Kenny Loggins reflects on “This is It-His Final Tour 2023!”

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – For 50 years, musician Kenny Loggins has called Santa Barbara home.

The rock legend wrapped us his This Is It Tour at the Santa Barbara Bowl just a few miles from his home.

"I saw a lot of people I know. It was kind of like playing in a dream, you know, everywhere you look, you see somebody that you kind of recognize," said Loggins.

When asked whether this is not it, Loggins said, "You've been waiting all day to say that."

Loggins contemplated the tour theme.

"We talked it over. It was either going to be 'Celebrate Me Home' or 'This Is It' and it felt like for the whole country to really try and get them to be aware of the fact that this was the final tour."

Loggins' children and grandchildren insisted the final stop be a family affair.

"My oldest son, Crosby, called me and said, 'We want to be in on it, too. We want to sing something.' So we worked up the song that I wrote as a young man, Dannys' Song for my brother Danny."

They played and sang the song about Loggins late big brother as a trio.

His grandkids Phifer and Lu also joined the Adderley School Choir during "Conviction of the Heart."

Famous friends including Michael McDonald, Richard Marx and Kevin Bacon who starred in Footloose joined him on stage during a number of songs, too.

"I just thought; what would be the icing on the cake, that Kevin and I had never really played that song together in public for an audience. We did a piece on a TV show years and years ago, but, so, this was our opportunity to finally have that circle be completed. Kevin came out, the audience went crazy."

Loggin's success soared with Danger Zone from the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun and it's sequal Top Gun: Maverick introduced his music to a whole new generation.

"It was just another moment of incredible luck to have Top Gun be the sequel, be made this last year. It really upped my visibility on social network."

It is something he said he does not take for granted.

"It did hit me, actually, that I now know my music will go on past me and that's a very flattering thought."

Now, Loggins has more time with the people he loves and the sport of pickleball.

His tour wrapped up just in time for the Unity Telethon he created with the late Barbara Tellefson.

"My dad always encouraged me to do that sort of thing. And it's just for me, you know, it wasn't the Christmas season unless there was something some way of giving back during that time," said Loggins. "And so I wanted to find an organization that would do a little of everything, you know, food, toys, books, clothing, things people need to get through the holidays. I recommend that you visit the Unity store."

There is now a similar shop in Nashville thanks to Unity supporter and resident Brad Paisley.

Fans can see highlights of the tour in an upcoming documentary that led to the discovery of some unreleased music.

"While I was making the documentary, we pulled out boxes and boxes of old cassette tapes of song ideas, and I discovered a whole lot of ideas that are pretty good that are worth pursuing now, that I didn't pursue back in the day. So I thought that might be a fun thing to do, finish a dozen of those original ideas and see if I can make a sort of period piece that's also new."

In the meantime, Loggins is just glad to be home.

"I'm just pleased to be off the road and be home in Santa Barbara."

For more information about what Loggins is up to visit https://kennyloggins.com.