Why Are They Saying Farewell?
By Cheryl Harbour

With people like Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, Diana Ross, Dollie Parton, and Kenny Rogers crooning and touring well into their 70s, we have to ask why three of the all-time great musicians, composers, and performers have announced their careers are taking a turn toward retirement.

Elton John is a legitimate baby boomer, born in 1947. Neil Diamond and Paul Simon, are older than baby boomers, but their music rocked the generation.

Elton John has announced his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour which will last three years and play 300 dates. He told CNN’s Anderson Cooper, “My priorities have changed. I have young children…That doesn't mean I won't still be creative. But I won't travel any more...I don't want to go out with a whimper. I want to go out with a bang...It'll be the most produced, fantastic show I've ever done." It sounds like this show is a must-see for Elton John fans, and the length of the tour will give audiences all over plenty of time to see the musician rock the stage.

Like Elton John, Paul Simon borrowed one of his own song titles to name his final tour: “Homeward Bound.” But his tour is much shorter. It begins mid-May and ends mid-June of this year. He issued this statement explaining his decision to stop performing: “I’ve often wondered what it would feel like to reach the point where I’d consider bringing my performing career to a natural end. Now I know: it feels a little unsettling, a touch exhilarating, and something of a relief.

“I love making music, my voice is still strong, and my band is a tight, extraordinary group of gifted musicians. I think about music constantly. Sadly, we lost our lead guitarist and my friend of 30 years, Vincent N’guini, who died last December. His loss is not the only reason I’ve decided to stop touring, but it is a contributing factor. Mostly, though, I feel the travel and time away from my wife and family takes a toll that detracts from the joy of playing.”

Neil Diamond won’t be touring at all because he’s been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, but he plans to still create music. He has said, "I plan to remain active in writing, recording and other projects for a long time to come."

What a career he has had: 38 songs in the Top 10 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts, and more than 100 million records sold worldwide. He’s one of the best-selling musicians of all time.

Here are his ten #1 singles: Cracklin’ Rosie, Longfellow Serenade, Desiree, Song Sung Blue, If You Know What I Mean, Heartlight, I’ve Been This Way Before, America, You Don’t Bring Me Flowers, and Yesterday’s Songs.

As the baby boomer population ages, it's expected there will be a "tsunami" of new Parkinson's Disease cases. The risk of Parkinson's Disease increasese with age, with 1 per 100 at age 65, and 2 to 3 per 100 at age 85.

 

Neil Diamond Image: Eva Rinaldi, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons; https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Neil_Diamond_Acer_Arena_%285561533772%29.jpg




Comments

Be the first to commment on this article.

Post a Comment

RELATED ARTICLES