Joan Manuel Serrat begins final world tour in New York

Singer-songwriter performed in front of 3,000 spectators for first time in over two years

Joan Manuel Serrat during a concert in December 2018 (by Mar Vila)
Joan Manuel Serrat during a concert in December 2018 (by Mar Vila) / Angus Clelland

ACN | New York

April 28, 2022 11:12 AM

Joan Manuel Serrat, the beloved Catalan singer-songwriter with a storied career spanning half a century, has kicked off his last world tour in New York. The concert, held in the Beacon Theatre in front of over 3,000 people, was his first since February 2020. 

The world tour has been named 'El vicio de cantar 1965-2022’ (‘The Vice of Singing’, in English) to remember Serrat’s long career. 

Spanish journalist Javier Otazu described the concert in New York as an "emotional farewell" to a "crowded theatre."

Other journalists also shared some clips of the performance. One of them shows the Catalan artist on the stage receiving a massive ovation from the public.

"The public has requested more than one encore, and Serrat’s last song was ‘Esos locos bajitos’, making the last word the artist sang and said on top of the stage was: ‘adiós’ (goodbye)," journalist Sarah Yáñez-Richards tweeted.

With the first concert, the Catalan artist started his world tour to "personally" bid farewell to his fans after sharing "songs for over half a century." 

Despite the show being in New York City, far from his homeland on the Mediterranean coast, Serrat did sing one of his most-known anthems, ‘Mediterráneo’. "What will I do if I was born in the Mediterranean," the artist sang.

The tour will finish in Barcelona’s Palau Sant Jordi in December 2022 and will be the artist’s final performance on stage, although he has announced that he will continue to write songs at home and possibly even record an album. 

However, he says he will not be performing any more concerts after this, as he wants to spend more time with his family. 

Serrat will also perform in Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay, as well as several concerts in Spain. Which includes the Spanish cities of Málaga, Múrcia, A Coruña, he will also perform at the Tío Pepe Festival, in Alicante, Seville, Pamplona, Granada, Zaragoza, and Madrid.

In Catalonia, aside from Barcelona, the singer-songwriter will perform in Festival Castell de Peralada, Festival de la Porta Ferrada in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, and the Festival Arts d’Estiu in Pineda.