Farewell Concert Tours – That Weren't Actually the End of the Road

From inflated egos and clashing personalities to band member deaths and personal hardships, numerous bands, groups, duos, and solo acts have announced a retirement from touring over the years, only to take it all back and hit the stage for another world tour. Ozzy Osbourne has quit before but said that at 74 he's no longer physically capable of touring. We'll see if he really means it this time, but meanwhile, other musical acts continue to hit the road even after calling it quits on touring.

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The former lead singer of Black Sabbath has said farewell to touring three times. He first planned his retirement in 1992 and then again in 2018. He recently resumed his "No More Tours 2" tour only to have it stalled by COVID-19. Ozbourne has now canceled his road show for a final time, citing physical ailments, including Parkinson's disease and ongoing health issues caused by a 2003 four-wheeler accident.

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Ozzy came back in 1995 when he released "Ozzmosis" and went on the "Retirement Sucks Tour." In 2018, he announced a new farewell tour, the "No More Tours 2" tour, which he shelved after it was postponed due to COVID-19. 

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Tina Turner's "Foreign Affair: The Farewell Tour" in 1990 was supposed to be her original farewell tour. The singer had been touring for nearly a decade at the time.

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Tina Turner returned to the stage just three years later in 1993 for the "What's Love? Tour," and continued to tour until 2009, when she had her final encore in England at age 70. In a documentary, she discussed the exhaustion she felt trying to make everybody happy. She died in 2023.

When drummer John Bonham died in 1980, the band announced a breakup just a couple of months later while promoting "In Through the Out Door."

Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones reunited to play the Live Aid concerts in 1985 and 1988. The band reunited again in 2007 for a benefit show — with the late Bonham's son filling in on drums.

Cher originally announced her retirement from touring in 2002 with the "Living Proof: The Farewell Tour." The tour was originally just a North American tour with 59 dates, but was then extended by 100 shows in North America and spread to Europe and Asia.

Cher came back to touring in 2018, with the "Here We Go Again Tour," which was the biggest tour of her career, breaking her personal record in touring gross.

The Rocket Man announced his first tour retirement in the middle of a concert at Wembley in 1977. The performer announced his second retirement from touring in 2018, claiming his second farewell tour dates would be his last but had to reschedule them because of COVID-19.

Elton John was back on the road just two years after his first touring "retirement" and resumed touring in February 1979 with Ray Cooper. He wrapped up his second farewell tour, the "Yellow Brick Road Tour," in March 2022, after doing shows in 300 cities, across five continents.

The popular boy band broke up in 2002, when Justin Timberlake wanted a break to focus on his solo career.

In 2013, the group reunited to play some of their biggest hits at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards and again in 2019 to play Coachella.

The Who suffered many difficulties throughout the '70s, most prominently the death of drummer Keith Moon, who died of an overdose in 1978, And in 1983, guitarist Pete Townshend left the band to deal with his personal struggles of addiction and a failing marriage.

While the group got back together for Live Aid in 1985, their next tour wasn't until 1989, for the band's 25th anniversary. In 1996, The Who officially reunited, starting with a two-year retrospective Quadrophenia tour.

Destiny's Child stopped touring as a group in 2004 after the group turned their focus to their solo careers. All three members of the group have successful careers, especially global icon Beyoncé.

The group reunited for the Super Bowl in 2013, before Beyoncé's halftime show, in 2015 for the Stellar Gospel Awards, and again in 2018 when Beyoncé headlined Coachella.

When Jerry Garcia died in 1995, the band came to a halt for nearly 20 years. Members of the band played in various lineups throughout the years.

The Dead reunited in January 2015 for a group of 50th anniversary shows.The living members still tour as Dead & Company, which includes Oteil Burbridge, Jeff Chimenti, and John Mayer.

Big Boi and Andre 3000 split after "Idlewild" was released in 2006, after 12 years of making music as a duo.

The hip-hop duo reunited in 2014 to play Coachella and several subsequent festivals, performing crowd favorites and hits.The pair has also had massive success on solo projects over the years.

The rock group originally only had a two year run from 1966-1968, but called it quits when the band members couldn't get along and were constantly fighting.

Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Jack Bruce reunited in 1993 when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, then again for four shows in London's Royal Albert Hall.

The tension between band members was not unlike that of many other famous bands, but the Eagles took quarreling to a new level in 1980 when a fight nearly broke out on stage. The band broke up that day and everyone assumed it was the end of the road.

Each of the band members went on to launch solo careers before appearing on Travis Tritt's "Take It Easy" cover in 1993. Fans were stunned when, just a few months later, the Eagles announced a reunion and the "Hell Freezes Over Tour." But tensions between members Glenn Frey and Don Felder hadn't calmed down over the last 13 years and Felder was fired in 2001.

They got back together in 2014, after a surprise reunion led to their 2015 album "No Cities to Love," which led to the trio's comeback tour.

Sleater-Kinney stopped touring because the group broke up in 2006. Drummer Janet Weiss said she no longer felt like a creative equal in the group.

The Police stopped touring because the band called it quits in 1986 after Sting wanted to work on his solo career and Stewart Copeland broke his collarbone in a horse-riding accident.

The group reunited in 2007 for a 151-date tour, and though the trio didn't drop any new music, The Police played all of the hits from previous albums.

In 2005, Blink-182 broke up after numerous band member arguments. Geffen Records issued a statement to announce the groups "indefinite hiatus."

The group reunited in 2008 after Travis Barker nearly died in a plane crash in South Carolina. They began touring again as well, but in 2015 guitarist Tom DeLonge stopped touring with the band and was replaced by Alkaline Trio's Matt Skiba.

Frontman Trent Reznor quit touring in 2009 because he didn't want to end up as the next Gene Simmons. He called Simmons "an old man who puts on makeup to entertain kids."

Reznor retired from touring for less than five years, but still worked on several other music projects, going on to make quite the name for himself in the film scoring world. Reznor eventually came back to NIN, releasing two albums and going on tour again in 2013 and 2017-18.

The Native Tongues scene leaders ended a first run in 1998 shortly before the release of "The Love Movement." At the time, the group noted frustrations with its record label Jive as a major factor in its breakup.

After founding members Q-Tip and Phife Dog set aside differences to begin recording again in 2013, the group headlined a festival in 2004 and then reunited as a touring act again — in part to help with Phife Dog's medical expenses. The band continued to play various shows and tours in the years to follow and released their sixth studio album in 2016, shortly after the passing of Phife Dog, who died from complications with diabetes. Surviving members played their final concert in 2017.

The group was originally created as a made-for-TV band with a television series about the misadventures of a struggling pop group that aired from 1966-1968. When the album "Changes" was released in 1970, it was a major disappointment and the band split just a year later.

The band got back together in 1986 for a 20th anniversary tour and continued to play brief tours in 2012 and 2013, even after Davy Jones died in 2012. As the only surviving original member, Mickey Dolenz has a string of shows scheduled for April 2022 to celebrate the group.

This band didn't beat around the bush when it came to quitting after more than 30 years together. Their final tour was even called "The Last Supper."

The group's touring hiatus came to an end in 2016, when the members announced "The End Tour." The tour came to an end in the group's hometown of Birmingham, England, in 2017.

Meat Loaf quit touring in 2013 after his "Last at Bat Tour," citing the physical demands of traveling and performing for himself and the band members.

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He came back to music and touring later that year when he began performing in Las Vegas and he started touring again in 2015. The musician died in January 2022.

The Spice Girls called it quits and stopped making music and touring in 2000 to focus on solo careers.

The split didn't last, though, because the members went on a reunion tour in 2007, playing their greatest hits. The women reunited again for the London Summer Olympics in 2012, and while the group is no longer one, Mel B. still hopes to get the band back together.

Kiss' farewell tour ran from March of 2000 to April of the following year. Gene Simmons cited there no longer being "any more mountains to climb'' as the reason for no longer touring and subsequently retiring.

Just one year later, Kiss was back on the road again. The band continues with its "End of the Road World Tour," which had been delayed because of COVID-19, and had several concert dates in 2023.

Fall Out Boy had a hold on the pop-punk scene for nearly 10 years before taking a break after the 2008 release of "Folie à Deux" and subsequent tour to rest and focus on solo projects for a while.

The band reunited in 2013 with the release of "Save Rock and Roll" and the "Monumentour" tour. "American Beauty/American Psycho" was the third No. 1 album for Fall Out Boy. The band has been touring and creating new music ever since reuniting.

In 2014, Motley Crue announced a two-year "The Final Tour." The group also signed a "Cessation of Touring Agreement," in front of the media, that would only allow them to tour again in the future if all four members agreed.

Motley Crue reunited in 2019, planned a summer 2020 tour, and (literally) blew up the touring agreement. The tour was pushed back because of COVID-19, but resumed in June 2022.

The Jonas Brothers shocked fans in 2013 when the brothers released a new single and announced a new tour, only to cancel the tour dates and break up before the tour even started.

The brothers took a six-year hiatus and worked on solo projects before announcing the "Happiness Begins" tour in 2019. Their comeback included a new album, worldwide tour, and a documentary discussing the breakup.