# Cher is touring. Why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 13, 2013, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cher-is-touring-why/671137 "2013-10-13T14:23:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cher-is-touring-why/671137/21 "2013-10-14T02:11:50Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Have you _seen_ the Gay Icon thread?! šŸ˜‰ > > It is what performers like Cher do. Jeez, look at Joan Rivers - gorgeous Park Avenue apartment = plenty of money, and she still does those awards runway shows. > > She probably wouldnā€™t know what to do with herself if she didnā€™t perform regularlyā€¦ I seem to recall from her documentary, Joan Rivers:A Piece of Work that her finances are pretty shaky. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cher-is-touring-why/671137/22 "2013-10-14T02:18:57Z")
Itā€™s my understanding that big artists make more money touring than from most albums. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cher-is-touring-why/671137/23 "2013-10-14T02:20:35Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > Cher (and Sonny too) has had one of the most interesting show business careers of the last 50 years. They both had success, and setbacks, but always kept moving on to find something that works. You do realize Sonny last appeared live in 1998, right?šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cher-is-touring-why/671137/24 "2013-10-14T02:21:53Z")
I canā€™t speak to Cher, but one reason successful and ridiculously rich artists keep touring is that they have a large organization to support. They may not need the money, but the dozens of people they employ do. The Grateful Dead have said that in their later years this kept them on the road when they really shouldnā€™t have been. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cher-is-touring-why/671137/25 "2013-10-14T02:31:16Z")
My husband says Cher is one of the worst live shows heā€™s ever seen; different strokes for different folks, I guess. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cher-is-touring-why/671137/26 "2013-10-14T04:10:12Z")
To quote Lady Gaga, ā€œWe live for the applause.ā€ ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cher-is-touring-why/671137/27 "2013-10-14T07:48:46Z")
I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Cher. ---
**Author:** ![tullsterx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cher-is-touring-why/671137/28 "2013-10-14T13:00:48Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Have you _seen_ the Gay Icon thread?! šŸ˜‰ > > It is what performers like Cher do. Jeez, look at Joan Rivers - gorgeous Park Avenue apartment = plenty of money, and she still does those awards runway shows. > > She probably wouldnā€™t know what to do with herself if she didnā€™t perform regularlyā€¦ Joan Rivers tours too. . . [http://www.ticketmaster.com/Joan-Rivers-tickets/artist/702630](http://www.ticketmaster.com/Joan-Rivers-tickets/artist/702630) ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cher-is-touring-why/671137/29 "2013-10-14T13:20:50Z")
Iā€™m several months older than Cher, and my art career is as strong as it ever was. Admittedly, I donā€™t get the money and applause she gets. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cher-is-touring-why/671137/30 "2013-10-14T18:46:00Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Iā€™m several months older than Cher, and my art career is as strong as it ever was. Admittedly, I donā€™t get the money and applause she gets. ā€¦and, letā€™s be honest here, you probably couldnā€™t pull off wearing the outfits she does. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cher-is-touring-why/671137/31 "2013-10-14T19:39:05Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Itā€™s my understanding that big artists make more money touring than from most albums. Singers who donā€™t write songs get surprisingly little in the way of royalties. From [this article about Linda Ronstadt](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/01/arts/music/linda-ronstadt-discusses-her-memoir-and-parkinsons.html?_r=0): > [@](#): > > There was another fact to weigh, her dwindling savings. Ms. Ronstadt released many albums but wrote very few songs, so her royalty checks are small. ā€œWriters make all the money,ā€ she said. Her most memorable hits ā€” ā€œYouā€™re No Good,ā€ ā€œHeart Like a Wheel,ā€ ā€œBlue Bayouā€ ā€” were written by others. ā€œI was making good money when I was touring,ā€ she said. But now ā€œI just canā€™t do it.ā€ ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cher-is-touring-why/671137/32 "2013-10-14T19:40:58Z")
My boss, a lady in her mid-50s, bought tickets for Cherā€™s Chicago show as soon as the pre-sale opened up. I think it cost about $300 for the pair. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cher-is-touring-why/671137/33 "2013-10-15T03:51:08Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > You do realize Sonny last appeared live in 1998, right?šŸ˜› Yeah, but he was going downhill at the time. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![tullsterx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cher-is-touring-why/671137/34 "2013-10-15T04:21:56Z")
> [@Peanuthead](#): > > Yeah, but he was going downhill at the time. šŸ˜ƒ That is so wrong, and so right, all at the same time! ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cher-is-touring-why/671137/35 "2013-10-15T11:18:35Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > Singers who donā€™t write songs get surprisingly little in the way of royalties. > > From [this article about Linda Ronstadt](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/01/arts/music/linda-ronstadt-discusses-her-memoir-and-parkinsons.html?_r=0): That is my understanding and I have never bothered to check any Cher albums to see if she wrote many. But this site estimates she is worth $305 million. > **[Cher Net Worth](https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-celebrities/singers/cher-net-worth/)** > > What is Cher's net worth? She did a couple infomercials that she claimed were played far more than promised and ruined her acting career. Some people such as George Foreman and Suzanne Somers make a mint off that. And she and Sonny were outspokenly anti drug in the sixties and if she didnā€™t do any, or very little, she saved a lot of money there. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cher-is-touring-why/671137/36 "2013-10-15T11:43:30Z")
Probably running on nostalgia. Her grown up fans have more disposable income. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cher-is-touring-why/671137/37 "2013-10-15T11:44:07Z")
Tony Bennett is still touring at, what, 88? And still doing an excellent job by the reports Iā€™ve seen. I saw him in concert about 14-15 years ago and even in his 70s he still had a phenomenal voice. I donā€™t know what Cherā€™s voice is like but if she can still sing and enjoys it, why not? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cher-is-touring-why/671137/38 "2013-10-15T12:59:21Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > You do realize Sonny last appeared live in 1998, right?šŸ˜› Arenā€™t they still hauling his coffin out on stage? ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cher-is-touring-why/671137/39 "2013-10-15T14:23:07Z")
Iā€™ve seen BB King a number of times. The last time I saw him, he spent a large part of the show sitting in a chair. He was as fantastic as always. As a huge fan of his, Iā€™m so happy that he didnā€™t pack it in when he couldnā€™t stand for a whole performance any more. Every time he played live for me, he gave me a precious gift, and I wholeheartedly appreciate every one. So, get on with yer bad self, Cher! I hope you keep on bringing it for as long as you are able. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cher-is-touring-why/671137/40 "2013-10-15T15:34:10Z")
I donā€™t like Cher and never have. But if she enjoys performing live, and can still make money doing it, why in the world WOULD she stop? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cher-is-touring-why/671137.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cher-is-touring-why/671137.md?page=3)