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#1
11-18-2002, 09:45 PM
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Which bands should have quit while they were ahead?
I'm always amazed at some of the yesteryear talent that is still touring decades after their last big hit: KANSAS, THE TEMPTATIONS, even some real dinosaurs like Buddy Holley's CRICKETS or, God forbid, THE MONKEES.
I don't dispute the greatness of these groups in their prime: dating myself, but when I was a teenager I LOVED Kansas ("Dust in the Wind" is one of the most beautiful songs ever), but back then they were playing to packed stadiums. Now they're playing county fairs and street festivals in small cities. They should have saved the money and gone out while they're ahead- as much as I love DUST IN THE WIND, I can't imagine what it must be like singing it everyday for 25 years. In your opinions, what are some bands (or solo performers) that just need to retire and start selling timeshares to pay their rent? And why do some of these groups keep touring when there's little demand for it and they haven't done anything really new since the first Reagan administration? 
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#4
11-18-2002, 10:59 PM
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Quote:
And yet... Back in 1982, I might well have placed Yes and the Beach Boys in the "Time to Pack It In" category... but both bands still had #1 singles in their futures ("Owner of a Lonely Heart" and "Kokomo"). In 1985, many people would have told Roy Orbison, "Come on, Roy, you haven't had a hit in 20 years! Why are you still singing at amusement parks and state fairs? Why not quit?" Instead, Roy stuck it out, and re-gained stardom with the Travelling Wilburies and a few solo hits. In 1990, most people would have scoffed at the idea that Johnny Cash or Tony Bennett could find young fans interested in hearing them sing. Heck, most people thought they were hopelessly washed-up has-beens. Needless to say, most people misjudged their future prospects. Get the idea? A veteran band that's fallen on hard times is not unlike a young, struggling, unknown band in this sense: both are convinced of their talent, and both are sure they can still make it to the top, if they could just come up with ONE more sure hit song, and if they could just get a lucky break. And, as I've demonstrated, SOMETIMES it actually happens. ** But even if a past-its-prime band CAN'T come up with another huge hit, even if a band like Cheap Trick or REO Speedwagon is NEVER likely to hit the top 40 again, why should they be eager to retire? Bun E. Carlos (Cheap Trick's burly, chain-smoking drummer) says that life on the "corny dog circuit" (state fairs and amusement parks) pays very well. For the sake of argument, suppose that Cheap Trick can charge a mere $20 a ticket and draw a mere 2000 people to a show. Is that a major comedown from their glory days, when they could fill Madison Square Garden? Sure- but they're STILL pulling in 40 grand a night! Even after expenses, that's still WAAAY more money than they could make working at Burger King or selling Amway products. ** Look, I was a Kansas fan long ago, myself. So, part of me would like to tell Kerry Livgren and Steve Walsh (actually... are either of those guys still with Kansas now? sometimes, you find bands touring that have NONE of the original members left!), "Guys, have a little dignity! Retire!" But Walsh might well tell me, "Look man, we may never sell out hockey arenas again, but I'm clearing ten thousand dollars a night doing something I really enjoy doing. Why should I be in a hurry to stop doing that?"
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#5
11-18-2002, 11:17 PM
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astorian,
VERY well put. You might have added Santana on there as well. My philosophy is this---having a band like Kansas play a state fair isn't hurting anybody, and it may turn earn them some new fans, what's wrong with that? Nothing? However, if you end up like Tiny Tim did, doing concerts as part of a circus sideshow/freak show act, well, then you might want to think about hanging it up. It's funny, Patti Smith hasn't sold more then 3,000,000 albums in her entire recording career, yet you don't hear anyone bitching about how she should hang it up. Why could that be? Wait, I know.....because she's the critics darling. 
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#6
11-19-2002, 07:38 AM
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As much as it pains me to say it, R.E.M. Monster was dissapointing, but I felt they were getting their rock ya-yas out. New Adventures in Hi-Fi is supremely underrated and made me feel they were back on track. But Up just isn't that good, and Reveal is downright boring.
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#8
11-19-2002, 08:49 AM
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Patti Smith, while having a few crossover songs, was never part of mainstream music. I don't recall her playing places much larger than she plays now. She never fully went away and still has fans buying her recordings. Critics seem to like her stuff, and she and her late husband were part of a community that influenced a generation of musicians. Why should she pack it up? I'm not particularly a fan, but I don't think she fits in the "quit while they were ahead" category. I don't think she ever qualified as "ahead."
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#9
11-19-2002, 09:26 AM
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Actually, REO often does play the bigish arenas still. They're just more accomodating on ticket prices.
REO, and other bands like them, will happily give away tickets in radio prizes or supermarket promos or anything else to get people into the concert. Then they get a cut off food/beverage/t-shirt sales. It's why Clear Channel keeps them around on their summer touring set year after year: because they're so easy to work with and understand that profit doesn't always come from the front gate. Plus...they play good music. I've enjoyed their concerts.
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#10
11-19-2002, 10:05 AM
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I saw REO back in August when they were touring with Styx and can say even after all of these years REO still kicks ass! I've been to many concerts but I can easily say that theirs was the best one I've ever attended! Their sound is still unbelievable!
As for Styx....eehh.
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#11
11-19-2002, 10:12 AM
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I went to a AAA baseball game a couple years ago, and Huey Lewis was the post game entertainment. I don't think there were 3000 people there, in a stadium that'll hold 4 or 5 times that. He still rocked, but it was kinda sad to see...
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#12
11-19-2002, 10:12 AM
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Men w/o Hats after "Safety Dance"
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#13
11-19-2002, 10:43 AM
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Rolling Stones (probably sometime in the late 70's or early 80's)
Michael Jackson (after Bad) Will Young / Gareth Gates / Rik Waller / Spice Girls / Atomic Kitten / Hearsay / Steps / S-Club 7 should all have quit just before entering a recording studio for the very first time
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#16
11-19-2002, 11:26 AM
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The Stones after Some Girls. 98% of their effluent since has been utterly forgettable.
I have seen them several times since and enjoy their shows but a comparison of song quality from before and after is fairly staggering.
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#17
11-19-2002, 11:27 AM
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A little quick math, based on a recent concert in Austin.
America (Dan Peek left years ago, so it's just Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell now) played at the One World Theatre here in Austin a few months ago. Now, I'm 41, and I'm pretty sure I was still in high school the last time they had a hit ("You Can Do Magic"). So, do they belong in the "Has-Been" category? I'd say so. Fact remains, they charged $75 a ticket, and drew over 2000 people to their show. So, these "has-beens" split $150,000 in one night. For two hours work, each man made more money than most of us make in a year. * Now, I have no idea whether they sounded good or not. All I know is, if I were Gerry Beckley, and I could make that kind of money playing "Sister Goldenhair" every night, I'd keep doing it as long as there were nostalgic yuppies willing to fork over the money!
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#18
11-19-2002, 11:47 AM
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Last summer, Jethro Tull played at the Sheboygan Bratwurst festival.
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#19
11-19-2002, 01:41 PM
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I'm a little surprised Van Halen has yet to be mentioned. The post-Sammy Haggar lead singer shenanigans have really wrecked the reputation and strength of what used to be a darn fine group.
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#20
11-19-2002, 01:49 PM
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Styx should have quit while they were ahead...It is embarrasing to see some geriatric bands struggle on! OTher bands thrive on being the dinosours of rock (Tha Stones, Aerosmith, etc) but bands like Styx, Blue Oyster Cult should pack it up and shuffle off the the retirement home.
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#21
11-19-2002, 02:00 PM
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Quote:
I actually went back stage and interviewed them afterward. They were a cool bunch of guys, even if they WERE all old enough to be my dad.
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#23
11-19-2002, 02:31 PM
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I remember seeing Styx on the Tonight show 10 or so years ago...They were attempting a ressurection. They found somebody to replace Tommy Shaw as their front man, and I guess they were hoping to repeat their success formula of getting somebody multitalented and young to be their lead. Did them no good. The new lead guy wasn't anything memorable, and the core group members were sporting poofy mullets and wearing tight rock-n-roll costumes, and you could see the saggy flesh of their necks flapping over their collars.
Hear that heavy thud? That's your glory days behind you.
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#24
11-19-2002, 03:16 PM
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Quote:
A couple of years ago, I was in LA with some friends, walking around drunk on Sunset and stumbled into the Key Club because Foghat was playing. Yeah....Foghat. We thought it'd be a hoot. They ROCKED! I was never a huge Foghat fan, but we thoroughly enjoyed the show. The lead singer (Lonely Joe something) looked like Don Knotts up there...only older, but the guy could still belt out the lyrics with the same quality as the recorded versions of the songs he was singing. It was incredible. I'll never forget it. He died just a few months afterwards. Pity. I'd have paid to see them again.
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#25
11-19-2002, 03:28 PM
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In notable contrast: YES should most definitely not retire any time soon. I heard them live not long ago and they were fantastic. I went out and bought any of their albums I didn't already have.
__________________
Disable Similes in this Post
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#26
11-19-2002, 03:31 PM
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I'll mention The Band, and stroll away.
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#27
11-19-2002, 03:36 PM
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Has anybody seen the lead singer of Loverboy lately? Yeah, they're pretty much done.
The worst I have encountered is ELO. Back when they were all still together in the seventies up through the mid-80's they were great. They're still my favourite band. However, after they broke up in 1986, Jeff Lynne went his own way, made an awful solo album (the dreary Armchair Theatre), and only regained good graces by hanging around with Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, and George Harrison, as astorian noted earlier. Meanwhile, three of the original members of ELO gathered up some new ladz and became ELO Part II, and while their new stuff was awful, the live performance they gave up here at last year's Wildflower! Festival was nothing short of wonderful. The crushing blow came when Lynne, together with his newfound friends (he was the only original member of ELO left), produced a new awful album (Zoom) with only one good song on it ("Alright"), and then totally blew the prospects of any kind of tour by mutiliating all my ELO favourites. You can probably find the footage of their only show (in Los Angeles, IIRC) at your local Blockbuster. The rest of the tour was cancelled because nobody wanted to come hear them ruin the songs Lynne had done so wonderfully all those years ago.
__________________
Pete "So it's you and a syringe against the Capitol? See, this is why no one lets you make the plans."
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#28
11-19-2002, 04:46 PM
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Tough call in my opinion. In the case of a band that has few of the original members, hasn't put out any new and noteworthy material in years and most importantly doesn't sound great, yeah, maybe they're just cashing in on their name and taking advantage of the ignorant. But no one is forcing anyone to go see that band. Eventually the market will decide when it's time to pack it in.
Regarding Kansas, yeah, I wish it was 1975 again and they were filling the stadiums and Kerry Livgren was still the leader, cranking out new tunes left and right. But it's not. But the boys still sound great. Steve Walsh sure had some down years but his voice is better and he's full of energy again. Kansas has put out some decent albums since they dropped off the radar in '83. Their newest live release really rocks. With the exception of '83-'86 when Kansas was defunct, this band has been on the road since 1973, doing more than 200 shows a year for the lion's share of those years. Maybe they like it. Their fans still love it and their fans' kids seem to like it, too. I remember when the media made a bid deal of Mick Jagger's 50th birthday. Many of the members of Kansas will be turning 50 soon if they haven't already. But they still rock and to me that's what it's all about. I could see how somwone who was a borderline Kansas fan in '76 could be getting tired of their old schtick by now, but their hard core fans say "Bring it on."
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#30
11-19-2002, 05:41 PM
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Quote:
But his take is entirely different: that these are people who have found a way to do what the absolutely love doing. Why should they stop simply because fewer people are listening? So what if a good gig is at Treasure Island casino? They're still performing, which is what they love, and they likely don't get any more tired of singing the songs they wrote (or made famous) than you or I get tired of telling a cherished family story or sharing something else you're proud of. And there are plenty of bands out there that haven't written much that's very good lately, but have been together so long that they sound absolutely polished and at the top of their game in live performance -- I just saw Rush in concert, and yeah, their latest stuff isn't so great, but they freakin' rocked on both the old and new material: they're much more in sync with each other and just basically know how to get the rocking done. That said, some just need to give it up altogether, though my choices for that are mainly with bands whose founding members have died. The Who never should have continued on this tour. And the The Monkees are just sad.
__________________
Specializing in free-range whales since 2002
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#31
11-19-2002, 05:54 PM
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The Byrds played the Algonquin, Illinois Founder's Day festival a few years ago. I think they had, like, one of their original members.
*I* didn't even want to be at Founder's Day...they had to be there. Time to start living off of royalities...or coming up with a different name.
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#32
11-19-2002, 06:13 PM
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If anyone cared....Blue Oyster Cult is playing with Foghat and Grand Funk Railroad's Mark Farner next year. Now that's a marquee gig, if the year was 1976.
http://www.blueoystercult.com/Road-main.html Also, Kiss without a doubt. While they may be 'retired' haven't they had about four 'final' tours in the last ten years? You can count on seeing them back for more next time they miss a mortgage payment. You wanted the best.....well ya a'int gonna find it here, moron!
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#33
11-19-2002, 06:53 PM
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Doobie Brothers pre Michael McDonald. Great band.
Doobie Brothers with Michael McDonald. Phhhhhhtttt. My wife and I saw Supertramp at an Indian casino a few months ago. They are now a pathetic shell of what was a great band.
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