But it would be tough to beat the moniker picked for Kenny Loggins’ last run across the country: “This Is It.” The title taken from his 1979 No. 11 hit co-written with Michael McDonald. It comes to the Smart Financial Centre on August 3.
“We debated what it should be, and it was either ‘This Is It’ or ‘Celebrate Me Home.’” Loggins says via Zoom from his own home. “I was concerned that was inadvertently what Michael Jackson’s last tour dates were supposed to be called. But I had a hit song with the title, so I thought I had some rights to it.”
Ah, but can we take anyone on a “Farewell Tour” at their word? It’s become something of a set joke since the Who launched what was supposedly theirs in 1982 (40+ years later, they’re still on the road). Mötley Crüe signed a “binding agreement” that was then broken. Even Peter Frampton with a debilitating muscular disease is back again this summer on the “Never Say Never” run of dates, albeit now performing seated.
So, is this really “it” for Kenny Loggins?
“I think so!” he laughs. “I don’t want to do it indefinitely. I don’t. It just gets physically more and more difficult each year. And the voice has to be in shape for me to hit those high notes.”
To that end, Loggins has been working with a vocal coach for a year and a half, and he says it’s absolutely working. “People say I sound the same, but I can hear the difference and feel the difference,” he says. “I want to go out while I can still hit the notes and not have people say, ‘He’s not what he used to be’ and just disappear.”
Loggins’ set list includes his big hits either from his time with Loggins & Messina or solo (“Whenever I Call You Friend,” “Danny’s Song,” “I’m Alright,” “Danger Zone,” “Heart to Heart,” “Footloose”), deeper cuts, and fan favorites.
In a brilliant piece of pairing, opening the show will be The Yacht Rock Revue, the nation’s premier touring act in that universe. The Houston Press spoke with YRR co-founder Nicholas Niespodziani in 2021.
And if there were a Mount Rushmore of the genre (with smooth surfaces, of course), the visage of Kenny Loggins would be in the George Washington slot. According to the website YachtorNyacht.com, Loggins had a hand singing and/or writing four of the top six most Yachty songs ever.
“I’d heard about them and my manager said, ‘How does this hit you?’ I know that Daryl Hall is open hostile toward [Yacht Rock]. And at first, I thought it was mildly insulting,” Loggins says.
“But then it got traction and became the name of a whole genre. When we were making the music back then we weren’t thinking that. It’s not necessarily the best moniker, but people get it and know what they’re talking about. And SiriusXM radio has run with it.”
When the Houston Press last spoke with Loggins, his memoir (Still Alright from Hachette Books – now available in paperback) had just been published. In it, he was open and honestly raw about his up and down personal relationship and musical partnership with Jim Messina at the start of his career. And while Loggins did send his former partner the chapters about their time together, it was with the caveat that nothing would be changed. Though Loggins was open to discussing any issues with him.
Book cover
“No. He did send me a note that said, ‘I guess it’s time for the truth to be told,’ and I guess that’s how he’s holding it,” Loggins says. “It’s inadvertently an admission that the stuff I wrote about him as true. I tried to balance credit where credit was due. There were some idiosyncrasies of his then I perceived as emotional issues…but was kind of an OCD approach to making records. And that allowed me to not take it personally.”
While dates for the “This Is It” tour are still being added, what’s for sure is that the last concert will take place this November 4 at the Santa Barbara Bowl in California. Given the heaviness of the situation, Loggins says he’ll probably be very emotional hitting that particular stage.
“I’d like to keep it one breakdown. I don’t want it to be ‘Loggins didn’t sing for 15 minutes,'’’ he chuckles, before turning serious.
“It’s a big deal, and I’ve been working on it in that I don’t want anything to blindside me emotionally. I know there are things you can’t go through until you actually go through them,” he says. “This is the beginning of retirement. The main thing is to keep my voice going. I have a physical trainer and play a lot of pickleball. So, if I can do 2 ½ hours of that, I can do 90 minutes onstage.”
What, pickleball? Yes, it turns out that Kenny Loggins is an avid aficionado of the newly popular sport, which he picked up about five or six years ago while with friends in Mexico. He’s a regular presence at his local municipal court in both planned and pickup games, often in the company of his lady friend.
So, while this is the music and not the sports section, we must ask: What is his greatest strength and greatest weakness on the court?
“I have a really good backhand serve. I consider it to be like a free throw in basketball. It’s a free shot, so you might as well make it a difficult one to return,” he says. “As for what needs improvement, I’m weak on the third shot drop from the back. It’s tricky!”
But just because the 75-year-old Kenny Loggins is retiring from the road doesn’t mean he’ll stop being creative, with plans to continue recording and writing, sometimes with collaborators.
In fact, he co-wrote a theme song for an upcoming documentary on his life and career with fellow chart topper Richard Marx. There’s no title chosen yet, but Loggins hopes it will start making the rounds of film festival circuits in the summer of 2024.
Finally, it’s long been something of a trivia question that Kenny Loggins is also related to another man with a ‘70s soft rock hit: singer/songwriter Dave Loggins, a one hit wonder with 1974’s No. 5 hit “Please Come to Boston.”
He also wrote "Pieces of April" for Three Dog Night and penned songs for many country artists like Tanya Tucker, Reba McEntire, Billy Ray Cyrus, Toby Keith, Crystal Gayle, Kenny Rogers and Juice Newton.
A natural question then: Have the two ever performed together? Either at a concert or even a family gathering?
“I like the idea, but the family isn’t close. That second cousin meaning is kind of distant. I’ve only met him briefly,” Loggins offers. “But he’s had a great career as a songwriter.”
Kenny Loggins performs at 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 3, at the Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land, 18111 Lexington. For more info, call 281-207-6278 or visit SmartFinancialCentre.net. $79.50-$486.50 plus service fees.
For more on Kenny Loggins, visit KennyLoggins.com
