger zone one last time.
The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter is clear for takeoff for his 2023 This is Itfarewell tour.
After kicking off at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota, Fla., the 11-stop concert series will rock across the country to Fort Worth, Tex.; Williamsburg, Va.; and Inglewood, Calif., over the next seven months.
"It's been an amazing journey since starting with Jimmy Messina in 1971, and I'm fortunate to have had such a long touring career," Loggins said in a statement on his website. "I don't see this as the end of my professional career, but certainly a halt to the grind of major touring."
But don't fret! Loggins added that the reason he has decided to put touring behind him is simple: "After spending a lifetime on the road, I want to have more time at home," he said.
For his celebratory send-off, the 75-year-old musician will return to the stage to perform a variety of hits from his 45-plus-year career. "I'll be playing songs that I feel sum up the emotional story of my music," Loggins explained. "This will include 90 percent of the hits, and 10 or so percent of the deeper cuts."
We can only hope one of those hits will be the fabled "5.0 version" of his 1986 single "Danger Zone," which Loggins previously told EW he rerecorded for last year's blockbuster sequel Top Gun: Maverick but that it was not featured in the final cut of the movie.
Kenny Loggins has announced his 2023 farewell tour. Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images
"I did rerecord 'Danger Zone' to make a 5.0 version that would wrap around the audience," he said at the time. "But Tom Cruise really wanted to conjure up the original version, the original feeling. So in the long run, it turned out to be the old track coming back."
Loggins recalled meeting Cruise while visiting Jimmy Kimmel Live. During his encounter with the Top Gun star, he asked if the film's unofficial anthem would be making a return in its follow-up.
"I said, 'So, tell me, is "Danger Zone" in or out?' And he said, 'It wouldn't be Top Gun without "Danger Zone,"'" Loggins said. "When we first talked about it, they were thinking it might go in a scene in the middle of the movie or somewhere near the end where he comes to the rescue. Instead, Tom opted to use it at the beginning of the movie so that it really conjures up the energy and excitement of the original Top Gun."
Check out Loggins' upcoming tour dates below:
March 10 – Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall – Sarasota, Fla.
March 12 – Florida Theatre – Jacksonville, Fla.
March 26 – Good Life Festival – Queen Creek, Ariz.
April 28 – Dickies Arena – Fort Worth, Tex.
April 30 – New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival – New Orleans
June 15 – Wolf Trap – Vienna, Va.
June 17 – Virginia Arts Festival – Williamsburg, Va.
Aug. 17 – Family Arena – St. Charles, Mo.
Aug. 19 – Ravinia Festival – Highland Park, Ill.
Oct. 14 – The Mountain Winery – Saratoga, Calif.
Oct. 27 – YouTube Theater – Inglewood, Calif.
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