You got to know when to fold 'em.
On Saturday night in Birmingham, England, Black Sabbath ended its "The End" tour, the final, year-long go-round for one of the first bands to emerge from the womb of heavy metal. Reviews gave the concert generally good marks, although the air of danger was replaced by the risk of breaking a hip.
Shawn RyanBesides, vocalist Ozzy Osbourne is 68, and his voice has long since gone from soaring scream to gargled grunt.
It's sad to see bands trying to make a go of it when they're way past the point of retiring to count their money. Some, though, have no money to count so touring is a must.
In the most-obvious cases, it's the lead singer who signals that it's time to quit. Roger Daltrey will go down as one of the best singers in rock, but you no longer want to hear him strain through the "Yeaaaaaaaaahh!!" in "Won't Get Fooled Again." And don't even even mention the horrific "harmonies" of what's called The Beach Boys.
Then there are those blatantly in it for the cash. Kiss made a gajillion bucks on its Put the Makeup Back On tour in 1997, but by then the band's over-the-top theatrics had been adopted and expanded by newer acts and Kiss just seemed outdated. But they're still out there, cashing the checks.
Some should have quit when a major member left or died. Once Chicago lost guitarist/vocalist Terry Kath in 1978 they were never the same, a fact highlighted in 1984 when the band embraced prom rock with "Hard To Say I'm Sorry" and "You're the Inspiration" - and, admittedly, made more money than ever. Bassist/singer Pete Cetera left after setting up his retirement by writing and singing those songs.
AC/DC is still out there, although guitarist Malcolm Young - the band's leader - is gone, a victim of dementia, and singer Brian Johnson had to quit because of hearing problems. Guitarist Angus Young says he wants the band to go for 10 more years. Is that a good idea?
On the other end of the spectrum, except for two one-off performances - a few minutes at 1985's Live Aid and at the tribute concert for Atlantic Records' Ahmet Ertegun in 2007 - Led Zeppelin stopped in 1980 after the death of drummer John Bonham.
More recently, the Eagles had the decency to quit after the death of Glenn Frey. Or at least they say they will. Millions of dollars sing a seductive song.
Contact Shawn Ryan at sryan@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327.