Meat Loaf announces 2013 tour will be his last

Meat Loaf’s Last at Bat tour, which starts on Friday, has long been rumoured to be a farewell. However the 65-year-old singer has now confirmed his stage retirement, which is partially due to health problems.

In an interview with Reuters TV, Meat Loaf said he didn’t want to travel any more. The singer has recieved criticism for problems over which he had no control in recent years, saying he recieved “vicious” reaction when he cancelled his 2007 European Tour after he developed a cyst on his vocal cords.

In 2011 Meat Loaf collapsed on stage, blaming concussion injuries and asthma. He is still recovering from a knee replacement operation last year and is due to have his other knee operated on soon. The singer said his current health was “fine” but that he wanted to perform at his best.

He said: “When your name is on the marquee, you either get the glory or you get the hits.

“Over the years, a lot of stones and a lot of arrows have been flying my way. You expect that.”

Comparing himself to Mick Jagger, whose band The Rolling Stones will end their 51-year career after headlining Glastonbury this summer, Meat Loaf said he was 45 kilograms heavier, and that Jagger “hasn’t seen the wear and tear”.

The Last at Bat tour opens in Newcastle and continues for 17 dates through Britain, Germany and the Netherlands. The set list will be half dedicated to seven tracks from his Bat Out Of Hell album, which has sold 45 million copies to date and includes the title track and You Took the Words Right out of my Mouth, and half to his other hits, such as Dead Ringer for Love and I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That).

Source: The Telegraph