Scan any summer concert lineup and you might spot a familiar name and think, "Didn't they already do a farewell tour?" The answer is almost always yes. This year alone, Motley Crue is hitting amphitheaters across the country, yet they wrapped up their so-called Final Tour back in 2015. Rush declared the R40 Live Tour their last in 2015, but they're now on a run called Fifty Something that extends into 2027. For many artists, a farewell tour is meant to be the ultimate goodbye—a final chance for fans to see them live. But the reality is that plenty of musicians have announced their "last" tour, only to reverse course a few years later. Whether it's missing the spotlight, needing the paycheck, or simply not being ready to quit, retirement in the music business often comes with an asterisk.
Over the years, countless artists have tearfully waved goodbye while cashing in on audiences who believe it's truly the end—only to discover years later they've been fooled when a "comeback tour" is announced. Right now, a slew of acts across genres are on the road or about to embark on what they're calling their final tours: Journey, Megadeth, the Eagles, Ministry, Little Feat, and many more are offering one last chance to see them live. When those dates conclude, will that really be it? All we can say is: buyer beware.
Here are 10 farewell tours that turned out not to be goodbye at all, from classic rock legends to heavy metal icons. Some were back on the road within a year or two, while others stayed retired long enough for fans to believe it really was the end…until another reunion was announced.
Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra was one of the early artists to pull the "I'm finished" stunt, announcing in early 1971 that he would retire at age 55—not just from performing, but from public life altogether. Aside from a couple of charity commitments that year, he was adamant about being done with the stage and retiring to Palm Springs. At a gala for the Motion Picture & Television Fund on June 13 in Los Angeles, he performed a dress rehearsal set at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion during the day, and in front of a star-studded audience that night in the Ahmanson Theatre. Sinatra closed the performance with the jazz standard "Angel Eyes" and dramatically stepped away from the microphone as he said the final line, "Excuse me while I disappear…"
But unlike an exorcised ghost, the Chairman of the Board couldn't stay away from the limelight, chalking it up to the pressure he received to return. "Mail, phone calls…just talking to people," were just some of the reasons he said during 1973 rehearsals for the television special Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back, which also spawned a new album. The studio effort was panned but had no bearing on the desire from audiences to see Sinatra live, and he would continue to appear on stage until 1995.
Kiss
By 2001, music fans were a bit savvier towards the idea of a goodbye jaunt, doing a collective eye roll when Kiss announced they were going to hang up the platforms and spandex. It took less than two years for that to last, with frontman Paul Stanley later rewriting history by claiming it was meant to be a farewell to the original lineup. The tour itself was fraught with drama, from drummer Peter Criss letting his contract expire before it ended and guitarist Ace Frehley exiting the band following the final date. Two years later, with half of Kiss masquerading as originals, and Aerosmith onboard as a co-headliner, nostalgia brought overly forgiving audiences out in droves, because you never know when it's really going to be the last time. For Kiss, that night was December 2, 2023 at the final date of the End of the Road Tour. Then, last fall, they played three nights of the Kiss Kruise Landlocked in Vegas. How? Because that End of the Road Tour was simply the last with the makeup on. Of course.
Elton John
The first time Elton John retired came in front of a stunned audience at Wembley Stadium in November 1977 when he said, "I've made a decision that tonight is going to be the last show. There's more to me than playing on the road." When he was back tickling the ivories less than two years later, he attributed the announcement to being burned out, and "I was fed up with myself musically." "I was stale and stagnant as far as my piano playing went, and vocally I hadn't improved in three or four years," John said while promoting his return in 1979. "I could see the touring going on and on, and I thought there just has to be something better than this." Years later, he would chalk the move up to his over-the-top drug use. In 2018, John began the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, playing more than 300 shows before it concluded in 2023. He did leave the door open to doing a residency one day, but no more touring; it had become too much of a pain. Then tickets went on sale earlier this month for two stadium dates in Mexico City. And John has hardly quit playing—averaging about eight shows a year, from corporate events to fundraisers to the rare public gig—but still no full-scale return. To date.
The Who
Drummer Keith Moon's death in 1978 effectively put a period at the end of The Who's career, though they carried on for a few years with Faces drummer Kenney Jones before calling it quits. Guitarist Pete Townshend said he wanted to focus on his solo career, adding that The Who would continue only as a studio act, when a farewell tour was announced in 1982. Aside from one-off appearances at Live Aid in 1985 and the 1988 Brit Awards, the band stayed off the road... until they returned for a 25th anniversary tour in 1989, and they've been touring sporadically ever since, with their most recent trek in 2022. The Who's farewell was more of a "see you later" than a goodbye.
These artists prove that in the music world, farewell tours are often just a temporary pause. Whether it's the lure of the stage, the financial incentives, or simply the love of performing, the "last" tour rarely lives up to its name. So next time your favorite band announces their final shows, remember: they might be back sooner than you think. For more on legendary acts and their unexpected returns, check out our list of haunting thrillers or George Lucas's final Star Wars project—proving that even in entertainment, endings are never quite final.
