Paul McCartney was the first major concert I had been to in 1976. Big fan. But he’s going to be 84. I saw him on SNL a few weeks ago and his voice sounded eerie and weak, like you’d expect it to sound from an impersonator on Family Guy or South Park making fun of him.
Yet these guys still have tours and shows scheduled.
Why?
It can’t be for the money or the nookie.
Is it the “idle hands are the devil’s tools” type thing? “The show must go on”, “do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” type of thing? What drives these fossils.
I saw Kenny Rogers some years ago and he forgot the lyrics to songs he wrote and his band had to cover for him. It was sad.
They became famous because they loved performing more than anything. It’s their thing. It hasn’t changed just because they got the money and they got old.
“I can still do this” is likely fundamentally important for those old folks’ feeling of self-worth etc.
I think some just can’t give up the spotlight, others need the money. Leonard Cohen was scammed out of $5M by his manager, leaving him with about $150,000. He had to work.
I never played in front of people until a couple of years ago. Since then, I’ve had 40 or so gigs and it is the most fun you can have with clothes on. Performing in front of people is a huge rush, and then everyone tells you how great you were after. And, I’m playing in little clubs and parties.
Playing in front of a huge crowd, listening to those cheers? Must be amazing. And, it’s not even difficult for them – they’re fantastic musicians playing stuff they know really well.
I’m so lucky to have this opportunity to play in front of people. I put in a ton of hours practicing, stressing, waking up in the middle of the night worried about the upcoming show, all for like $100 per gig. And, I wouldn’t give it up.
I agree that they mostly do it because they enjoy it and it helps bolster their self-esteem. “I can still do it” is a powerful motivation.
In a few cases performers go on tour because they actually need the money. Leonard Cohen was famously swindled by his manager for over $5 million (pretty much his entire retirement fund) and went on tour in 2008 at least partly to rebuild his finances. His voice was still strong and his performance in 2008 at the O2 Arena in London at the age of 73 was one of his finest. John Cleese went on tour claiming financial distress from divorce settlements.
Because they like to and people will still pay to see them. You should be asking why people still come to their concerts. I’m not sure I know, but I would still go see a Paul McCartney show. I saw Brian Wilson when he could barely sing and it was still worth it. If I was only interested in a musician at the top of their game why would I even want to see them live? Their best performance is almost always on a record.
This is a timely thread. I just saw Triumph on their 50th anniversary tour a few nights ago. All three members are alive but the bass player Mike Levine isn’t travelling with the band due to health reasons. He will probably show up for gigs in Canada.
On one hand it’s a little sad. Rik Emmett and Gil Moore can’t do what they used to for as long as they used to. Both look great but they are 72 years old. Within the last decade I saw Rik Emmett play live acoustic several times. He was fantastic. The fact that he doesn’t try to hit the notes he used to didn’t matter since they were different versions of the old songs. It’s much more noticeable with a full band. He still plays well but I can’t call him one of the best anymore. A lot of the guitar duties are handed over to Phil X who is also a great musician. Phil also takes on some of the singing. Gil Moore is drumming but there is a second drummer. He can’t hit the high notes on the songs he does vocals on either. Both take breaks during the show.
On the other hand it was still a great show. Those songs meant a lot to me when I was young and I never got to see them live. The musicians they picked to fill out the band were great. The place was packed and the energy was high.
They seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves. I don’t think they have financial issues. Rik and Gil have each been married to their wives for going on 50 years so no alimony issues. Gil has owned the largest recording studio in Canada for many years. Although the money doesn’t hurt I think they did it just for the enjoyment. And it gave them an opportunity to push the charity they support for music education.
Valli hasn’t exactly been “performing,” and just this past week he (or his spokesperson) announced that he’s canceled all his performances for the rest of the year. Lately he’s just been put on stage–and I don’t know that he’s in full possession of his cognitive abilities, let alone his voice–while his older recordings play. Some of the recent videos I’ve seen were almost looked like “Weekend at Bernie’s.”
I never got to see NRBQ in their heyday of live concerts, so it was a no-brainer when they appeared in my city on the same bill as Los Straitjackets. The only member from the original NRBQ lineup was Terry Adams. He was pushing 70 at the time but performed with the manic energy of someone much younger (as far as I know he’s still touring with the band at age 77). It was a fun concert.
As far as crepitating members of once hugely popular bands who are still putting on shows, I’ll pass. The audiences for those resemble fans of mystery novels who just can’t accept that those series have had their run, and it’s time to move on to something else.
I agree with these, and I would add one more reason: for the fans.
I assume Paul McCartney is aware that there are lots of people in his audiences to whom it means a great deal to be able to see him perform, and he doesn’t want to let them down.
In The Muppet Movie, Kermit’s motivation is the chance to make millions of people happy. Maybe I’m just not cynical enough, but I believe something like this is one of the motivating factors for some real-life creative artists/performers/entertainers.
Back that up a step: Why does anyone ever go to any concert? It’s not just to listen to the music: You can do that at home, any time you want, for much cheaper. Going to a concert is a whole experience beyond just listening to the music. And you still have all of the rest of that experience, even if the performer is past their prime.
I can’t say why a specific performer does it, but having a crowd cheer wildly for your performance feels like the best drug you can imagine. The bigger and louder the audience, the greater the endorphin rush. I’ve never found another way to get that feeling without risking your life To be honest I still feel kind of shy and undeserving when one of my bands gets that response, but it still has the same effect on me despite doing it on and off for 35 or so years.
If I’m still doing it 10-15 years from now, that’s probably going to be why I’m doing it.
Richard Thompson is pushing 80. I go see him every chance I get, because I know it may be my last.
I finally got to cross off a bucket list item a couple of years ago when I saw Steve Hackett (ex-Genesis guitarist) on his “Foxtrot at 50” tour.
Both of these guys put on a fantastic show, and look like they are having a blast doing it. And the fans eat it up every night. Why wouldn’t you keep doing it?