Aging Boomer Rockers - When to stop?

Popmatters Blog writer Jason Gross offers up an article 'Suicide Right on the Stage' talking about what very few writers I've seen have tackled - is it time for the aging '60s-'70s-'80 boomer rockers to hang it up? Out of care and concern, that is? Not of apathy.

Using as a starting point Aerosmith's Steven Tyler's recent injuries incurred from his fall earlier this month off a South Dakota stage, and his bandmates' other maladies that have resulted in the tour cancellation, Gross offers questions and directions about why these rockers continue to go out there every few years or so and make a payday - "It’s reasoned that as long as the crowds keep showing up, why shouldn’t they keep performing? It makes sense as long as the decision takes the artist’s health into consideration, which we rarely hear about until there’s a show cancellation."

Also: "So consider for a minute an incomplete roll call of still-touring AARP-age performers. For the 60-year-old group, there’s Jagger (66), McCartney (67), Dylan (68), Townshend (64), Paul Simon (67), Smokey Robinson (69), Greg Allman (61), the Dead (61, 63, 65, 69) and George Clinton (68), with Springsteen just missing the cut (59). Then, you have 70-year crowd where we’ll throw in some country and jazz legends: George Jones (77), Little Richard (76), Jerry Lee Lewis (73), Ornette Coleman (79), Sonny Rollins (78), Willie Nelson (76), Merle Haggard (72) and… Pat Boone (75). The octogenarian group includes Chuck Berry (82), B.B. King (83) and Cecil Taylor (80) (also note that while Fats Domino is 81, he’s rarely performed since the 1980’s). Ah, but they’re mere spring chickens compared to bluesmen Pinetop Perkins (96) and Honeyboy Edwards (94). All of which is to say that it ain’t unusual to see the 50-plus crowd touring but some of them already have faced the limitations of their age, or they will soon. Even James Brown couldn’t do leg splits towards the end of his life."

Gross asks: "How far and how long should these performers push themselves? When do they figure that it’s time to pack it in? Some have joked that they’ll be glad to get wheeled out onto the stage when they can’t walk anymore. The way that each of these artists answers these questions for themselves is some mix of ego, pride and artistic drive."

He also relates in the comments that he wrote this not in condemnation of the artists, but rather concern over their health and well being. "Again, I have nothing against artists continuing to tour in their later years- I just hope that some of them don’t push themselves too far when they shouldn’t be doing it."

Several other commentators basically said 'Why stop?" If they dig it and there's an audience, keep it alive.' Me? I'm sort of torn - rock and roll's always been better as a young guy's game, so maybe there is a suitable time and place for a 70-year old to just wave goodbye. The jury is still out, I guess.

What do you think? Add it in the comments.