Robert Earl Keen wanted the best way to end his career instead of simply announcing it.
Keen surprised his fans with an unexpected announcement on his website earlier this year, saying that he would no longer have any tour or public performance after September 2022. To be exact, he planned to wrap things up at Floore's Country Store in Helotes, Texas.
As promised, he indeed performed in front of thousands of people for two-and-a-half hours over the weekend, ending his touring career beautifully.
As reported by The Rolling Stone, the prolific singer-songwriter sang his hit songs while standing despite previously spending most of his 2022 I'm Coming Home Farewell Tour seated. For the last time, he touched everyone by showing his love for his music and fans by ditching his seat and singing with everyone.
Keen did everything despite the fact that his health issue has been affecting his capacity to move as frequent as possible.
"But, by God, we made it here tonight," he said.
The legendary singer, for what it's worth, decided to face his final moment due to the health issues he had been suffering from. Keen revealed he had been struggling with a bad back, Bell's palsy, and allergic reaction.
He even faced issues after his band members got injured and his bus got engulfed by flames in New Orleans.
For the last time, he performed 29 songs - six of which were encore. Keen also collaborated with Kevin Galloway of Uncle Lucius (Thursday), Church and McMurtry (Saturday), David Beck's Tejano Weekend and Cody Canada & the Departed (Sunday).
"In playing over 175 shows in the past three months, we've also seen good times. We've welcomed our new guitar player, Noah, and traveled across the nation from arenas to theaters to my favorite local hangouts like tonight at Floore's Country Store," Keen told the crowd.
Robert Earl Keen's Legacy
For more than four decades, Keen continuously gave his fans comfort through music.
The Houston native earned an English degree from Texas A&M and eventually met Aggie Lyle Lovett. From there, they wrote and played songs until Keen himself found his own spotlight in the music industry.
Among his early hit albums include "West Textures" and "A Bigger Piece of Sky."
Previously, Keen revealed that he had been considering retiring as early as 2010. Although he continued to sing live until this year, he clarified that he would not want to do anything for money.
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