‘This is it. This is the end’: For first time in nearly three decades, Barry Manilow returns to Spokane stage, and this time it’s his farewell tour

With a multiplatinum career spanning six decades, “there isn’t much else” Barry Manilow can do. As he embarks on his final tour, Manilow reflects as he returns to a city he first played in 1975: Spokane.

Much of Manilow’s decision to call “The Last Concerts” tour the finale of his long-standing life on the road comes down to a few different lines of reasoning. For one, Manilow’s career has been cemented as one of legendary status with a list of achievements simply difficult to add to. He also wants to make sure he can continue singing for as long as he can, and lastly, he feels the need for a sense of closure.

“It gets to a point where it’s time to say goodbye, and that’s what’s happened, it’s time to say goodbye,” Manilow said.

Manilow is focused on tour and admittedly hasn’t thought ahead to what’s next, but the musician knows how difficult it is to stay stagnant, even if he’s supposed to be following the standards of the term “retirement.”

“I’m not good at sitting around and watching television, you’re sure not going to find me doing that,” the Grammy, Emmy and Tony award-winner said with a laugh. “I’ve always got something cooking down the road, so you know, I’ll pop up somewhere!”

Between the plethora of awards, globetrotting and slew of hit records, Manilow will be the first to say he has accomplished much more than he ever desired.

In fact, Manilow didn’t exactly want to be a touring vocalist and performer. The New York-born and -raised musician planned on being a professional arranger, and he made a living this way for many years. Manilow was more than content being “a happy guy in the background” as he played piano and composed orchestral arrangements for various purposes, such as creating jingles like State Farm Insurance’s “Like A Good Neighbor” or for vocalists in need of instrumentation.

Eventually, Manilow wrote a handful of songs and sang on the demos with the intention of pitching the music to active singers, but wound up getting a record deal himself. Despite high levels of doubt within, Manilow quickly became one of the most beloved artists around the world.

“It was silly because what was I doing with a record deal?” Manilow said. “I never wanted to sing. These singers that I would play for were great, they were wonderful, they’re the people who needed a record deal!”

Of Manilow’s 26 commercially released singles – between “Mandy” in 1974 and “Read ‘Em and Weep” in 1983 – 25 made the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Manilow initially didn’t enjoy touring and, to this day, stands by the belief that he initially “stunk” on stage, but has grown a deep love for playing show after show, night after night.

“I don’t know how I’m doing this; I’m 100 years old,” Manilow, age 82, joked. “I’ll keep going until I can’t hit the F-natural at the end of ‘Even Now.’ The night I can’t hit that note will be the night I know it’s the end.”

After all these years, he primarily cites putting on a show that will have concertgoers joyously uplifted as reason for continuing to tour year after year. Bringing the Manilow Music Project to every tour stop adds to this sense of fulfillment.

About 15 years ago, a neighbor of Manilow’s mentioned that they were looking for a saxophone for their daughter because her school had run out of instruments.

“I said, ‘What? A school ran out of instruments? What’s that about?’ ” Manilow said.

Upon doing some research and finding just how underfunded music programs are across the country, he couldn’t just stand by. At every tour stop, his charity the Manilow Music Project gifts $10,000 to a music educator in the city.

“It is the most moving moment of the show, to see 10,000 people applaud and holler for a music teacher,” Manilow said.

Manilow will perform at the Spokane Arena on Friday as he returns to the Lilac City nearly 50 years after he first performed at the Spokane Opera House (now known as the First Interstate Center for the Arts) in 1975. It will also be his first performance in Spokane in 26 years. He played the Arena in 1999.

Although Manilow has long come to terms with the end of his touring career, there will almost certainly be a sense of melancholy found after his last show in Spokane.

“At the end of the show, we all realize at the same time, ‘This is it. This is the end,’ ” Manilow said. “Going to city to city, making an album, that’s going to be over. Every night I realize, that’s going to be over. It’s kind of bittersweet for me.”