Kenny Rogers Officially Retires on December 23

By Timothy Yap Dec 22, 2015 03:45 PM EST

Kenny Rogers has been touring all his career. This year, he emarks on his 34th and final Christmas Tour where he visited cities such as Niagara Falls, Ontario, beginning Nov. 11. Rogers will then continue on 29 dates throughout Canada and U.S. through Dec. 23 with his tour partner Linda Davis. Davis is the mother of Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott.

However, the tour offically concludes on December in 23 Westbury, N.Y. @ NYCB Theatre at Westbury. This means Rogers will be officially retired in a few hours... at least from touring. On Sept 25th, Rogers announced his retirement plans on Today, saying, "It's happily sad or sadly happy. I'm going to do a big worldwide tour, and it's going to be my last. I'm going to say goodbye at that point; I've done this long enough.

"Sometimes there's a fine line between being driven and being selfish, and I think I crossed that line when I was younger," he says.

The reason for his retirement is that the "Gambler" singer wants to spend more time with his childrem, ncluding 11-year-old twin sons, Jordan and Justin. "I really want to be there with my kids," Rogers explains, adding, "They're very important to me, and I don't see enough of them."

But will Rogers really, really retire? Rogers hints to the Boot that he may feel restless if he spends too much time at home. "I think we're going to do 80 shows next year, and whether or not that includes the Christmas tour, I don't know," he reveals. "... I love doing a Christmas tour, but, boy, this is hard on me. I'm no young man anymore."

Rogers has just released his 6th Christmas album Once Again It's Christmas. Here's part of our review: "Released via Warner Brothers Nashville, Once Again It's Christmas takes elements of orchestrated jazz-pop, rustic country, and the finger-snapping fun of Gospel and presents what is a top-notched and classy event.

After all these years, what is still the drawing card of any Kenny Rogers album is his ear for songs with melodies that transcend time. This album is no different. Rogers showcases his mettle for a great song with the title cut "Once Again It's Christmas." Sounding like it's made for the soundtrack of a Disney movie, "Once Again It's Christmas" is a beautiful song awash with gorgeous strings and saxophone as Rogers croons his way through the nostalgia of the season. The same amorous feeling is conveyed with the medley "Here It is Christmas" and "Baby It's Cold Outside." Rogers' duet with country songbird Jennifer Nettles is stunning. Even the oft familiar "Winter Wonderland" sounds exquisitely romantic with Rogers' grainy wasp."