It’s a lot easier with the Standard Rich and Famous Contract.
Andrew Hickey (of the Rock in 500 Songs podcast) has just posted a review of a recent Paul Simon concert.
And when he started singing, it was obvious that while his voice had definitely become seriously ageworn, the man can still sing and very well. From the start, while his voice was huskier and thinner than decades ago, he still sounded like Paul Simon – and his voice got better rather than worse over the course of the show. From about halfway through the second set, he did sound like his old self, and while he avoided going for some high notes that are clearly no longer in his range, he didn’t sound like the damaged husk I’d worried about at first, and made up in mature technique for what he’d lost in youthful flexibility…
In this review I have probably focused far too much on what some people might see as a negative – Simon’s voice sounding, well, like that of a man in his eighties. That’s because I don’t want people reading this, buying tickets for one of his shows, and feeling outraged that he doesn’t sound exactly like he did sixty years ago. But if you want to hear an artist who’s not pretending to be anything other than what he is, a very old man, make staggering new art that deals appropriately with ageing and impending mortality in a way that few others of his generation have ever attempted, while also looking back at and recontextualising the work both of his youth and of his middle age, this is a profoundly special show.
I’m nearly 61. I’ve been playing music in bands since my late teens. I’m good at it, I get paid for it (not enough to live on, but enough to make a difference), and it’s who I am. That last one is important, very much so. If I don’t play music, what am I?
One of the bands I play in, two of the other members are 65 and 68. People come to see/hear us play. We make a little money. We’re not trying to be anything other than what we are; a bunch of old dudes who really really like playing music.
Now, I’m not a singer (and the singers I work with have no problems hitting the right notes, despite them being over 50) so as long as my fingers work and my brain can keep up with the challenge of playing live music, I will continue to play live music. Anyone who thinks I’m too old: too bad. I do not care about judgemental people. I just recently did a guest spot on a recording with a band that’re in their mid 20s; they like what I do. That’s who I care about.
I saw Paul Simon, on his “Homeward Bound - Farewell Tour,” eight years ago. He was 76 years old, and while his voice sounded older, he still sounded good; it didn’t hurt that he had an outstanding backup band.
Since concluding that “farewell tour,” he played a live date in San Francisco in 2019, then recorded a new album in 2023, and started touring again in 2025. He certainly doesn’t need the money (he sold his publishing catalog to Sony for $250 million in 2021), but it seems like he’s repeatedly said, “OK, I think I’m done,” and then discovers he misses (and probably needs) music, and performing.
Here’s Tony Bennett… the comments are inconsistent, I can’t tell if this is Tony at 90 or Tony at 94.
The video was posted in 2018, and a marquee to one side of the stage (at around the 0:43 time mark) says “Tony Bennett Celebrates 90,” which suggests it was from an NBC concert from 2016, that is mentioned in his Wikipedia page.
The “Last Music Performance” on that title is misleading, as Bennett continued to perform up until 2021; his final live performances, with Lady Gaga, happened just before his 95th birthday. I remember seeing a segment on 60 Minutes about the two of them; at that point, Bennett had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and while his cognition was worsening, when he was on stage, and singing, he still was himself.
Why are they still performing? I’d suggest that (a) it’s because they can, (b) it’s not the kind of job where one has to retire at age 65, and (c) they love doing it. So why not?
I had the chance to see Gordon Lightfoot back in about 2019, when he would have been about 80. I couldn’t go owing to other obligations, so I gave the tickets to my sister and BIL. They loved the show, said he sounded old but hardly tired, and that he put his all into the show. He sure didn’t disappoint Sis and BIL, and I’m sure that he would not have disappointed me, had I been able to attend.
I’m sure I would have loved that show, too. I was never much of a concert attender, and back when I was in college, when a young Lightfoot did a performance on campus at one of the college auditoriums, it was possibly the first live concert I’d ever been to. I really enjoyed it, and became a Gordon Lightfoot fan from then on. He was a true Canadian icon, and unlike many others like the great Leonard Cohen who I also have long admired, he stayed true to his roots and remained in Canada to the end.
I have no doubt that Lightfoot did college shows, in whatever facilities were available; but if he was in Toronto for a regular audience, legend has it that he would only play in Massey Hall. Not the O’Keefe, not Roy Thomson, not the El Mocambo—only Massey Hall.
Legend further has it that if Lightfoot announced that he’d be in Toronto on, say, March 11th, and he wanted to do a show, the Massey Hall bookers would immediately cancel whatever act was booked for March 11, and slot Lightfoot in. “Sorry, Toronto Symphony, but you can do Beethoven’s Ninth on—well, how does September 15th look for you?”
Legend only, and I cannot confirm, but I kind of like it.
I agree completely about Richard Thompson. He not only keeps performing, but he keeps writing. He doesn’t get into my area as much as he used to, but I try to fit in his shows when I travel to places he’s more likely to perform. Probably seen him 30+ times in the last 44 years. He genuinely does just seem to enjoy performing. And this is quite a change from the slightly more shy and reticent RT of the late 60s and 70s.
Another great older talent who just seems to light up on stage is Peter Frampton (only 76 at this time). I saw him some years ago in a show that included Jackson Browne. Jackson seemed a bit moody and put out, while Peter simply exuded “I’m just so happy to be performing for all you guys!”
Finally, I have to mention Cheap Trick. If you’re a CT fan, you know that they are one of the hardest working bands ever, seemingly touring whenever they can for over 50 years. Rick Nielsen is 78 and they still put on great shows…without being propped up or supported by dozens of sidepeople. (Allowance has to be made for Bun E. Carlos, who has not toured with them for many years.)
Don’t miss your last chance to see almost 83-year-old Barry Manilow in concert.
First of all, total love of what you do makes it very hard to stop doing what you do. Secondly, retirement to some people is the last stage of life before death. To people with this kind of mentality, it’s an acknowledgement that, basically, it’s all over. Boredom replaces notoriety, and they just can’t do it.
I met a tech guy at a tech conference this past school year who is 78 and still doing tech support simply because he doesn’t want to stop. He is quite comfortable and can handle the economics of retirement very well. He just doesn’t want to stop. He’s thinking, “2 more years will make me 80. That sounds about right.” We’ll see in 2 years! LOL
Which makes sense. I can think of only three reasons why a person might choose to retire (from anything):
- They don’t like doing it or are tired of doing it and would rather not have to do it any more
- They no longer have the ability to do it at an acceptable level
- They have something else they’d rather be doing with the time remaining to them
I’m a Damned fan. I dig their old punk music as well as their later pop and rock contributions. I first actually saw them during their 40th anniversary tour in 2017. They were okay for a bunch of older guys, jagged sharpness of youth plus the bite of wisdom. Still, my favorite takeaway was their support band, Bleached. Saw them a couple years later, same deal only this time I got gobsmacked by and fell in love with Radkey. This year they’re doing their 50th anniversary “Final Damnation” tour along with Agent Orange whom I’ve listened to for 40 years but have never seen live. Honestly, I don’t know how interested I am to see a duffer support act for a duffer main event.
My 2 cents? Looks like older bands know where the good new stuff is.
Chuck Berry played Sunday nights in a back room of a St. Louis bar until he was 87. He wasn’t doing it for money (and Berry was famous for demanding cash up front before he stepped on stage) but for the sheer joy of playing in front of people.
Over on the country music side, Loretta Lynn played her last live performance when she was 85, and she would have kept performing if she hadn’t suffered a stroke. Even after the stroke, she recorded new material. (Willie Nelson is older, but he may still be performing to pay off the IRS.)
The record appears to be held by French classical pianist Collette Maze, who was still performing at 107.
This reminded me of Les Paul, who started playing regular Monday night gigs at the Iridium jazz club in Manhattan in 1996, when he was 81, and continued to do so until he died at age 94.
Until he cancelled his upcoming gigs for health reasons last month, Herbert Blomstedt was still conducting orchestras at age 98.
We saw Barry in Las Vegas a couple years ago, the wife wanted to go, and it just happened to be his Birthday, which made it a little special.