The Oak Ridge Boys acknowledge time is running out to see them live, as they label an upcoming batch of tour dates a “farewell tour.”
The American Made: Farewell Tour includes shows through mid-December, but the band plans to keep playing into 2024. William Lee Golden and company will play fewer shows next year than ever before, telling Billboard that old age and health issues are forcing them to slow down.
“My legs aren’t what they used to be,” Joe Bonsall says, explaining how he’s had to sing from a stool in recent years. “Richard (Sterban) has had a few small health issues, but he got by them fine. Duane (Allen) is doing great and Golden, he’s going to be 85 in January and he’s got more energy than all of us put together.”
So, instead of 120 to 140 shows, the Country Music Hall of Fame group will trim to 50 or 60 concerts. After that?
Nobody has put a timestamp on when the Oak Ridge Boys may play their final show, which is common. Alabama, for example, have been doing some version of a farewell tour for several years, but have plenty of shows to keep them busy into December 2023. George Strait and Shania Twain are two more Hall of Fame-caliber artists to indicate they’d retire from the road, only to embark on an ambitious tour years later.
Related: Country Music Tours Scheduled for 2023 + 2024 [Full List]
The Oak Ridge Boys finalized their current lineup in 1973 and released seventeen No. 1 hits, including “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight, “Trying to Love Two Women” and “Elvira.” They were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015.
The Oak Ridge Boys’ American Made: Farewell Tour Dates:
Sept. 20 — Branson, Mo. @ the Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts
Sept. 21 — Branson, Mo. @ the Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts
Sept. 22 — Jefferson City, Mo. @ Capital Region MU Health Care Amphitheater
Sept. 23 — Huntington, Tenn. @ Dixie Carter Performing Arts Center
Sept. 28 — Minot, N.D. @ Norsk Hostfest Great Hall of the Vikings
Sept. 29 — Grand Forks, N.D. @ Cheste Fritz Auditorium
Sept. 30 — Brookings, S.D. @ Swiftel Center
Oct. 1 — Deadwood, S.D. @ Deadwood Mountain Grand
Oct. 4 — Branson, Mo. @ the Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts
Oct. 5 — Branson, Mo. @ the Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts
Oct. 6 — Kansas City, Mo. @ Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City
Oct. 7 — Powderly, Texas @ Richard Drake’s Party Barn
Oct. 11 — Branson, Mo. @ the Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts
Oct. 12 — Branson, Mo. @ the Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts
Oct. 13 — Arlington, Texas @ Arlington Music Hall
Oct. 14 — Arlington, Texas @ Arlington Music Hall
Oct. 18 — Branson, Mo. @ the Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts
Oct. 19 — Branson, Mo. @ the Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts
Oct. 21 — Rome, Ga. @ Rome City Auditorium
Oct. 26 — Branson, Mo. @ the Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts
Oct. 27 — Branson, Mo. @ the Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts
Oct. 28 — Independence, Kan. @ Neewollah Celebration – Jim Halsey Auditorium
Nov. 1 — Branson, Mo. @ the Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts
Nov. 2 — Branson, Mo. @ the Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts
Nov. 4 — Corinth, Miss. @ Crossroads Arena
Nov. 8 — Branson, Mo. @ the Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts
Nov. 9 — Branson, Mo. @ the Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts
Nov. 11 — Nashville, Tenn. @ The Grand Ole Opry
Nov. 15 — Branson, Mo. @ the Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts
Nov. 16 — Branson, Mo. @ the Mansion Theatre for the Performing Arts
Nov. 21 — Portsmouth, Ohio @ Vern Riffe Center for the Arts
Nov. 24 — Wabash, Ind. @ Honeywell Center
Nov. 25 — Anderson, Ind. @ Paramount Theatre
Nov. 30 — Roanoke Rapids, N.C. @ Weldon Mills Theatre
Dec. 1 — Mount Vernon, Ky. @ Renfro Valley Barn Dance
Dec. 2 — Hiawassee, Ga. @ Anderson Music Hall
Dec. 7 — Battle Creek, Mich. @ Firekeepers Casino
Dec. 8 — Harris, Mich. @ Island Resort & Casino
Dec. 9 — Harris, Mich. @ Island Resort & Casino
Dec. 12 — Nashville, Tenn. @ Ryman Auditorium
Dec. 14 — Paducah, Ky. @ Luther F. Carson Four Rivers Center
Dec. 15 — Effingham, Ill. @ Effingham Performance Center
Dec. 16 — Wisconsin Dell, Wisc. @ Crystal grand Music Theatre
Dec. 17 — Dekalb, Ill. @ Egyptian Theatre
PICTURES: See Inside Oak Ridge Boys Legend William Lee Golden’s Stunning Historic Plantation Home
Legendary Oak Ridge Boys singer William Lee Golden lives in a very historic property outside of Nashville, and pictures show a stunning manor home that’s been updated without losing its original appeal.