By: Jay Broderick - When you think of "Farewell" Tours, is there a band that comes to mind? For me, my brain immediately goes to The Who. In 1982, The Who played their Final Tour, stating that they've reached their peak, and it just wasn't ever going to get any bigger. For us here in Toronto, the 1982 Tour was even more special, as the last show of the tour was right here in our own city, at the now iconic Maple Leaf Gardens.
It was the band's farewell... that is, until 1989 when they hit the road again to celebrate 25 years. As of today, 42 years have passed us by since their original fare-thee-well, and The Who continues to play shows, with their most recent tour being a 56 date run from 2019-2021, and a smattering of UK dates in 2023. Frank Sinatra did a farewell tour in 1971 (great year), Ozzy Osbourne did one in 1992, Judas Priest did one in 2011 and Slayer did one in 2019. There are a lot of others too, that have played at least one show since, but many who have continued to tour since their final tour announcement.
One of the more recent farewell tours was Deep Purple's "The Long Goodbye" tour in 2017, yet the band just came through Toronto on their "Smoke on the Water: 50th Anniversary Tour" just a couple weeks ago. It was recently revealed a couple weeks ago via an interview between Deep Purple front man Ian Gillan and Sirius XM radio host Eddie Trunk that the "Long Goodbye Tour" was just a joke and that it was the promoters that wanted to sell more tickets. While I don't think this is an outlandish concept (really, don't we all know this already?), I couldn't help but ponder the phenomenon that this news revealed.
Even back in July of 2023, when I happily covered Foreigner's Farewell Tour for Digital Beat Magazine, I thought "is this really the last hurrah for these classic rockers from New York?" It was a fantastic show and the band sounded great. They must have more in them to give.
So what's a fan to do? Shell out the money thinking this is actually going to be it, or assume that it's just another marketing scheme? Well, the reality is, we just don't know. Here's my take... anything can happen at any time. An untimely death, an angry breakup... the bands we love all have their last hurrah. And many times, it's not planned. I think of a band like Soundgarden. Yes, they broke up, and some went off to do other things, but then they got back together, and recorded and released a new album. Then, lead singer Chris Cornell passed away.
If a band announces "THIS IS IT!!", and years later, decide there's more to share, then isn't that great? And if it's a marketing ploy to "sell more tickets", is that the worst thing? Especially these days where touring is very costly. Despite a lot of the people that are involved to bring you these shows have their hands in your pockets looking for more, you decide where you will spend your money. If you saw the band "last year", then perhaps it's "ok" that you won't be able to see their "farewell". And perhaps, there will be more.
I do know one thing for sure, music is in the blood of all musicians. It's their life! Unfortunately, this is a detriment to some, as they maybe played one tour too many. Sometimes, they're just trying too hard for something that is just not there anymore, in regards to their sounds and abilities. But others will continue to blow your socks off well into their 70s. If you love a band's music, and you love going to concerts, you should be making your bucket list. And you should be catching the bands on your bucket list, regardless if the tour is announced as the final one ever, or it's just another run through your city. Because one day, it will be the last. Especially as the bands we grew up listening to are aging (as we all are). Ultimately, you will just never know if that day is today.
As with life, don't put off til tomorrow, what you can do today. And even sometimes, that's too late. Especially if you're an Aerosmith fan who did have concert dates scheduled for 2024, but pulled shoot in early August, stating that they are done with touring.
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