How will it end?

[Willie G. Moseley]

It behooves contemplation about how many (formerly) notable bands, members of which are now in their 50s or even early 60s, will ultimately handle their respective swan songs. I think I've noted this before hereon, but IMO, every generation wants to hear the music with which it came of age for the rest of its existence...and I'm 56 myself.

Some bands may have opportunities to go out in (possibly-hyped-up) style---rumor had it that the Pink Floyd would reunite one last time as a tribute to Syd Barrett but I thunk I heard that Gilmour had kiboshed that notion (and isn't it curious that a non-original member of the Floyd ultimately became the focal point/spokesperson...even if by default).

Some may go out with a (possibly-hyped-up) bang. Kiss, those bastard scions of P.T. Barnum, would probably do one last blow-out at MSG, and would set a Guinness record for indoor fireworks detonation in the process. And their minions would fall for it, in spite of being hoodwinked during the so-called "Farewell Tour" at the beginning of the century.

Some aggregations just may stop out of tiring out and/or possible indifference (legitimate or not)---anybody heard anything about Yes lately?

Some have gone on tout w/ alternate front persons (Queen w/ Paul Rodgers) but for what length of time will such be valid?

The point is, all too often we want to hear the bands' classic songs instead of what they've been offering in more recent times anyway, and we can always listen to recordings.

As is also the case with some professional sports participants, some bands (try to) stay in the public eye too long anyway (TANGENT: What's more, most so-called "comebacks" in entertainment and sports usually aren't).

Who wants to predict how certain combos will finally fold up things (and a death of a prominent member should be taken into consideration)?

[cmatthes]

Great thread, Willie! I saw the WHO's "Farewell Tour" in '82. Same year as the Doobie Bros. "Farewell Tour". Oddly enough, neither one was able to really say goodbye for whatever reason. I'd definitely see the Townshend/Daltrey "WHO" one more time, but it really isn't the same with 50% of the band there for me - more like two great artists playing WHO covers all night (yes, even if they DID write and originally perform them!).

Part of the problem is that many of these acts have priced themselves out of my interest level. I've seen pretty much everybody I've wanted to see, so wouldn't shell out $300+ for a seat to see anybody, with McCartney being the sole exception.

[Guest JackButler]

Paul and Gene have actually been playing with the idea that it'll go on forever.. without them.. that they'll get others to assume the personas and the show will go on and on and on and on.. because what was created has taken on a life of its own and is bigger than even their egos.

I wish them ("them" collectively being any band out there pounding the boards and hanging it out in the wind) all the best in keeping on keeping on.. whether they rise from the ashes or whether they crash and burn..we'll be here or somewhere to watch, comment, discuss and even armchair quaterback it.

We love a Champ..we love winners and success stories..

we love a good car wreck or Jerry Springer moment too..

its only rock n' roll.. and I like it...lol.

[alpep]

hmmmm

looks like my first reply did not make it.

let's try this one

2. Fire and Ice

(From Harper’s Magazine, December 1920.)

SOME say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To know that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

[DavidE]

"Some have gone on tout w/ alternate front persons (Queen w/ Paul Rodgers) but for what length of time will such be valid?"

It's not valid now.

As for The Who, didn't Pete recenly say that he wouldn't pay money to see The Who now? I, for one, agree with him. Fortunately I have a gig the night of the show so I don't have a choice.

As for McCartney, I've seen him on the last two tours and he was worth every freaking penny. Too bad Eilean (;-) ) is going to get a chunk. Then again, maybe being married to her was the incentive to hit the road with a band!

[El Kabong]

KI$$ can never stop. I STILL NEED MY KI$$ microwave oven, my KI$$ lawn mower, (though I live in a 5th floor condo), my KI$$ laser engraved Austrian crystal wine glasses, my KI$$..

[tafkathundernotes]

I wouldn't bother to see The Who either. Even if Led Zeppelin got together, I wouldn't bother because Plant hasn't got it any more. He still has a good voice, but not the voice that made most of those songs what they were. I hate to see any band go on beyond the lead singers ability to hit the right notes. Once they start detuning 1/2 step, then a full step, the end is near.

There are a few that may want to consider retirement before it gets bad. Unfortunately, the lure of the spotlight is strong....

[Steve Haynie]

I am glad that I got to see the original line-up of Foghat. Dave and Rod are gone, but Roger Earl still keeps plugging away with some form of the band.

Foghat opened for... Grand Funk with the original three guys! Thought it would never happen. Now Don Brewer has a new Grand Funk, but that is on hold while he backs up Bob Seger.

There was a Blackfoot reunion with Bobby Barth and three of the original members. Rick Medlocke and Jakson Spires were talking a month before Jakson died. Blackfoot goes on, but it just will not be the same.

Tony Iommi is coming up with another incarnation of Black Sabbath. Some Black Sabbath albums should have been called Iommi albums, but the Sabbath name gets more attention.

Iron Maiden's classic line-up +1 is together. I am happy about that.

Judas Priest has only had two identifiable drummers. Halford's voice is not going to last forever, either. They were worth seeing on the last tour.

Gene Simmons has said that KISS can go on without him. The last show with the original four members was in Charleston, SC back in 2000, I think. I am happy to have been there.

The one band that will always last until its singer or guitar player dies is Cheap Trick.

[Punkavenger]

man, I got to see both Led Zepp and Lynard Skynard live and in the original formation

Thats all I ask ... Thank you God

(whatever happened to the 21st century doors?)

[silentman]

It'll be a long time before it ends. Look at all the acts from the 50's and 60's that are still performing in some capacity. As long as there are people out there wanting to hear their favorite song, there will be a place for them. Yes, it's not in the original format, but people still like to listen.

[Jack C]

KI$$ can never stop. I STILL NEED MY KI$$ microwave oven, my KI$$ lawn mower, (though I live in a 5th floor condo), my KI$$ laser engraved Austrian crystal wine glasses, my KI$$..

My wife dragged me into some makeup/perfume store this weekend and I noticed that they actually sell Kiss perfume for women. Who actually buys this crap?

[marcnorth]

I picked up the new Who cd a week or so ago and it pretty much sucks.

The studio stuff is not real bad but it's mostly Pete playing all the instruments and Roger doing vocals.

The live cd tells me it's time for Roger Daltry to hang it up. His vocals are terrible on some of the tunes. I had to laugh a couple of times it was so bad.

It also came with a dvd which I've never watched yet.

For anyone who's ever been into Wishbone Ash the original bass player/vocalist has a new version called Martin Turners Wishbone Ash.

They have just released a cd called New Live Dates that is really good.

I was impressed at how good his band captures the original sound and feel of Wishbone, the dual guitars are killer along with Martin's great bass playing and vocals.

There's also a pic of him on the inside sleeve showing him playing a nice 4 digit Hamer bass. (#0001)

[Bruiser Brody]

The original Slayer is still going strong after 25+ years.

Edited to add: they did change drummers but have had Lombardo back for abit now. Metal!

[jwhitcomb3]

It's getting even stranger, with cover bands like the Australian Pink Floyd Show selling out large venues and even selling DVDs.

I'm usually most impessed when I hear bands taking a new angle on their material rather than just trying to recreate the album tracks. Joe Jackson had his band do an a capella version of "Is She Really Going Out With Him" that was amazing. Other performers like Robyn Hitchcock are great to see because their set list and between song banter changes from show to show and you never know what kind of off the wall covers he'll do.

I like it when the old bands really work hard on new material. Buzzcocks, Cheap Trick, Bob Dylan and others who make new albums because it's what they do, not just an excuse for another tour.

As far as seeing aging bands just trying to re-live their glory days playing the same old tired songs with minimal effort to breathe new life into them, I'll pass.

-Jonathan

[Caddie]

The Waukesha County Fair is always looking for a recognizable name to put on their posters. So is the Miller Stage at SummerFest. They don't care if only one of the original Monkees is still with the band.

noonan

[Luke]

I believe it all grinds down to money. Is an artist willing to go out on tour again to play those same old songs, even though he knows he lost it decades ago? Surely that depends on what he saved, his standard of living and his prospects in the future. How many bands now do the casino circuit? I saw an ad for Billy Idol at Foxwoods, how rebellious! When you sink to the point where you will play for the people you grew up hating (the establishment Wall Street weekend crowd) you have to rethink your own choices up to now.

[peedenmark7]

as long as a band is still believable and as long as tickets sell, why not go on playing.

there are bands that I look forward to seeing every year because they are just that.

however there are some bands that I would love to have seen back in the day, that still tour today, but have become for lack of a better term "long in the tooth and a sad parody of themselves".

I feel bad for them and simply dont go to those shows hoping they finally hang it up...

[serial]

I didn't see them, but Quiet Riot played the venue we played last week. Apparently Frankie Banalli is back in the band, but IIRC, there was a while where it was just Kevin DuBrow and three other guys. Still not QR w/o Sarzo and Cavazo.

[Brooks]

i think we tend to forget how picky we are because we're musicians;

joe schmo usually doesn't know or care if a band has all

the original members or if they have a new album.

he just wants to hear the big hits.

IMFO, if a band can still pull it off live, and sell some tickets, go for it.

for example, my beloved sabs really sucked when i saw 'em at ozzfest last summer; time to call it a day, ozzy. but, dio still has pipes, so the "heaven & hell" tour is something i'll probably see when it rolls thru town.

[MCChris]

AC/DC probably have one arena tour left in 'em. I'll shell out for that one. Maybe an occasional outdoor shed show for the summer atmosphere, although the one we have in the Chicago area is perhaps the worst music venue on Earth. Other than that, club shows only for me anymore.

[Guest JackButler]

When you sink to the point where you will play for the people you grew up hating (the establishment Wall Street weekend crowd) you have to rethink your own choices up to now.

This reminds me of an interview I saw Roger Daltry do once in regards to this very same topic,, he said the irony of it is..that the more succesful you are or aren't and the longer you hang around and stay in the bizz.. eventually you become the very thing you were once rebelling against..establishment.

Ditto what Brooks expressed about musicians being picky in contrast to "Average Joe".

[Steve Haynie]

I didn't see them, but Quiet Riot played the venue we played last week. Apparently Frankie Banalli is back in the band, but IIRC, there was a while where it was just Kevin DuBrow and three other guys. Still not QR w/o Sarzo and Cavazo.

There is some rift between Quiet Riot and Rudy Sarzo. Sarzo never played on Metal Health, by the way.

[cmatthes]

When you sink to the point where you will play for the people you grew up hating (the establishment Wall Street weekend crowd) you have to rethink your own choices up to now.

This reminds me of an interview I saw Roger Daltry do once in regards to this very same topic,, he said the irony of it is..that the more succesful you are or aren't and the longer you hang around and stay in the bizz.. eventually you become the very thing you were once rebelling against..establishment.

Ditto what Brooks expressed about musicians being picky in contrast to "Average Joe".

The only thing is, most of the disaffected kids that many bands appealed to or grew up from have now gotten past all that anti-establishment teen angst and now are holding down jobs, paying mortgages, raising kids and becoming the parents/adults they rebelled against in the first place. The music still resonates, but times change, people change.

Most of the rock icons who were angry, lean and mean have mellowed with age and relatively fat bank accounts as well. They may still be a tad miffed about some things, but they have a lot less to complain about!

[rmahurin]

I didn't see them, but Quiet Riot played the venue we played last week. Apparently Frankie Banalli is back in the band, but IIRC, there was a while where it was just Kevin DuBrow and three other guys. Still not QR w/o Sarzo and Cavazo.

I saw them about three years ago; Dubrow, Sarzo, Banalli, and Cavazo, in an empty club with about 30 other people. They seriously RAWKD!! Played like it was the US Festival again. I gained massive respect for them all after that one. They could have easily just gone through the motions, or pissed off completely, but they didn't. Easily one of my top ten shows ever.

[Dumo]

I have very mixed emotions about this. On one hand, who are we to say how people should make their living and when they should hang it up? All of us start to decline at some point. Some of us grow old gracefully. Some acts look silly trying to act bad-assed when they are really out of touch millionares, i.e. Metallica. I don't blame Iommi and Geezer for hooking up with Dio. Ozzy looked done to me 15 years ago. Tony and Terry can still play. Why shouldn't they? Then, sometimes I say why? I mean Thin Lizzy or the Misfits without their lead singers? Huh? Most importantly we are just being lazy listeners if we settle for nostalgia acts. There are new bands constantly popping up. Go out and support them. My brother went and saw some young guys from Sweden called Witchcraft at small club in S.F. over Thanksgiving. Very Sabbath-like. Dual guitars. Excellent live. Their new album Firewood is one of my favorite CDs ever. Check them out.