The Song Is Over
The Who have been doing Farewell tours as long as Joe Emery and Jo Watson have been alive. Technically, The Grateful Dead embarked on a farewell tour in 1966 and probably continue in some capacity now.
Concerts are too expensive. If Pete Townsend was yawning during Behind Blue Eyes in 1982- Sting has a better attitude. He plays the hits and says he has to play Roxanne like it is the first time he performed it.
Mick Jagger probably still sings (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction nearly forty years after his statement "I don't want to sing Satisfaction at forty-three". Say what you want about Starship- the music is not memorable. It was Grace Slick's retirement plan. She had enough of touring and retired never to return to the public eye.
She was always interesting in interviews so that is something I miss. The Who have essentially been a duo since the passing of John Entwistle in 2002. There has been new music although people come to hear the hits.
On one hand- bands should be able to perform as long as they want. I hope Billy Joel recovers to the point he can perform again. He stopped making albums in 1993 and toured ever since.
Instead of farewell tours- bands can do residencies. Cher had a very long Farewell Tour. When it keeps coming back- say goodbye or don't call it a farewell tour. Barbra Streisand might have had a few farewell tours. Ten years later she returns to the road.
Touring is a pain in the neck. Cities blend together- it is easy to forget where you are. Not everyone can book themselves at The Sphere. It appears the average fan has been priced out of Las Vegas.
Concert tickets are not going down in price. There is a lot to say about Kid Rock. He keeps concerts tickets reasonably priced. That's good. I might have seen him in the Joe C era (I didn't although the CD from The Family Values Tour was an enjoyable library find.) and don't feel the need to see concerts.
Live music is exciting. Not four hundred dollars per person exciting. I don't know what kind of show The Who puts on currently. At this point, concerts are better on YouTube. People bring their I Phones to a concert, download it and save you the trouble of driving home when you have work the next day, bad singers in the audience compromising the experience and corporate sponsorship.
Remember when corporate sponsorship was supposed to keep prices reasonable? Think again. Have the bet experiences in your life. If you can afford concerts- it is strange that my last concert was on a comped ticket. It was good. There was nothing more to do on that front. It is less expensive to travel so that is what I do.