Yoga and ice baths have replaced all-nighters, but musicians such as Graham Nash, Bonnie Raitt, Rick Wakeman and Elkie Brooks aren’t planning to retire any time soonI always said I’d retire when I got to 50,” chuckles Rick Wakeman, who didn’t do any such thing. Instead – after realising that far from being left adrift by pop’s ever-changing styles, people were still interested in what he had to offer – he recorded another 37 albums (taking his total to more than 100), penned two bestselling autobiographies and a film score and carried on performing shows. Then last year he announced that he’d stop touring when he reaches 77, but he’ll be 76 this May and his packed live schedule doesn’t suggest a performer saying his last goodbyes.“There was a time when I thought, maybe it’s time to gracefully bow out,” the prog keyboard caped crusader explains, before his latest gig in Bradford. “But unfortunately I can’t. Music is the world to me. I...
Rock veterans like Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Mavis Staples and Peggy Seeger continue to tour well into their 70s and 80s, driven by a passion for music and the energy they receive from audiences. While early touring involved hardship and excess, these musicians now prioritize pacing themselves, better conditions, and, for some, sobriety, to sustain their careers. They find joy and purpose in performing despite the physical challenges of age.
