Peter Frampton has revealed that his next tour will be his last after he was diagnosed with the degenerative muscle disease Inclusion-Body Myositis.
The guitarist was told he had the condition almost four years ago after he fell on stage, but has kept it secret until now.
The most common symptoms of Inclusion-Body Myositis are progressive weakness in the legs, arms, fingers and wrists – and, as a result, Frampton has decided to tour this summer while he’s still on top of his game.
He tells Rolling Stone (opens in new tab): “In a year’s time, I might not be able to play. Right now, it’s progressing but I’m still at the top of my game.
“We decided to do a farewell tour now since I don’t want to go out and not be able to play well. If I’m going to do a farewell tour, I want to play good. I want to rock it.
We decided to do a farewell tour now since I don’t want to go out and not be able to play well
Peter Frampton
“I know that this tour, I will be able to do everything I did last year and the year before. That’s the most important thing to me. I want to go out screaming as opposed to, ‘He can’t play any more.’ I’m not going to do that. I’m a perfectionist and I can’t do that.”
Frampton adds: “I want to obviously go out there playing my best at all times until I can’t. That’s why this is the farewell tour. We might be able to do the same thing on a limited basis in Europe in the spring of the following year, but I don’t know that yet.”
Frampton also reveals that he’s working on three different projects, including a double album that he hopes to release in June to coincide with the start of the North American tour.
The guitarist says: “The need is now because right now I can play great guitar and we are recording like maniacs at my studio in Nashville.
“We’ve done two albums already. I want to record as much as I can in the shortest space of time. We’re actually working on three projects. I’m very much feeling that I’m playing like always. Some people are saying even better, but I’d let them say that.”
Frampton’s North American tour (opens in new tab) will kick off at The Joint in Tulsa on June 18 and wrap up at Concord’s Pavilion on October 12.
