When should legends retire?

[Mickeyboro]

Yesterday I saw Wilko Johnson, an idol of mine for many years, at Poole Lighthouse. 
 

It’s hard not to flash back 50 years to the Dr Feelgood footage we have all seen and enjoyed, but he is now so far away from the musician he was I feel saddened. He really didn’t look like he wanted to be there, and his vocals in particular - never his strong point, I agree - were painfully off. I admit the disappointment was magnified by really poor sound - the first song was 80 per cent delivered to a dead microphone - but I have seen Wilko often enough to wish this was not my last memory of him live.

 

Diversion: I saw Brian Wilson in the early 2000s. The lights were on but no-one was home, and the joy of seeing him was tempered by the fact he really shouldn’t have been there. Winch him out of the huge band he was in and you’d have had the best Beach Boys tribute ever… but then they couldn’t have charged the ticket price!

Back to Wilko: Were the people who gave him a standing ovation applauding the fact he beat the odds and is still with us? Or am I the one out of step? 
 

Summary: When should legends hang it up, and who will be the person to tell them? Opinions, please… 

 

And here’s a pic of Wilko, bless him. Not forgetting Norman.

 

 

 

Edited September 17, 2022 by Mickeyboro

[SubsonicSimpleton]

 

[Japhet]

It's difficult when you're idols go past their sell by date, but one thing is for sure - When they're gone you'd give anything to see them again whatever the performance. I saw Peter Green years ago when he came back with Splinter Group. They said he was OK now, but he wasn't. Whatever, it was just great to see him again, if only for a short while.

Edited September 17, 2022 by Japhet

[Grimalkin]

Before they become a parody of themselves.

[Len_derby]

It can be very sad to see favourites past their best but I wonder if some of them can’t afford to retire.

[Lozz196]

For me once their singing is out of key on a regular basis. Someone like Elton John has been sensible enough to realise he can’t sing at the original pitch of many of his songs so has dropped the keys to suit, but many sound horrible, trying in vain to reach highs they’ll never get again unless someone hits their toes with a hammer.

[Cato]

Market forces I guess.

 

Maybe they see the fact that people still buy tickets as a validation that they're still good enough to perform.

[Munurmunuh]

Not before this moment

 

[Lozz196]

That’s awesome, love that gig, watched it many times 

[nilorius]

Never.

[Dan Dare]

If people still want to see them and they want to keep going, that's fine. Unless I'm mistaken, there is no rule book that states when/whether anyone "should" retire.

 

Obviously, one has to temper expectations when going to see people who are getting on and perhaps not as sharp as they once were. I went to see Segovia less than a year before he died. He was in his 90s and did not play very well. That wasn't the point. It was just lovely to see him one more time and we all knew we would be unlikely to see him again.

[Woodinblack]

People should probably carry on as long as they want - it is up to the people going to know whether they want to see them or not.

I could have seen Rush on my birthday a few years back as one of their tours but I know that Geddys voice is bad and I wouldn't enjoy it, so I didn't go, but maybe other people would like it.

Again like the genesis tours last year, would have loved to see Genesis but not with Phil like that (and not with the crazy prices to see it), so it was my choice not to go, but its up to them whether they want to tour or not.

[Franticsmurf]

Perhaps the question should be 'When should we stop going to see them', as I suspect there will be many opinions.

 

I remember seeing Brian Wilson too, at Glastonbury I think, and I agree, it was sad to watch. I remember seeing Hawkwind in Cardiff in the mid 90s. I'd been a huge fan and seen some amazing shows they'd put on, but that night the three support acts were better. It was the last time I saw them as they had become a parody of themselves. I saw Genesis in the late 80s with Phil Collins playing the audience like an instrument. I wouldn't have wanted to see their last tour.

 

As for 'who should tell them', perhaps that's the last difficult message that a manager should deliver. Although in some cases it probably would be their last message if the artist decided to continue anyway.

[Bluewine]

It depends on the legend. If you're disappointing your fans it might be time to stop public appearances. 

 

Paul McCartney is still delivering a high quality show. Unless your one of these guys that think they're going to see a 21 year old Paul. That's not realistic.

 

Mick Jagger current shows speak for themselves. How does he do it is the question.

 

Blue

[TheGreek]

UB40? 

A long time ago. 

[Paul S]

I saw Michael McDonald at Hammersmith in 2018.  AFAIAC he was always one of those exceptionally gifted singers.  There was something about his effortless, smoky falsetto that was almost divine in its quality.  A spinkle of MM on Bvs would raise pretty much any tune.  I'd never seen him live and was looking forward so much to seeing and hearing the master.  In the end I wished I hadn't gone.  He was straining and belting it out to reach the notes and all that quality I loved so much was lost in the effort.  We left early.  

[Boodang]

3 hours ago, Dan Dare said:

If people still want to see them and they want to keep going, that's fine. Unless I'm mistaken, there is no rule book that states when/whether anyone "should" retire.

 

Obviously, one has to temper expectations when going to see people who are getting on and perhaps not as sharp as they once were. I went to see Segovia less than a year before he died. He was in his 90s and did not play very well. That wasn't the point. It was just lovely to see him one more time and we all knew we would be unlikely to see him again.

There should be a rule book that says the Rollings Stones should have been made to retire a long time ago!

[Grimalkin]

They should quit when they know that performance-wise, they are flogging a dead horse to the fans. Or destroy your own mystique for the money.

[ambient]

I’m not sure they should.

 

If both the audience and the artist are still enjoying the music, then great.

 

I guess it’s nostalgia.

[ambient]

3 hours ago, TheGreek said:

UB40? 

A long time ago. 

I believe there are two UB40s now, as if one wasn’t one too many.

[TheGreek]

I saw them locally a few years ago...felt like they were doing it for the money not the love of music. 

Just another covers band now.

[Nail Soup]

I'm happy to leave it to 'market forces'... if people want to see it and the artists is happy to do it then no problem. In some cases you may get a great performance, other times just good to be in the company of an artist  you love, even if they are not so great any more.

 

But with one caveat ..... I, as a punter, deem it my duty to see a mix of legacy and new artists.

I don't mind legacy artists, but I don't want to be a legacy punter.

[ambient]

5 hours ago, Bluewine said:

It depends on the legend. If you're disappointing your fans it might be time to stop public appearances. 

 

Paul McCartney is still delivering a high quality show. Unless your one of these guys that think they're going to see a 21 year old Paul. That's not realistic.

 

Mick Jagger current shows speak for themselves. How does he do it is the question.

 

Blue

I thought McCartney’s recent Glastonbury show was fantastic. He did get criticism for it from some people. Those people I think missed the point that his performance there gave a great many people across the world a huge amount of pleasure. That’s surely what entertainment is all about?

[Dad3353]

1 minute ago, ambient said:

...He did get criticism for it from some people. Those people I think missed the point...

 

Ah, but that is the pleasure for those folk. 

[velvetkevorkian]

I'm pretty hard-line on this - if punters are only coming to hear your greatest hits set, it's probably time to pack it in, imo. Too many acts trading on nostalgia. Exceptions apply, YMMV, see T&C's, etc.