One of rock’s best-known lyrics is the one about dying before you get old. The 2024 tour schedule shows how few have taken that to heart – including the Who’s Roger Daltrey, who originally sang the line.
Instead, the following list of oldest rockers on tour this summer features nine performers who are 80 or older. That includes not one but two members of the Beach Boys. By comparison, 65-year-olds like Joan Jett seem absolutely spry – even though that has traditionally been the age of retirement.
Not in rock: The bulk of this list includes folks born between 1944 and 1954, almost all of whom are in their 70s now. They grew up as the seeds of rock ‘n’ roll were sewn and have tended those roots for decades now.
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The list also reveals shared birthday months that might surprise some fans. For instance, Journey’s Jonathan Cain and Rickey Medlock of Lynyrd Skynyrd both arrived in February 1950.
Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin fame and the Doobie Brothers’ Tom Johnston were born within days of one another in August 1948. The same thing happened in December 1949 with King Crimson’s Adrian Belew and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. Cheap Trick’s Robin Zander and Pat Benatar were both born in January 1953.
In their own ways, they all grew up to push rock into fun and interesting places – and they’re still out there doing it today. Here’s a look at the oldest rockers on tour this summer.
The Oldest Rockers on Tour This Summer
They helped push rock into fun and interesting places – and they’re still out there doing it in the summer of 2024.
Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso
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