Tony Orlando Calls Time on Touring, talks about the “New Journey” in production

Tony Orlando's upcoming tour will be his last, although the veteran entertainer's musical journey will continue through a series of creative ventures.

Talking to me Advertising sign via email, Orlando says the end of the road would allow the artist to do so
I “satisfy my creative juices” by creating new products from movies, to Broadway shows, to streaming new product.

It's “time for a new journey,” he continues. Part of this journey includes starting Tony Orlando Productions and Explosive Film and Entertainment. “I also plan to focus more on writing a Broadway show,” he adds, and “pitch my movie ideas and write my next book. And maybe even managing the careers of some new and emerging talent.”

Father time, as we all know, remains invincible.

Traveling today is “exhausting”, he notes. “And then when you add overhead the cost of traveling with eight band members on the road and then you add five and six hours of delays or cancellations at airports. And not a lot of non-stop, and then your connections end up getting canceled.”

All that, approaching 80, “well that's not a smart or good match. Well, the time has come.”

As mentioned earlier, of Orlando Farewell concerts Kicking off with a three-night run at South Point Casino in Las Vegas, January 19-21. followed by performances in Niagara Falls, ON; Des Plaines and St. Charles, IL; Atlantic City, NJ; and Uncasville, CT. His final Vegas performance should be an emotional one, marking 51 years as a headliner on the Strip.

Performing live for 63 years has been a “glorious journey come true,” he recounts. “And, oh man, I'm going to miss the audience, friends and fans that have stuck with me for these past sixty-three incredible years, OMG I'm going to miss them for sure! But now it's time to grow up and turn a new page in my life. How exciting.”

Tony Orlando & Dawn scored three No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 from 1971-75 — “Knock Three Times,” “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” and “He Don't Love You (Like I Love You )” The group received a Grammy nod for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus for “Tie a Yellow Ribbon,” which was also nominated for song of the year.

Orlando would continue his broadcasting career with New York's 77 WABC, but it ended with the rigors of the road.

“I can still hit the ball,” he quips. “I just can't make the bases work.”