Superstar singer Barry Manilow has said an emotional farewell to UK fans at the O2 Arena in London on Wednesday, June 17, as he played his final ever UK show. In a poignant twist, the night also marked the icon's 83rd birthday.
Final UK Tour
The star was concluding a short six-date tour that began in Glasgow on June 9 and took in cities such as Liverpool and Cardiff. The shows marked his first performances since his lung cancer diagnosis just days before Christmas in December 2025.
His health issues and his age appear to make it inevitable this will be the last time he ever performs on UK soil. He seemed to confirm this definitively at the end when he walked out and said: "Thanks for all of the years, for all the fun, for all the memories. I'll never forget you. I'll never forget you." He then told the audience he had written a song for them.
Emotional Moments
When it appeared the show was over after another two songs, in a touching scene, he recreated a moment from his famous Blenheim Palace show on August 27, 1983, where he performed to over 40,000 fans. Telling the audience they knew this one, he then finished the show with a moving rendition of the Vera Lynn classic We'll Meet Again. It seemed to be an unplanned moment that got off to a shaky start as the band found their groove, but within seconds the entire arena was singing along.
The Could It Be Magic hitmaker seemed visibly emotional as he departed the stage while many audience members were in tears.
Tour Background
This tour had already been billed as his last UK tour, playing on the fact he claimed his concerts around Great Britain in May and June 2024 were his final ones. As he took to the stage just after 8:30 pm, he received a rapturous reception and announced: "It's a bitter sweet evening, because this is the last show of our UK tour. We've had a great time on this tour, and tonight's gonna be the best show of all of them. So get ready for anything."
The show featured plenty of nostalgia for fans and references to his previous 48 years of UK performances since his first run of shows at the London Palladium in October 1978. During I Can't Smile Without You, he also selected a woman from the audience to sing the song with him – something he used to regularly do but has phased out in recent times.
He was also interrupted by the audience just a few songs in, who sang him Happy Birthday, and later in the show he was presented with a cake onstage by his band as the arena once again sang the song for him.
