Will it be long before we see Mick Jagger hobbling onstage with a Zimmer frame?
Paul McCartney rolled into the spotlight in a wheelchair? Or Bruce Springsteen gasping out Born in the USA between gulps from an oxygen cylinder?
There are more aging rock stars than ever strutting their stuff – or more precisely, dragging their aching arthritic bones up to the microphone – and cashing in on nostalgia for their halcyon days long past.
Almost 60 years since Roger Daltrey sang “Hope I die before I get old” in The Who’s 1965 hit My Generation, Daltrey is now aged 80, and his generation is dwindling.
It’s no coincidence that the Rolling Stones reportedly have a defibrillator and medic on standby at concerts.
But are fans getting their money’s worth when veteran rockers past their prime are selling tickets at prices that can dwarf a monthly mortgage payment?
Many asked that very question last week (Thurs) when former Eagles guitarist Don Felder, aged 77, suffered a “medical emergency”while performing aboard the annual Rock Legends Cruise. He almost collapsed as he began playing the band’s classic hit Tequila Sunrise, and had to be helped off the stage.
His senior moment was attributed to that old rock ’n’ roll euphemism “dehydration,” and the cruise continued with performances by aging rockers including Alice Cooper, 77, Robin Trower, 79, and Styx, celebrating their 53rd year together.
The Rock Legends Cruise seems designed to drum up business for undertakers. Sib Hashian, former drummer for rock band Boston, died after collapsing on stage during the 2017 cruise.
With so many vintage stars performing worldwide, it’s only a matter of time before we see another rock legend die on stage.
But as music streaming services have drastically reduced the money bands can make from album sales, touring has become a vital way for veteran acts to keep paying the bills, and many rock stars may not have the luxury of hanging up their skin-tight sequinned trousers.
“Are most rock legends worth GBP 800 a ticket?” asks pop culture professor Rob Weiner of Texas Tech University in Lubbock. “Of course not. Many of them are way past their glory days, and don’t give value for money.
“People go to see them for nostalgia, to say they’ve seen the legends live on stage. If their performance isn’t what it used to be, fans can still be happy to have seen a legend.
“Paul McCartney’s voice has been bad for 20 years – but it’s still Paul McCartney! Robert Plant at 76 can’t sing the high notes any more, but if Led Zeppelin reunited they’d still sell out stadiums. I recently saw ZZ Top and it was one of the worst show’s I’ve ever been to.
“U2’s glory days ended more than 30 years ago. Jethro Tull has only Ian Anderson left from its original lineup, and at 77 he can barely sing live any more, but they’re still going.
“But some rockers have aged better than others. Mick Jagger still has the voice and more energy than many 20-year-olds. Bruce Springsteen still gives great shows.
Mike Love’s version of the Beach Boys – not so much. It’s nice to hear the old songs, but there’s little left of the original band.”
David Hepworth, author of the 2024 book on aging musicians, Hope I Get Old Before I Die, says: “It doesn’t matter how much money they’ve got – they’d quite like a bit more. There’s been no sign of anybody saying, ‘Right, I’ve got enough, I’m retiring now.’”
But Father Time is catching up with many rock veterans.
Springsteen, 75, who moves creakily around the stage, suffered a peptic ulcer that postponed his 2023 US tour.
Aerosmith rocker Steven Tyler, 76, suffered a catastrophic injury to his vocal cords while on stage in 2023, and last year announced the band’s retirement from touring after more than half a century.
Jon Bon Jovi, 62, has also not toured since 2022 after suffering a vocal cord injury.
Even the Rolling Stones have had their share of health issues. Mick Jagger, 81, had a non-invasive heart valve replacement in 2019, and drummer Charlie Watts died in 2021 aged 80.
Guitarist Keith Richards, 81, a testament to the preservative effects of drugs and alcohol, says arthritis has changed his playing, though he adds: “I think if I’ve slowed down a little bit, it’s probably due more to age.”
Joni Mitchell’s voice grew huskier with her 81 years, and at 83 Bob Dylan’s is rougher, lower and its range diminished.
Peter Frampton, 74, is still touring five years after announcing he has the progressive muscle disorder Inclusion Body Myositis. “My legs are pretty shot now, so I have to sit down to play, “ says the British rocker.
Decades of playing beside ear-splitting speakers also takes its toll. Roger Daltrey admits to being “very, very deaf”and relies on lip-reading at live shows. He and bandmate Pete Townshend, 79, both wear hearing aids. Ozzy Osbourne, 76, admits hearing loss; Sting, 73, confesses: “I’m fairly deaf”; and Eric Clapton, 79, suffers tinnitus.
But some critics believe rock ’n’ roll’s youthful despair and existential angst loses its iconoclastic edge in the hands of wealthy pensioners. Can we truly feel Mick Jagger’s anguish that he can’t get no satisfaction, when he has a girlfriend 44 years his junior, eight children by five women, and luxury homes on three continents?
“Musicians are a unique breed,” says Weiner. “They often just keep going and going. For many, it’s the only thing they know how to do.”
Mick Jagger confessed: “I really can’t imagine doing anything else.”
Retirement is not in most weathered rockers’ vocabulary. McCartney plans to tour internationally next year, and Pete Townshend has proposed yet another farewell world tour for The Who “and then crawl off to die . . I don’t want to be like one of those guys that dies on tour.”
Critics might argue that rockers refusing to age gracefully should quit once they’re a shadow of their former selves.
“There are always naysayers who think these legacy acts should give it up,” says Weiner. “But people keep going to see these acts whose best work and performance ability is far behind them. But everybody has had health issues, so I do think audiences can be forgiving.”
Hollywood music manager Laura Engel agrees: “There’s nothing like seeing a band play its original songs live, with all the history and significance they bring to their own music. Would you rather see a cover band play classic hits perfectly, or the original artist give their rendition? Musicians performing their own songs live is a special, magical experience.”
Veteran British music manager Richard Bishop says: “Most of my musical heroes are now in their late 70s and above, but that does not mean they are ‘past it’ in terms of touring.
“Many older artists leave their audiences glowing with excitement, from Iggy Pop to Springsteen to Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters and Stevie Wonder. Yes, McCartney’s voice can be a bit weak on the first three or four songs until he gets going, but when I saw him in November he played for almost three hours. Breathtaking. And he’s 82.
“Yes, there are artists who can’t do it anymore and dial it in. Others need to cling on for the money. Some should maybe just stop doing it and leave their legacy alone. But it is their decision to keep performing, and your decision if you want to buy tickets.
“If you have the chance to see your heroes, and the reviews of their tour suggest that they can still deliver, rush out and buy tickets – and take your kids.”