Some bands weren’t meant to go on forever as much as fans would like them to. In rock and roll, especially, if all the fast living hasn’t caught up with the stars first, there comes a time when they decide to call it quits.
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Many rock outfits have seen the writing on the wall and decided to get out while the getting was still good. As a result, they put on the shows of a lifetime in order to say goodbye and have one last hurrah. Oftentimes, these onstage send-offs stick. Sometimes, they don’t.
Either way, below are five of rock’s greatest farewell concerts. While we hated to see them go, we loved to watch them leave.
1. The Band – November 25, 1976
Knowing their time together was nearing its end, The Band staged a massive final show that came to be known as The Last Waltz. They played their farewell to an audience of a few thousand on Thanksgiving Day 1976 at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, California.
The band hosted some iconic guests onstage that night, including fellow Canadian hitmakers Joni Mitchell and Neil Young and some of their heroes like Muddy Waters, Dr. John, Van Morrison, and Eric Clapton. Filmmaker Martin Scorsese was present to capture this historic musical send-off.
They fulfilled their record contract by releasing the 1977 album Islands which officially closed the chapter on The Band … with its original lineup at least.
2. Cream – November 26, 1968
After recording a final album, aptly titled Goodbye, Cream put on a farewell tour that consisted of 22 dates across the United States, and two shows back home in London at the Royal Albert Hall on November 25 and 26 in 1968.
While these final hometown shows were said to be subpar, the nail in the coffin for a band already on the outs, they marked a great moment in rock history and a pivotal point for each member – Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton, and Ginger Baker. It would be nearly three decades before the members played together again as Cream, regrouping for a smattering of reunion performances here and there.
3. Elton John – July 8, 2023
Elton John announced a three-year retirement tour in 2018. Dubbed the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, those three years have turned into five due to the Covid-19 pandemic. After more than 300 concerts worldwide, the great piano man’s final farewell is expected to come on July 8, 2023.
He said his official goodbye to North America last year, bringing Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium to its knees. Now, he is off to say so long to the rest of the globe.
4. KISS – December 2, 2023
KISS’ first farewell tour in the early 2000s may have been a fake-out, but their ongoing End of the Road World Tour is expected to be the real deal.
The band has been saying its goodbyes to the world since 2019, but again, the pandemic has prolonged their official send-off. So far, they have electrified over a hundred stadiums around the globe, and are set to play their final show on December 2, 2023, at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
“When you feel great about what you’re doing and you know it can’t last forever, go out on top,” founding member Paul Stanley said of the band’s farewell tour in the video below.
5. The Beatles – January 30, 1969
The Beatles’ final live performance was unannounced and atop their Apple Corps headquarters at London’s 3 Savile Row. The rooftop show lasted around 40 minutes before it was broken up by city police.
Spectators on their lunch breaks had convened in the streets below to hear the legends play a handful of new songs from what would be their 12th and final studio album Let It Be.
Photo Courtesy of Apple Corps Ltd.
