Kiefer Sutherland keeps concert dates as he mourns dad Donald

June 24 (UPI) -- 24 icon and singer-songwriter Kiefer Sutherland kept his dates with fans in New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Jersey, performing several concerts following his father Donald Sutherland's death Thursday at the age of 88.

"This is a tough time for me and for my family and there's nowhere that I'd rather be right now than making music and playing for you all tonight," Kiefer, 57, said at his show at the Newton Theatre in Newton, N.J., Sunday night.

When someone in the audience yelled that they loved his dad, Kiefer replied, "Me too."

For nearly two hours, Kiefer played guitar, sang songs and told funny, self-deprecating stories about his own wild younger years, the break he took from acting in the 1990s, falling in and out of love, and dealing with substance abuse issues.

The musician also sang about leaving Los Angeles for New York's rural Hudson Valley two years ago, longing for a simpler life and celebrating the hard work of the farmers who are now his neighbors.

Kiefer announced his father's passing in a social media post last week.

"With a heavy heart, I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away," he wrote.

"I personally think [was] one of the most important actors in the history of film. Never daunted by a role, good, bad or ugly. He loved what he did and did what he loved, and one can never ask for more than that. A life well lived," Kiefer said of the M*A*S*H and Ordinary People actor.