Peter Frampton Prepares for His Final Touring Shows
Peter Frampton is preparing for the end of his touring career. He'll perform a series of concerts in the U.K. and Europe in November that are rescheduled dates from 2020.
In a new interview with Classic Rock (via Guitar.com), the guitarist revealed that he'll perform these upcoming shows seated, due to the progression of his inclusion body myositis (IBM), a degenerative muscle disease that has slowly affected his ability to perform.
Frampton says it's mostly a safety concern. "My legs are not good," he said. "And I've decided I am going to sit down on these upcoming tour dates in Europe. I can't stand. That would be dangerous for me now because I get so carried away when I'm playing that I'm liable to fall over."
He revealed his diagnosis in 2019, around the same time he planned for an elaborate farewell tour, which made its way across North America that year. Frampton was then scheduled to take the tour overseas to the U.K. and Europe in 2020. Those dates were postponed due to the pandemic but have now been rescheduled. (You can see a full list of upcoming show dates on his website.)
Watch Peter Frampton Perform 'Do You Feel Like We Do?' at Madison Square Garden in 2019
Since the announcement of his diagnosis, Frampton has been committed to raising awareness of IBM. After seeking treatment at Johns Hopkins Myositis Center in Baltimore, Frampton helped established the Peter Frampton Myositis Research Fund.
According to one of Frampton's doctors, playing guitar may have helped to mitigate the progression of his IBM to some degree. "We don't have data to project where he will be in five more years, and one size doesn't fit all," Lisa Christopher-Stine said in 2020. "However, he's one of my slowest-progressing IBM patients overall. Maybe if you use your fingers that often, it delays the inevitable." She has since started suggesting to her patients that they take up guitar or piano.
Frampton admitted he's apprehensive about the upcoming shows – "I haven’t played over there in so long," he noted — but has assured fans he intends to wrap up his touring career on a high note: "It’s starting to affect my hands, but not enough yet, so I can still play a good lick."