How long can the show go on? 7 rock acts we might not see in concert again

Ross Raihala, Pioneer Press
·9 min read
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Five years ago, one of the hottest trends in music was calling it a day. Elton John, Kiss and Lynyrd Syknyrd were among a handful of legacy acts publicly declaring they were embarking on their final tour.

But the pandemic seems to have put the brakes on retirement talk, even as members of classic rock groups start to enter their 80s. Age, of course, is nothing but a number. B.B. King performed until he was 88 and Tony Bennett kept going until his 95th birthday in 2021, yet reportedly still rehearses with his music director three days a week.

How long can our most senior rock acts keep going? Here’s a look at seven of them and the chances we’ve already seen the last of them in concert.

The Rolling Stones

Ages: Mick Jagger, 79; Keith Richards, 79; Ronnie Wood, 75.

Last seen: Oct. 24, 2021; U.S. Bank Stadium.

The dirt: The Stones either invented or popularized any number of concert trends, including ever-increasing ticket prices, turning concerts into spectacles and bringing on corporate sponsorship. Over the past decade, the band has traded intensive, 100-plus date arena tours for stadium outings with an average of about 16 shows a year. (It’s a tactic also used by the likes of Taylor Swift and Metallica.)

On Aug. 24, 2021, drummer Charlie Watts died at the age of 80 just weeks before the band was set to return to the road. The Stones went ahead and played the dates with drummer Steve Jordan, a longtime friend of the group. Given that Watts was arguably the heart and soul of the band, no one would have been surprised if they called it a day.

Instead, they went ahead and played 14 European dates last year. In January, Richards posted a video to Instagram where he said: “There’s some new music on its way and hopefully we’ll get to see you, you know? Anyway, let’s keep our fingers crossed.”

Will we see them again: It seems clear the guys aren’t quitting the game any time soon. That said, given the reduced number of shows they perform and the fact they were just here in 2021 probably means it’ll be years, if ever, before they return.

Paul McCartney

Age: 80.

Last seen: May 4-5, 2016; Target Center.

The dirt: The cute Beatle didn’t tour for most of the ’80s and ’90s, but when he returned to the road in 2002 he’s been pretty consistent in playing at least some shows every year since. Indeed, he had a run of 2020 European dates planned that were canceled due to the pandemic. Last year, McCartney played 16 shows in the States and a pair in England, including a headlining spot at the legendary Glastonbury Festival.

Will we see him again: Given that his 2022 dates all sold out, earned rave reviews and offered about three dozen songs in just under three hours, McCartney seems as strong as ever. I also think he’s a realist who wants to go out with a bang. Don’t be surprised if he announces an extensive, multi-year farewell tour with an eye toward breaking Elton John’s record for the highest-grossing tour of all time. Sir Elton’s goodbye to the stage has grossed $817.9 million from 278 shows, with another four months of European gigs booked this summer.

Bob Dylan

Age: 81.

Last seen: Oct. 25, 2017; Xcel Energy Center.

The dirt: Minnesota’s own legendary icon makes his own rules. On June 7, 1988, he started a tour that, for the most part, hasn’t stopped since. Fans and the media have dubbed it the Never Ending Tour, a term Dylan has dismissed several times. Yet he has played roughly 100 shows a year for decades now, stopping only for a few months in 1997 when he was hospitalized with a serious chest infection and then again during the pandemic.

Will we see him again: Most likely. He resumed live shows in November 2021 and spent a year playing more than 100 gigs, in both North America and Europe. Dylan’s website bills the outing as running from 2021 to 2024, so expect to have the chance to see him in Minnesota at least once in the next two years. Although knowing Dylan, that may mean a stop in Duluth or Rochester rather than in the metro.

Madonna

Age: A spring chicken at 64.

Last seen: Oct. 8, 2015; Xcel Energy Center.

The dirt: More than most acts at her level, Madonna has actively avoided nostalgia on the road. Each of her 11 tours – only four of which visited the Twin Cities, by the way – featured a set list built around her latest album. She has limited the number of older hits during each outing, and has often changed the arrangement of the ones she did play.

In 2019, Madge released “Madame X.” It was her 14th album and, by far, stands as the weirdest one with an experimental blend of Latin folk, trap, funk, disco and electronic pop. For the tour, she played residencies at theaters and small venues, kicking off with a 16-night stand in New York City. From there, she stopped at a mere five U.S. cities and then headed abroad for shows in Lisbon, London and Paris.

The outing certainly had its fans, but it also drew plenty of criticism, starting with sticker shock at her ticket prices. Madge started many shows late, taking the stage in Vegas at 12:30 a.m., and didn’t allow concertgoers to use their mobile phones, even while they were waiting for her. She also canceled 16 shows, 14 due to a recurring injury, before the tour was cut short due to the pandemic.

Perhaps in a move to shake off some of that bad will, or maybe just to finally give the fans what they’ve clamored for, Madonna announced her first-ever greatest hits tour last month. Set to launch in July, it’s said to feature her biggest production to date.

Will we see her again: The tour hits the X on July 30. The big question is what happens after that for the Material Girl. If she starts on time and doesn’t cancel shows, she can easily launch another major tour in a few years. If not, Madonna may have trouble finding a promoter that will take the risk.

Pink Floyd

Ages: David Gilmour, 76; Nick Mason, 79.

Last seen: June 22, 1994; Metrodome.

The dirt: After ruling the ’70s with a series of best-selling albums and massive stage shows, Pink Floyd appeared to be over in 1985 when Roger Waters (now 79) announced he was leaving the band. But David Gilmour kept it going another decade with two more records and accompanying tours.

In 1994, Gilmour put Pink Floyd to rest. Five years later, Waters embarked on the first of a series of tours focused mainly on his former band’s music. And each of Waters’ outings has been bigger than the last, with his most recent one hitting Target Center last July. The surviving members reunited in 2005 to play Live 8 and quickly disbanded once again. In 2018, Mason launched his own Pink Floyd cover band, Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets, and hit the road playing the group’s earliest work.

Will we see them again: There’s little to no hope for Gilmour and Waters getting back together. Just this week, Gilmour’s wife Polly Samson took to social media to blast Waters – who manages to anger folks across the political spectrum with his outspoken beliefs – as “antisemitic to your rotten core. Also a Putin apologist and a lying, thieving, hypocritical, tax-avoiding, lip-synching, misogynistic, sick-with-envy megalomaniac.”

Waters, meanwhile, will continue what he has called his “first farewell tour” with European dates in the spring. Gilmour hasn’t shown much interest in hitting the road on his own, as he’s launched just three major solo tours, in 1984, 2006 and 2016. Mason has mounted a pair of U.S. tours and it seems likely he’ll be back at least once more.

Eagles

Ages: Don Henley, 75; Joe Walsh, 75; Timothy B. Schmit, 75; Vince Gill, 65.

Last seen: Oct. 1-2, 2021; Xcel Energy Center.

The dirt: One of the biggest-selling bands of all time, the Eagles had a messy breakup in 1980 that left little hope for the band’s future. But the allure of a huge reunion payday brought them back together in 1994 and they spent the next 22 years raking in the dough.

It looked like it was over once again when co-founder Glenn Frey died in January 2016. Don Henley invited Jackson Browne to join the band for a tribute performance at the Grammys for what he said was the band’s final gig. But just two years later, Henley revived the Eagles with an expanded lineup that included Frey’s son, Deacon, country music star Vince Gill and Henley’s son, Will. The additions, particularly Gill, worked well and allowed the ever-scowling Henley to share the spotlight. Will Henley only lasted a year and Deacon Frey left in 2022 to pursue a solo career, but the remaining members are continuing a tour celebrating their classic album “Hotel California.”

Will we see them again: Sooner rather than later, I’m guessing. I could easily see them mount another joint stadium tour with Jimmy Buffett (age 76) as they did in 2018.

Fleetwood Mac

Ages: Stevie Nicks, 74; Mike Campbell, 73; Neil Finn, 64; Mick Fleetwood, 75; John McVie, 77.

Last seen: Oct. 22, 2018; Xcel Energy Center.

The dirt: Fleetwood Mac has had numerous lineups over the decades, the most famous being the one that recorded “Rumours”: Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Christine and John McVie and Mick Fleetwood. The five reunited in 1993 to play President Bill Clinton’s first inauguration and four years later they hit the road together. Christine McVie left the band after the shows, but the remaining four kept it going, raking in big bucks from nostalgic boomers.

In 2014, Christine McVie came out of retirement and joined Fleetwood Mac for a tour that began at Target Center. But the latest reunion proved to be short lived as Nicks and company kicked Buckingham out of the group in 2018 and replaced him with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitarist/songwriter Mike Campbell and Crowded House’s Neil Finn.

Will we see them again: Christine McVie died in November at the age of 79. In February, Fleetwood was asked about the band’s future: “I truly think the line in the sand has been drawn with the loss of Chris. I’d say we’re done, but then we’ve all said that before. It’s sort of unthinkable right now.”

Nicks has returned to her solo career and will play U.S. Bank Stadium on Nov. 10 with Billy Joel (age 73).

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