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Ever bought tickets to a “final farewell tour” only to see that same artist back on stage two years later? You’re not alone. The music industry has perfected the art of the fake retirement, pulling fans’ heartstrings while quietly keeping the tour buses running. From tearful goodbyes to triumphant comebacks, these legends proved retirement doesn’t stick when the spotlight still shines bright.
KISS: The Never-Ending Goodbye
When KISS launched their ‘End of the Road’ tour in 2019, fans worldwide snapped up tickets thinking this was truly it. The band even filed a trademark for the phrase! Yet here we are in 2025, and Gene Simmons still hasn’t hung up those platform boots. Their farewell stretched across four years and 250+ shows, only to quietly transition into… more shows. The makeup may run, but the KISS machine keeps rolling.
Elton John: Farewell Yellow Brick Road… Or Not?
Sir Elton’s emotional 2018 farewell announcement had fans mourning the loss of a living legend. His five-year ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour’ became the highest-grossing tour in history… until he started booking new dates. Recent festival appearances prove the Rocket Man still has fuel left, though he insists these are ‘one-offs.’ Fans aren’t complaining – they’ll take Elton in any capacity they can get.
Motley Crüe: Signed, Sealed… Then Unsigned
These bad boys took theatrics to new heights with their 2014 “final tour” complete with a signed cessation-of-touring agreement. The ink barely dried before they were plotting a comeback. Their 2022 reunion proved that in rock ‘n’ roll, contracts are made to be broken – especially when Netflix comes calling with a biopic deal.
Cher: Believe in Comebacks
The goddess of reinvention has said goodbye more times than we can count. Her 2002-2005 Living Proof Farewell Tour should’ve been the end. Yet she kept returning – Vegas residencies, festival headliners, even a ABBA-themed album decades later. At 79, she’s still proving that in show business, retirement is just another costume change.
The Who: Won’t Get Fooled Again?
Pete Townshend declared ‘This is the last tour’ so often it became a running joke. Their 1982 ‘farewell’ tour was followed by… twelve more tours. Even after Roger Daltrey mused about being ‘too old,’ 2023 saw them rocking stadiums. Maybe their classic hit said it best – they truly seem to hope they die before they get old.
Ozzy Osbourne: No More Tours… Again
The Prince of Darkness’ 1992 No More Tours tour title proved overly optimistic. Health struggles forced multiple postponements of his latest ‘final’ outing, but the stubborn metal icon keeps rescheduling rather than canceling. His wife Sharon joked they’ll need to rename it the ‘One More Tour’ tour – and at this rate, she might be right.
Jay-Z: Retired… For About Three Minutes
Hip-hop’s first billionaire famously ‘retired’ after 2003’s The Black Album, only to return before the retirement cake went stale. His brief hiatus lasted less time than some of his song outros. Subsequent ‘final’ shows at Madison Square Garden somehow led to multiple new albums and tours. When you’re Jay-Z, retirement is just a creative break.
Phish: The Breakup That Didn’t Stick
The jam band’s dramatic 2004 breakup had fans traveling to Coventry, Vermont for their ‘final’ shows – a mud-soaked disaster that seemed truly final. Yet by 2009, they were back on stage, now more popular than ever. Their hiatus proved that sometimes absence really does make the heart grow fonder.
LCD Soundsystem: $25,000 Goodbye
James Murphy sold tickets to their 2011 ‘final’ show at Madison Square Garden for a whopping $25,000 via NFT – a move that felt definitively final. Yet by 2016 they were back with new music. The reunion proved so successful that their ‘last show’ now seems like just another career phase.
Garth Brooks: Retired to Raise Kids… Then Raised the Roof
Country music’s biggest star walked away in 2001 to focus on family, even turning down $250 million for a tour. But like a cowboy riding into the sunset only to circle back, he returned in 2014 for a Vegas residency that’s still going strong. His ‘retirement’ lasted longer than most, but proved even the most sincere departures can reverse.
The Eagles: Hell Freezes Over Indeed
After their bitter 1980 breakup, Don Henley famously said they’d reunite ‘when hell freezes over.’ Eleven years later, that became their reunion tour name. Multiple ‘final’ tours followed, each time claiming this was truly it. With Glenn Frey’s passing, they swore it was over – until Vince Gill joined and they kept flying.
Barbra Streisand: The Voice That Wouldn’t Quit
The diva’s 2000 Timeless farewell tour was supposed to be her swan song. Instead, it kicked off two more decades of sporadic performances. Her 2023 return proved that some voices are simply too iconic to stay silent, even if she only sings when she feels like it these days.
Slayer: The Unkillable Machine
Thrash metal’s most brutal act bowed out with 2018’s grueling farewell tour… then returned for ‘just a few’ festival dates. Their explanation? Fans kept demanding more. In metal, it seems, retirement plans get shredded faster than their guitar solos. The mosh pits continue to rage whenever they feel like stirring the pot.
Spice Girls: Girl Power Means Never Saying Goodbye
Their 1998 breakup seemed definitive, complete with solo careers and public feuds. Yet they’ve reunited for every major anniversary since, proving some friendships (and paychecks) are stronger than any breakup. Their latest 2024 tease suggests the world may never truly be rid of zigazig-ah.
The house lights may dim, the final bows may happen, but for music’s biggest legends, the show never truly has to end. Maybe we should stop calling them farewell tours and start calling them ‘see you later’ tours. After all, in the music business, the only real final curtain is the one the fans stop buying tickets for.
Besides founding Festivaltopia, Luca is the co founder of trib, an art and fashion collectiv you find on several regional events and online. Also he is part of the management board at HORiZONTE, a group travel provider in Germany.
