Peter Frampton refuses to give up live performances: 'I'm a fighter'

Peter Frampton has been a guitar legend for decades. He is adored by millions of people for his creativity and excellent playing skills and he has no problem selling out huge shows, even after so many years in the business. For a while it looked like the rocker was done performing live after being diagnosed with a debilitating illness, but he has now confirmed he is not giving up.

“Every note I play now is much more important to me because I know that one of the notes I play will be the last one I play in my life,” Frampton recently told the San Diego Union-Tribune in a new interview. The rocker just finished his Never Say Never tour, which took him across the US in March and April 2024.

In the chat, Frampton referenced the fact that there was a time when he thought he had to stop playing live. In 2019, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with inclusion body myositis (IBM), which causes muscle weakness. He assumed he only had a limited window of time left to perform his music live, so he booked a tour that was then marketed as a final tour.

Two years after the end of his farewell tour, Frampton is still ready to perform in front of large audiences, although some changes have been made to his stage show. “What I have to do now is find new ways (to play),” he shared, which is clear to anyone who attends one of his concerts. Frampton now plays sitting down and uses a stick when walking.

Despite these setbacks and difficulties, Frampton is defiant and seems determined to keep playing, perhaps for as long as he can. “I'm a fighter and I don't give up,” he told the California-based newspaper. “I have weaknesses in my fingers, yes, but I have found different ways to get to the end point of what I want to play.”

Frampton even seems to enjoy changing things up after so long, even if he has to do it for a less than ideal reason. “The things that come to mind that I can't play, I quickly figure out what I can do at that point and it's different and I like it,” he said. Frampton added that sometimes he thinks, “Wow, I wouldn't have played it like that (before).”

Some musicians would be upset about their physical limitations, and they have every reason to be. Frampton may harbor some of these feelings, but outwardly he remains optimistic. In fact, he seems downright thrilled to be where he is.

“I'm basically having the time of my life right now,” Frampton shared in the interview. “I can’t believe the audience and I can’t believe where I’m at in my career at this point. I never thought I would play at this level again. So every day is a great day for me.”

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