Top Rock Musical Performers Retire From Touring
Top Rock Musical Performers Retire From Touring Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply. Close
But many hotshots of the ’60s may be cooling on the idea of the endless highway. Touring is a grind, and even nightly applause loses its appeal against the daily monotony of bus travel, hotels and backstage buffets. And health can enter the equation. Eric Clapton, 72, has hinted strongly about retiring, as playing live became more difficult and painful in recent years. He suffers from tinnitus, severe eczema and peripheral neuropathy. The British singer-guitarist has only one show scheduled this year, a set at London’s Hyde Park in July.
The exits don’t mean boomer favorites will suddenly vanish from the tour circuit. Plenty of over-60 rock acts continue to crisscross the planet with a regularity and stamina that dumbfound teenagers. Bob Dylan, 76, has been on his "Never Ending Tour" since 1988. Mick Jagger, 74, has been circling the globe with the Rolling Stones since 1962, most recently on the "No Filter" tour in 2017. Billy Joel, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and the Eagles remain huge draws.
Entertainment $3 off popcorn and soft drink combos See more Entertainment offers > Here’s a look at a half-dozen acts that are pulling off the road for good.
Ozzy Osbourne at the SiriusXM Studios in New York City on Dec. 11, 2014. Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images
AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe . He’ll play more than 300 shows on five continents over three years during his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour, which gets underway Sept. 8 in Allentown, Pa. “I can’t physically do the traveling anymore,” he said at a press conference in January. “I really want to spend time with my children at home. [He and husband David Furnish have two sons]. I’ve had an incredible life, but life is all about change” (tour details/dates at eltonjohn.com).
Top Rockers Ease off the Road
Several big-name musicians announce their retirement from touring
Joan Baez performs at the ASCAP Centennial Awards ceremony on Nov. 17, 2014, in New York City. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for ASCAP Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. “2018 is the big year for farewell tours,” says Dave Brooks, who covers touring and live entertainment for Billboard. “And because of the long rehearsals, extensive planning and sheer cost of taking a true world tour, it’s not surprising that some acts want to make one last run while also making some serious money saying goodbye. We live in a FOMO [fear of missing out] culture, and there will be fans young and old who are willing to spend a big chunk of their entertainment dollar this year for one final show from these icons.” Retirement has always been the genre’s kryptonite, as stars rebelled against Father Time to revel in arrested development. A number of musical heavyweights — including Cher, Kiss and the Who — have undertaken splashy farewell tours, only to return to the spotlight full time.But many hotshots of the ’60s may be cooling on the idea of the endless highway. Touring is a grind, and even nightly applause loses its appeal against the daily monotony of bus travel, hotels and backstage buffets. And health can enter the equation. Eric Clapton, 72, has hinted strongly about retiring, as playing live became more difficult and painful in recent years. He suffers from tinnitus, severe eczema and peripheral neuropathy. The British singer-guitarist has only one show scheduled this year, a set at London’s Hyde Park in July.
The exits don’t mean boomer favorites will suddenly vanish from the tour circuit. Plenty of over-60 rock acts continue to crisscross the planet with a regularity and stamina that dumbfound teenagers. Bob Dylan, 76, has been on his "Never Ending Tour" since 1988. Mick Jagger, 74, has been circling the globe with the Rolling Stones since 1962, most recently on the "No Filter" tour in 2017. Billy Joel, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and the Eagles remain huge draws.
Entertainment $3 off popcorn and soft drink combos See more Entertainment offers > Here’s a look at a half-dozen acts that are pulling off the road for good.
Ozzy Osbourne
The metal god, 69, is closing out five decades of touring with "No More Tours 2," which launches in April and roams the planet through 2020. His first "No More Tours" was in 1992, but that exodus was short lived, and he resurfaced with his "Retirement Sucks Tour" in 1995. This time he’s serious. He wants to spend more time with his wife, Sharon, and their three children and three granddaughters (tour details and dates at ozzy.com).Ozzy Osbourne at the SiriusXM Studios in New York City on Dec. 11, 2014. Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images
Neil Diamond
The beloved singer-songwriter, 77, was in the midst of his 50th anniversary tour when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in January. He canceled the remaining shows in Australia and New Zealand. While retired from the stage, he intends to continue writing and recording. (In 2011, songbird Linda Ronstadt announced her retirement, and in 2013 revealed to AARP that she had Parkinson’s and could “no longer sing a note.”)AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe . He’ll play more than 300 shows on five continents over three years during his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour, which gets underway Sept. 8 in Allentown, Pa. “I can’t physically do the traveling anymore,” he said at a press conference in January. “I really want to spend time with my children at home. [He and husband David Furnish have two sons]. I’ve had an incredible life, but life is all about change” (tour details/dates at eltonjohn.com).