This could be the last time to see the Rolling Stones in concert, a smart-alecky young critic wrote in 1975 in the Minneapolis Star. In the very first sentence of a review.
Did I know then that Mick Jagger was ageless, and Keith Richards had nine or 10 lives?
In 2023, it may be a different story. Not necessarily for the Stones, but for other still-touring music stars who date back to the '60s and '70s.
The fall calendar is full of big names beloved by baby boomers (and younger generations) — from Aerosmith to Queen.
The Eagles are undertaking their "Final Tour" and Aerosmith has announced "Peace Out: The Farewell Tour." Is this really the last time for those huge American bands? Remember, Elton John's Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour dragged on for five, pandemic-interrupted years and a couple trips to the Twin Cities.
Here is a look at some oldies — all of whom are in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — and the chances that this fall's Twin Cities appearances are really their local swan songs.
Eric Clapton, Sept. 14, Xcel Energy Center. The guitar god, 78, hasn't performed in the Twin Cities since 2009, with Steve Winwood, his mate from their Blind Faith days. In 2013, Clapton was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy, which causes tingling in his limbs. He has undertaken short tours since then nearly every other year, and he delivered his 20th solo album, "I Still Do," in 2016 (with a Christmas album arriving two years later). This fall, the only three-time Rock Hall of Famer (Yardbirds, Cream, solo) is doing a brief five-city tour that coincides with his seventh all-star Crossroads Guitar Festival set for Sept. 23-24 in Los Angeles. Chance this is the last time: 85%
George Clinton, Sept. 16, Uptown Theater. At 82, the legendary funk innovator will tear the roof off the sucker on at least one last go-around. In the '70s and '80s, he landed the Mothership and taught the world how to funk with "Get Off Your Ass and Jam," "One Nation Under a Groove" and other jams. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer produced the Red Hot Chili Peppers, saw his music sampled by numerous rappers and collaborated with everyone from Snoop Dogg to Kendrick Lamar. His grandkids are now touring with Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic. Chance this is the last time: 85%
Herb Alpert, Sept. 19, Ordway. Do you remember the Tijuana Brass, the biggest instrumental pop act of the 1960s? How about Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66? Trumpeter Alpert, the man behind the Tijuana Brass and the "A" in A&M Records, is teaming up with his wife, Lani Hall, voice of Brasil '66. She sang "The Fool on the Hill," and Alpert is the only artist to have a No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 as both a vocalist ("This Guy's in Love with You," 1968) and an instrumentalist ("Rise," 1979). At 88, the horn man may be playing "The Lonely Bull" and "A Taste of Honey" for the last go round. Chance this is the last time: 99%
Peter Gabriel, Oct. 3, Xcel Energy Center. The artful Brit has been more of a promise than a reality of late. Since 2002, he has reportedly been working on an album of new material titled "i/o." Last fall when Gabriel, 73, announced his new tour, his first U.S. trek since 2012, he explained that a song from "i/o" will be released on each full moon in 2023. He's delivered so far. (He did issue a covers album in 2010 and an instrumental disc a year later.) A special but infrequent live performer, the two-time Rock Hall of Famer has made only one solo appearance in the Twin Cities, in 2002. Chance this is the last time: 95%
Bonnie Raitt, Oct. 11, State Theatre. The Grammy-grabbing singer/guitarist is a road warrior who loves the Twin Cities, which she considers a second home. She recorded her debut album in 1971 on Lake Minnetonka and she's been coming back regularly ever since. She's played everywhere from the Whole Coffeehouse (at the University of Minnesota) and Xcel Energy Center to the State Fair and Ledge Amphitheater in Waite Park. Barring health problems, the 73-year-old will be back. Promise. Chance this is the last time: 2%
Queen + Adam Lambert, Oct. 27, Xcel Energy Center. This unexpected pairing has been a royal success since 2011. But how much longer do Queen co-founders Brian May, a 76-year-old guitarist-cum-astrophysicist, and 74-year-old drummer Roger Taylor want to tour? Well, Taylor did a solo trek in 2021 so maybe he's not ready to tie himself down. And Queen's songs have become bigger than ever since the 2018 Freddie Mercury biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody." Chance this is the last time: 55%
Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks, Nov. 10, U.S. Bank Stadium. Since Elton John has retired from the road, Joel no longer had a touring partner. So he hooked up with Nicks, whose life with Fleetwood Mac is in limbo following the death of Christine McVie. Joel, 74, who hasn't released an album of new pop material since 1993's "River of Dreams," has announced a July 2024 end to his 10-year monthly Madison Square Garden residency. Nicks, 75, has the luxury of a Rock Hall of Fame solo career for which she could downsize in venues. Chance this is the last time: Joel 75%, Nicks 50%.
Aerosmith, Nov. 13, Xcel Energy Center. I've had a fondness for the Bad Boys from Boston since I reviewed their 1973 debut for my college newspaper. In the midst of a Vegas residency, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry and company seemed in good form in 2019 in a one-off show at the now-defunct Twin Cities Summer Jam. However, their last tour was eight years ago and their last album was in 2012. Do Tyler, 75, and Perry, 73, get along? "We both want the same thing. We just go at it in different ways," Perry told the Star Tribune in 2019. "We still have our [issues] but it's only about music." Dream on. Chance this is the last time: 95%
The Eagles, Nov. 17-18, Xcel Energy Center. Never say never when it comes to the Eagles, the dysfunctional band that once said they'd reunite when hell freezes over. There was a big thaw because, 14 years after disbanding, the Eagles reunited in 1994, made a new album in 2007 and even unexpectedly continued after the death of co-frontman Glenn Frey in 2016. This is definitely the final arena stint for the Eagles, though this tour could get extended for a long run and a return here. But could Don Henley, 76, take it to the limit and do a stripped-down Eagles tour with either Deacon Frey, 30, Glenn's son who is currently in the band, or Jackson Browne, who was always Eagles adjacent? Never underestimate scheming Eagles manager Irving Azoff. Chance this is the last time: 85%
