It’s not unusual for artists to retire or call it a day on
their music career. Whether it’s due to age, a shift in priorities or health
concerns, there are many reasons an artist would do so.
Recently though, it seems like a lot of big artists have
been announcing their retirement. In the last few weeks alone, Paul Simon,
Elton John and Neil Diamond have all made public statements about their intentions.
Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, is taking a look
at some of the artists that have recently announced their intentions to leave
music. Here are nine big names that have made full or partial retirement
announcements already this year.
1.
Paul
Simon: On Monday, Paul Simon announced in a signed
letter that he will be retiring from touring this year after a career that
has lasted more than five decades. In the letter, Simon cites the main reason
for his retirement, saying “the travel and time away from my wife and family
takes a toll that detracts from the joy of playing.” The announcement came with
dates for a “Homeward Bound” farewell tour set to start on May 16 in Vancouver,
Canada and wrap on June 20 in Nashville, TN (no New York dates have been
announced yet). His final show, dubbed “Homeward Bound: The Farewell Performance”
is planned for his July 15 appearance closing out the British Sumertime
Festival in Hyde Park, London. James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt are set to make
guest appearances at that show.
2.
Elton
John: During a recent live stream, Elton John made the shocking
announcement that he will be retiring from the road after one last world tour. John,
who turned 70 last year, became a father in 2015, something he says in the livestream
changed his priorities. “Ten years ago, if you had said I’m gonna stop touring,
I’d say ‘no no, I’m a working musician, I always play,’ but we have children
and they’ve changed our lives.” The 300+ date “Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour”
is set to kick off September 8 in Allentown, PA and run through 2021. More
dates were added to the tour this morning, bringing the total of 2018-2019
shows in New York up to seven (October 9 @ Nassau Coliseum; October 18 &
19, November 8 & 9 at Madison Square Garden and March 8 & 9 at Barclays
Center). However, the retirement is only from touring, as John plans to
continue “making more records, I’ll be writing more musicals, I’ll be doing
more exhibitions with our photography.”
3.
Neil
Diamond: Unlike Paul Simon and Elton John, Neil Diamond’s retirement comes
as a necessity. Last month, the singer announced that he has Parkinson’s
disease, effectively ending his touring career right then and there. Upon
doctor’s orders, the singer had to abruptly cancel dates from his 50th
anniversary tour that he had booked for March in Australia and New Zealand.
Like John though, Diamond plans to continue writing and recording.
4.
Lynyrd
Skynyrd: After 45 years, southern rock staple Lynyrd Skynyrd are calling it
a day. In a statement
on their website, founding member Gary Rossington said "It's hard to
imagine, after all these years, the band that Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins
and myself started back in Jacksonville, would resonate for this long and to so
many generations of fans. I’m certain they are looking down from above, amazed
that the music has touched so many," with lead vocalist, Johnny Van Zant
adding, "we’ve been blessed by these great songs and the messages they
carry to the fans. It’s been a true honor to try and fill in my brother’s
footsteps for the past 31 years, keeping the music and his spirit alive." The
band announced their ‘Last of the Street Survivors’ farewell tour last month,
the first leg of which kicks off on May 4 in West Palm Beach, Florida and wraps
up September 1 in Atlanta, Georgia. The tour will hit Long Island’s Northwell
Health at Jones Beach Theatre on June 23. Special guests for this leg is a
veritable who’s who of southern rockers that includes Kid
Rock, Hank
Williams, Jr., The Charlie
Daniels Band, Bad
Company, Marshall
Tucker Band, .38
Special, Blackberry Smoke and Blackfoot.
5.
Slayer:
In a video
released on January 22, Slayer announced that they will be going on their final
world tour starting this summer. The popular metal band has been together for
more than 35 years and released 12 albums, the most recent of which, ‘Repentless,’
came out in 2015. News of the final tour shocked fans, though frontman Tom
Araya has mentioned a shift in priorities in interviews
before. The North American first leg of the tour will start May 10 in San
Diego, CA and wrap up on June 20 in Austin, TX (the closest show to New York so
far is the June 2 stop at the PNC Bank Arts Center). These shows will be
supported by Lamb
of God, Anthrax,
Behemoth and Testament.
6.
Childish
Gambino: Following his Grammy wins last month, actor Donald Glover
confirmed his intentions to retire his musical persona Childish Gambino. Glover
will release one more album under the name before calling it quits to work on
other projects. His reasoning: “I like endings, I think they’re important to
progress.”
7.
Anita
Baker: Two days into the New Year, Anita Baker announced on Twitter
that she would be ending her three decade career in music this year. The tweet
mentioned a “Farewell Concert Series beginning in March,” which includes an appearance
at the Jazz in the Gardens Festival in Miami Gardens, Florida on March 17 &
18 and at the New Orleans Jazz Festival in May.
8.
Ozzy
Osbourne: Last year, Black
Sabbath wrapped up their farewell tour. Now frontman Ozzy Osbourne will be
doing the same for his five-decade solo career. In November, the singer
announced that he will be going on a farewell world tour set to last into 2020.
The first leg of the tour is slated to begin May 5 in Mexico with South
American and European legs to closely follow. Dates for the North American leg
have not been announced yet, though Osbourne will be playing Rockville and Fort
Rock festivals in Florida April 27 and 29, respectively. This will only be a
retirement from huge tours, as a statement on his website
says that he “can’t say I won’t do some shows here and there.”
9.
Rush:
Though they haven’t toured in roughly two years, Rush has officially hinted
that they will not be touring or recording together anymore. In a statement
guitarist Alex Lifeson made to The Globe and Mail in January, he said “We have
no plans to tour or record any more. We’re basically done. After 41 years, we
felt it was enough.”
It seems like 2018 is going to be the year of artist
retirements, with a handful of artists having already announced their intentions
in the first month of the year alone. And though these artists might be saying
goodbye to the road and/or the studio, their music and impact will continue on
long after they take their final bow.
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Keep music alive by picking up music from these artists and
more at Long Island’s top new independent record shop, Vinyl Bay 777. We have thousands
of titles to choose from in a variety of genres. Browse our wide selection of
new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs and memorabilia in store
at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being
added to our selection all the time, you never know what you might find at
Vinyl Bay 777.
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