OT Entertainers that Should Just Retire | Page 3 | The Boneyard

OT Entertainers that Should Just Retire

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Still waiting for Cher to make up her cancelled tour dates due to her kidney infection last year. I can't live without her. LOL
 
Somehow, seeing Paul McCartney's sagging jowls makes me feel better about
my sagging jowls. So Pop geezers still have some usefulness.
 
KnightBridgeAZ said:
I don't know about The Band (that's a blast from my past), but CSN (and Y) are all still alive. In fact, I attended a tribute concert recently where the leader / singer / guitarist mentioned that he had met one of them and given him a CD that included some CSN&Y songs. Whichever it was commented that when the group does reunions, they can't do one song because they can no longer play it well enough, but he thought the tribute band did a nice job on covering it. I think (but am not sure) that the song was "Suite Judy Blue Eyes".
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CSN are still getting it done. I caught them last year at the Oakdale and they were good. But a few years ago they opened for Tom Petty at the Meadows and they were great. Stills voice may be a bit rough these days, but he was just screaming on guitar. I thought they made Petty really step up. They were much better that night than when I caught them 5 or so years earlier. But as far as Old Guy Rock and Roll live concerts go these days, my favorites are Steely Dan and John Fogerty. Tons of great tunes with crackerjack bands. Next on the list is Joe Walsh. You couldn't get me to an Eagles concert at gunpoint, but I'm looking forward to seeing Joe solo.
 
The king of longevity was Bill Tapia, who was still touring nationally at age 103. At that age, he had been a pro musician for 85 years. Bill lived in California, but I saw him perform in New York City shortly before his death in 2011. As a ukulele player, he waited many years for his time to come, along with the recent increase in ukulele popularity (Iz, Jake Shimaboukuru, ect).

Although not famous except in uke circles, he played for the troops in WW1. He went on to perform with Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong and Elvis. Bill, when he was about 102, told me he had just bought a house in CA and acquired a 30 year mortgage! He was quite a guy.
 
Impressive how this thread got turned around on the OP. It went from, "Damn those geezers just want a check (and, what's wrong with that exactly?)," to "Geezer Appreciation Night."

My thought is if you take an entertainer's ability to entertain, they are bound to figuratively (and quite probably literally) die.

I called Van Halen a cover band of their former selves in a different thread, and while I will most likely never see them again in concert, I cannot begrudge them from playing to the people who do.

By the way, if Tom Waits ever makes his way back to the East Coast, I'm there. I just hope he plays some early stuff and not just from Blood Money, Alice, and Mule Variations (Though I love Mule Variations).
 
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My cousin keeps talking me into going to see fogie bands, even after I swear, "never again." Some have been really good though, particularly Eric Clapton (still the real deal), Beach Boys (enhanced by a hired ~12-man band in the background, but sounded just like their records in the '60s), and McCartney (mostly a Beatles tribute, and enhanced by a large band, but really good).

One I didn't see cuz I had no interest was Glen Campbell. Cousin video'd some of it on his phone. Glen had to read the lyrics off a Teleprompter because he couldn't remember the words to his classic songs due to Alzheimer's - basically doing karaoke on songs he wrote himself. Very sad, almost exploitative maybe.
 
Even as we post our admiration - or, in some cases, disdain - for aging performers, I cannot help but think of the many legendary artists who were taken offstage early, often tragically. To name but a few: Buddy Holly ("The day that music died"), Jimi Hendrix ("Are You Experienced?"), Janis Joplin ("A Piece of My Heart"). . . . :(
 
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KnightBridgeAZ said:
I don't know about The Band (that's a blast from my past), but CSN (and Y) are all still alive. In fact, I attended a tribute concert recently where the leader / singer / guitarist mentioned that he had met one of them and given him a CD that included some CSN&Y songs. Whichever it was commented that when the group does reunions, they can't do one song because they can no longer play it well enough, but he thought the tribute band did a nice job on covering it. I think (but am not sure) that the song was "Suite Judy Blue Eyes".
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I saw CSN in concert in CT recently. Nash sings as well as ever, although always too sweet for me, Stills can still play but only has enough voice for parts of what he sang before, but Crosby is still a great vocalist. Maybe the drugs had preservatives in them.
 
UcMiami said:
I know of some bands still touring that hire extra musicians who are the ones you actually hear because the mikes on drums/pick-ups on the guitars of the actual band members are turned way down/off. Not all of the old band members are fully functional any more!
With actors and vocalists and classical musicians there can be greater depth added to the performance that only comes with age and experience - not something typically associated with rock and roll, but ...
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Perception is reality.
 
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Atleast5char said:
Keith is still alive.
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images
 
My daughter got me Stones tix a few years ago when they were at the Rent - best damn concert I've ever been to and the seats were great!
 
Kibitzer said:
Even as we post our admiration - or, in some cases, disdain - for aging performers, I cannot help but think of the many legendary artists who were taken offstage early, often tragically. To name but a few: Buddy Holly ("The day that music died"), Jimi Hendrix ("Are You Experienced?"), Janis Joplin ("A Piece of My Heart"). . . . :(
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Stevie Ray, Gram Parsons, Richie Valens, Jim Morrison, Sid Vicious. (Only kidding about Sid; he actually overstayed his welcome.):cool:
 
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j66kicker said:
My cousin keeps talking me into going to see fogie bands, even after I swear, "never again." Some have been really good though, particularly Eric Clapton (still the real deal), Beach Boys (enhanced by a hired ~12-man band in the background, but sounded just like their records in the '60s), and McCartney (mostly a Beatles tribute, and enhanced by a large band, but really good).

One I didn't see cuz I had no interest was Glen Campbell. Cousin video'd some of it on his phone. Glen had to read the lyrics off a teleporter because he couldn't remember the words to his classic songs due to Alzheimer's - basically doing karaoke on songs he wrote himself. Very sad, almost exploitative maybe.
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I love Glen's music the words told a story. Witchita Lineman, Gentle on My Mind, Rhinestone Cowboy, etc. I watched the show and yes it was sad, yes he had to read the words, but he could still play the guitar.
 
uconnell said:
I love Glen's music the words told a story. Witchita Lineman, Gentle on My Mind, Rhinestone Cowboy, etc. I watched the show and yes it was sad, yes he had to read the words, but he could still play the guitar.
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Agree - he still had it on the guitar
 
Elton John is one of my favorite singers of all time, but he def needs to hang it up..
 
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Billy Ocean sounds nearly the same as he did in the 80's. I would def recommend one of his concerts
 
UConn79 said:
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band, all mid 60's. Saw them 2 yrs ago and they are still going strong with 3 hr shows. Maybe not so many back to back dates like in 1974 on the Born to Run tour. Worth every penny, never disappoints !!!!!!!
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It's the 40th anniversary of Born to Run, an iconic album.
 
I have only seen him on VH-1 Classic but Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company, Queen) still has a great voice after 40+ years.
 
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