Aging Entertainers- Retire or Carry on till you Die?

[Velo711]

Elton John, The Stones etc. I know they keep going because people keep paying huge sums to see
them, but maybe we should stop paying almost a weeks wages to see them. This is a bit of a rant,
but with Rod, Elton(sic) and the Stones, It can't be a lack of money is it? A lot of them now sound
like s**t. Thank goodness we have the recordings. Not all aging entertainers are washed up, some
come out with new stuff and it's good(Paul Simon). I just think it's time for some of them. Cheers.

 

[vernon]

People still pay to see the dinosaurs because they still deliver the goods. Their performances are not inferior just different. They've changed some of our expectations haven't.

 

[ianrauk]

There ere quite a few artists/bands that should have given up, but on the other hand there are others that are can still cut the mustard as they are getting older, both as a live and recording act. ZZ Top and The Pretty Things are two that come to mind.

 

[Finnjävel]

Carry on till you die.

I hope I can do things I enjoy till I die, and I assume it's the same for the artists. Maybe even more so.

I can't imagine a retired Mr. Kilmister.

 

[Velo711]

Surely you would retire from your vocation after fifty years.

 

[Noodley]

Black Sabbath.

That is all.

 

[StuAff]

Going to see that little old band from Texas in a couple of weeks. I am not expecting to be disappointed, the album certainly didn't. Sabbath, judging by the reviews of the shows last year, still more than cut it live. Motorhead remain bleedin' awesome live. And one can't forget the one, the only, Mr James Jewel Osterberg....

 

[Noodley]

Sabbath, judging by the reviews of the shows last year, still more than cut it live. Motorhead remain bleedin' awesome live...

Suck-up music journalists and deaf fans dinnae count

 

[StuAff]

Suck-up music journalists and deaf fans dinnae count

True. Saw Sabbath back in '98 & '99, excellent both times, but I can't vouch for the shows since.

Not deaf. Honest

 

[vernon]

Black Sabbath.

That is all.

Black Sabbath were 5hite in the 70s. I still haven't forgiven the bouncers at Newcastle City Hall for throwing me back into the gig when I was trying to leave.

The only path for Sabbath was improvement. They couldn't have got any worse.

 

[accountantpete]

"It's better to burn out than to fade away"

 

[Noodley]

Bill Ward made the right decision. The rest didnae.

 

[Deleted member 23692]

The only path for Sabbath was improvement. They couldn't have got any worse.

True. I saw Sabbath on the Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules tours and they were shite.

If there want to keep playing (and paying the bills) and people want to go see them, then what's the problem? I'd rather pay to see a washed up legend than the vast majority of hyped modern bands with far more A&R than talent any day of the week.

 

[Over The Hill]

Depends on the artist and if they still have something to offer.
Elton John for example has not released any decent new music for 20 years and his voice is now shot away so cannot sing the old songs anymore so is really a waste of space.
Rod Stewart on by contrast can still sing Maggie May really well and also has branched out to do his American Songbook albums and this moves him and his audience into a new phase that suits him now. Some may see him as better than ever now.

Third group is the rockers that can keep doing what they have always been doing and get away with it.

Same with comedy, some are just tired and not funny (John Cleese) but others have been around for ages and still are good to watch (Rowan Atkinson perhaps).

Jules Holland is rather good at pulling out some long-retired singer and I did enjoy Sandie Shaw doing some old hits when we went to see Jules last year. But perhaps it was helped that the artist has not been around for so long flogging some past hits like Bucks Fizz et al.

 

[MontyVeda]

If they want to keep performing, it's up to them... if no-one turns up to watch them perform, then i guess it's up to the fans.

Last week i went to see Chic... way past their sell-by-date, but an excellent gig none-the-less.

A couple of years ago I saw gong, fronted by a 72 year old Deavid Allen, awesome... he's still full of beans

A couple of years before that i went to see the Humphrey Littleton Band, Humph was aged 84 (i think).. excellent gig.

And a few years before that i went to see the Buena Vista Social Club... collective age of about 500 years old... excellent gig.

If you like them, and you've got one last chance to see them before they're gone for good, then go for it.