In February 2019, Peter Frampton revealed that he’d been diagnosed with inclusion body myositis (IBM), a progressive muscle disorder that he expected to eventually rob him of the ability to play guitar. The diagnosis prompted Frampton to announce a farewell tour, which he launched in June of that year.
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Thankfully, six years later, Peter’s illness has not yet hampered his playing enough to stop him from doing shows. Earlier this month, the 74-year-old musician announced dates for a new North American trek dubbed the Let’s Do It Again Tour.
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Frampton discussed his drive to keep making music in spite of his ailment during a recent Q&A event held at the 2025 edition of The NAMM Show, the annual trade conference for music merchants, in Anaheim, California.
“I keep saying, ‘Oh, that’s the last one, that’s the last one,’” he noted, as seen in a video posted on Guitar Player magazine’s YouTube channel. said. “And then, of course, I go, ‘Can we do it again?’ So we called this [tour] Let’s Do It Again.”
As for when he might stop performing, Frampton said, “I’m gonna keep going as long as my fingers work.”
Frampton Discussed How His Illness Is Affecting His Playing
Peter then admitted that playing guitar was “getting more difficult” for him.
He noted that sometimes his fingers don’t move with the same dexterity as they once did, so he has to come up with a workaround.
“[I’ll be] in the middle of a passage and I’ll say, ‘That finger is not going to get there in time!’” Frampton explained. “So I do a regroup and I use one finger for many notes that I used to use three fingers for.”
He then related his situation to that of the famous European jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. Reinhardt, who was considered one of the world’s greatest guitarists, developed his own style of playing after two fingers on his left hand were badly burned in a fire when he was 18.
“That’s what I’m doing, because I enjoy music so much,” Frampton maintained.
Peter also pointed out that he’s focusing on keeping a positive attitude in the face of his health situation.
“People say, ‘Aren’t you depressed?’” Frampton noted. “You know, you [have to] accept the things you cannot change. I learned that in [Alcoholics Anonymous], and many other places. Why worry about something you can’t do anything about?”
He added, “I will keep doing music for the rest of my life. What I have is not life-threatening, thank God, but it’s life-changing, and I’m going with the flow.”
About Frampton’s Upcoming Tour Plans
The Let’s Do It Again trek is Frampton’s first tour since he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in October 2024.
So far, Frampton has 10 tour dates scheduled in 2025, spanning from a March 30 show in Uncasville, Connecticut, through an April 19 concert in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.
During the NAMM Show Q&A, Peter revealed that he also will play a second series of 10 shows that will launch in June.
Tickets for Frampton’s confirmed concerts are available now via various outlets, including StubHub.
The British rocker also has been spending time in the studio working on a new album. The project will be a follow-up to Peter’s 2021 instrumental covers record, Frampton Forgets the Words.
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