As the Rolling Stones once said, time waits for no one, and it won’t wait for thee. As the elder statesfolk of rock music continue their career wind-downs through the 21st century (embarking on “farewell” or “legacy” tours), the bands in question are often barely recognizable as the classic rock juggernauts they once were.
Take, for example, the just-announced “Windy Cities Tour,” featuring what passes as the current lineups of Chicago and Styx. The former wrote songs like “25 or 6 to 4” and “Saturday in the Park” (from their jazzier ’70s releases). While “If You Leave Me Now” and “Hard Habit to Break” in their ’80s Muzak-adjacent era. Meanwhile, Styx had a run of Roller Disco Era hits with “Come Sail Away,” “Babe” and “Mr. Roboto.”
And neither are touring with arguably their most recognizable members. Chicago will be without balladeer Peter Cetera, while Styx is touring once again without lead vocalist Dennis DeYoung. Both bands at least still retain a number of founding members, but tours like this and many others lead to a Ship of Theseus-like dilemma: how many original members can a band lose and still retain its identity?
The cynical answer to the question is: whoever retains the rights to the name. This is how you get “Thin Lizzy” touring with Scott Gorham and none of the (surviving) original members. Or consider Foreigner, coming to the Woodlands next summer with the shambling remains of Lynyrd Skynyrd. None of the Head Games/4/Agent Provocateur iteration remains, save Mick Jones, who no longer performs live.
As for Skynyrd, theirs has been a tour of attrition since 1987, when they reformed ten years after the plane crash that killed Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gaines. Drummer Artimus Pyle is the only living member from the original lineup, and he hasn’t performed with them since 2016. His own eponymous band does play Skynyrd songs in concert, however.
Some bands, of course, have been touring so long without original members that hardly anyone notices or cares. The Who toured with Kenney Jones eight months after the death of Keith Moon and have performed regularly in the 20+ years since the death of John Entwistle (at least until this year’s farewell tour). And KISS has been playing longer with Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer in the Spaceman and Catman makeup than they ever did with Ace Frehley (RIP) or Peter Criss.
Though perhaps the most glaring example of this is Journey, currently led by sole original member Neal Schon, playing alongside — among others — Arnel Pineda, the lead vocalist discovered by Schon on YouTube. Journey kicks off its “Final Frontier Tour” next year, which will lean heavily on songs made famous by Steve Perry.
Groups of a more recent vintage usually maintain better consistency, for better or worse (and if you’ve seen Mötley Crüe in the last ten years, “worse” is a definite possibility). But not always. There were three versions of Ratt touring at one point, for example. And the closest thing you’re likely to get to a Queensrÿche reunion is seeing Geoff Tate solo, then “Queensrÿche” proper, at the House of Blues in the same month.
But when your career spans decades — or, if we’re being honest, centuries — the situation is almost inevitable. And then personality conflicts give way to mortality. I can’t think of a single still-performing band from the 1960s that’s retained its original lineup. The ’70s provide a few examples like X and, improbably, Aerosmith*.
But to quote the Cranberries (who haven’t yet toured following the 2018 death of singer Dolores O’Riodan): does anyone care? Nostalgia acts are among the biggest draws on the concert circuit, thanks in large part to Boomers. They’re a good opportunity to make up for past indiscretions — like being too wasted to remember the first time you saw them. And maybe to finally grab some merch, now that they can afford it after wrecking the economy for subsequent generations.
*Sort of. Crazy Ray Tabano was replaced by Brad Whitford in 1971, but stayed on to manage merch and the fan club.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2025.