Kenny Rogers Marks 60 Years With All-Star Farewell Concert Featuring Dolly Parton
Kenny Rogers is going out in style. The country icon will say goodbye to the concert stage after a 60-year career with an all-star farewell concert in Nashville that will feature a Who's Who of acts from across musical genres.
The 78-year-old singer announced All in for The Gambler: Kenny Rogers’ Farewell Concert Celebration at a press conference in Music City on Tuesday (July 18). The concert will take place on Oct. 25 at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena and will be taped. The highlight of the event will be a special performance with Dolly Parton as the two longtime friends and collaborators share the stage for the final time.
"As I'm bringing this chapter of my career to a close, this will be an unforgettable way to celebrate with my talented friends, who I'm so grateful to have crossed paths with," Rogers says in a press release. "It means so much that they would feel compelled to do this for me. Of course, the night would not be the same without Dolly Parton being part of it. We've enjoyed a special friendship for decades, and I'll forever look back fondly on the many collaborations, performances and laughs we've shared as some of the most extraordinary moments of my career. I know it will be a moving experience for us standing on that stage together for one last time."
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"Kenny is like a family member to me. We have been friends for over 30 years and made musical magic together. Since 1983, when we released ‘Islands in the Stream,’ everyone has had an expectation to see Kenny everywhere I go and me with him wherever he goes,” Parton adds. "Well, I guess for many of those fans that wanted to see us together, this will be that night. Performing with Kenny for the last time ever on October 25th is going to be emotional for both of us, but it’s also going to be very special. Even though Kenny may be retiring, as he fades from the stage, our love for each other will never fade away."
In addition to Rogers and Parton, the concert will feature performances from Little Big Town, Alison Krauss, the Flaming Lips, Idina Menzel, Jamey Johnson, Elle King and many more special guests who are still to be announced. Tickets go on sale Friday (July 21) at 10AM CT online via Ticketmaster.com and by phone at 800-745-3000, as well as all Ticketmaster locations and the Bridgestone Arena box office. A portion of the ticket sales will go to benefit the T.J. Martell Foundation and the Kenny Rogers Children’s Center.
Rogers first shot to fame as the lead singer of the First Edition with hits including "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" and "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" before reinventing himself as a country solo artist with the 1976 of his first solo album. He scored his first No. 1 country hit with "Lucille" in 1977 and has gone on to a string of classics hits that includes "The Gambler," "Lady," "Islands in the Stream," "She Believes in Me" and "Through the Years" among many more.
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