The O’Jays’ farewell tour, Last Stop On The Love Train, will extend into 2023.
The tour was originally scheduled to conclude Sept. 8. However, member Eddie Levert caught COVID-19 during tour rehearsals, which resulted in a few tour dates getting postponed.
A rep for The O’Jays confirmed to Rated R&B that Levert, 80, is still recovering from COVID-19.
“Due to Eddie Levert getting Covid and still recovering, the final tour should extend into next year… Especially as we’ve had to postpone many of the shows,” The O’Jays’ rep told Rated R&B in a statement.
A revised itinerary has not been released at the time of publishing. However, the legendary group’s tour stop at The Orpheum Theatre Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee, is still on for Sept. 8. Founding member Walter Williams, Sr. and Eric Nolan Grant, who has been with the group for the last 30 years, will take the stage.
In July, The O’Jays released a statement announcing that Levert had contracted the virus.
“Sadly, our very own Eddie Levert caught a severe case of Covid while rehearsing for The Last Stop on The Love Train Tour. He is recovering, and expects to be back on the road soon, but is still not quite well enough to perform. He sends you all his love, thoughts and prayers, and in return please join us in wishing him a full and speedy recovery,” the group wrote on Facebook.
At their June 18 concert in Columbus, Ohio, members Grant and Williams took time during their set to explain why Levert wasn’t present.
Grant said, “Our brother fell ill. We’ve been rehearsing for the last month — myself, Walter [and] the band. Eddie Levert was coming to rehearsal every single day. He was preparing himself for this moment right here. Then, he contracted Covid. He’s under doctor’s care. He’s doing pretty good. He’s coming along. But, he still has the protocol [and] give himself time to heal. But he wanted to be here. We wanted him to be — I wanted him to be here. I wouldn’t have to work so hard (laughs). So we want you, if you will, all of you people here to put ‘him in your prayers, please, and wish him a speedy recovery.”
Earlier this spring, The O’Jays announced the dates for their farewell tour, which included stops in major cities across the U.S.
Williams jokingly said in a statement, “The reason that this is our last tour is because, between Eddie and I, our ages will be over 160 years old by the end of the tour. I will be 60, and Eddie… you can do the rest of the math. But really, we wanted one last tour to say goodbye to our friends, family and fans, and ride The Love Train together, one last time.”
(Photo by Denise Truscello)
Levert added, “I was thinking that I would quietly retire, but our fans and my body weren’t having it…The love and physical benefits of performing keeps us on the younger side of our age. This tour is a celebration of all of our lives and the struggles and joys that got us to today. It is time for us to say goodbye and we would like to do it in person. Please come join us as we play the music we have shared together over the past 60 years, one last time.”
In 2019, The O’Jays released their final album, The Last Word. The album was inspired by the social injustice in America. It features production by Steve Greenberg, Mike Mangini, Betty Wright and Sam Hollander, as well as a songwriting credit from Bruno Mars (“Enjoy Yourself”).
“I look at what is going on in the world and not much seems to have changed from when we first started doing this,” said Levert. “We are still dealing with the same issues. On this album, we addressed those issues as well as the intolerance we see coming out of the Trump Administration on a daily basis. We also offer a solution. That solution is to combat hatred with love and acceptance.”
Williams added, “I want to believe things will eventually change but we have a long way to go. With this final album, we are providing a soundtrack for those that are speaking truth to power and encouraging people to come together through love.”
Revisit The O’Jays’ throwback performance of “Love Train” on Soul Train.
