Kenny Rogers performs in farewell tour at the Big Dome

KENNY Rogers

KENNY Rogers, the American country music luminary who has had chart-topping songs over the past five decades, is set to hold a one-night show on Aug. 11 at Smart Araneta Coliseum, as part of his farewell world tour, “The Gambler’s Last Deal” (call 915-5555 or 532-8883).

The seasoned artist, who is behind such hits as “Islands in the Stream,” “The Gambler,”  “Lady” and “Through the Years,” had already announced his plan to retire from touring after the concert series to focus on his family.

“It is happily sad or sadly happy… I am going to do a big worldwide tour—and it is going to be my last,” the 77-year-old singer-songwriter related in an interview with NBC’s “Today” show last year. “I’m going to say goodbye at that point; I have done this long enough.”

With about 120 million records sold worldwide, Rogers, a three-time Grammy Award winner, is one of the best-selling solo artists of all time.

Charlie Puth coming back

American pop singer-songwriter Charlie Puth, who cowrote with rapper Wiz Khalifa the No. 1 hit and Paul Walker tribute song, “See You Again,” is set to return to Manila for a concert on Aug. 14 at the Kia Theatre (call 911-5555).

Puth, 24, didn’t know much about the country prior to his visit in October last year. But after performing to a sizeable audience at the Eastwood Mall in Quezon City, the music artist soon found out that the Philippines was actually a big market for him.

CHARLIE Puth

A music production and engineering graduate from the Berklee College of Music, Puth has so far released one album, “Nine Track Mind,” which has yielded two hit songs, “Marvin Gaye” and “One Call Away.” He sees his debut album as a compilation of “soulful music, with a little hip-hop.”

“I want people to hear the realness in it. There’s this perception about pop music these days that every act is put together by someone in a suit. That’s why I go onstage in a white T-shirt and jeans, because I want the audience to look at me as a regular person,” he said in an interview. Allan Policarpio