Nothing lasts forever in the rock 'n roll world - Motley Crue is the first to hit the road again after blowing up their contract, but they are hardly the first to break their farewell promise. Below are ten bands that embarked on a farewell tour, only to return.
1. Motley Crue
They had said: "Legally, we can’t play again. The only loophole is if all four band members agreed to do it, we could override our own contract. But we know that will never happen. There are people in this band who will refuse to ever do it again, and you’re talking to one of them. There is no amount of money that would ever make me do it again because I have such pride in how we’re ending it.” —Nikki Sixx, 2014
Their next tour: 2020
Explanation: The band has yet to officially comment on their return, but they released a clip yesterday announcing their touring comeback, depicting the literal destruction of the legal document they had signed almost six years ago that ensured they wouldn't return to the road.
2. Ozzy Osbourne
He had said: “This is absolutely for real. It’s the end of the road for me. I’ve been doing it for 25 years, and I want to go home. I’ve got a house I never see. I’ve got a car I never drive. I’ve got a family I never go home to.” —Ozzy Osbourne, 1992
He next toured: 1995
Explanation: "If you stayed at home, day in and day out, for 3 years with your wife and a house full of screaming kids, you'd want to get back out on the road too!" —Ozzy Osbourne, 1995
3. Kiss
They had said: “There just aren’t any more mountains to climb. We want to go out in style with the people that put us here, the fans.” —Gene Simmons, 2000
They next toured: 2002
Explanation: “People change their minds, and in this case that goes along with being a living, thinking person. What one says one day with total commitment may at another time turn out not to be so. ]Am I doing this for the money or the fans? Both, and let’s not forget I’m doing this for me.” — Paul Stanley, 2002
4. Black Sabbath
They had said: “The invitations are sealed. The table is set. The event of the millennium is being staged once and for all – The Last Supper of Black Sabbath," announced the band’s website, 1999.
They next toured: 2016
Explanation: Citing "overwhelming demand," the promotional video proclaimed, "Now it ends, the final tour by the greatest metal band of all time...closing the final chapter in the final volume." The End was billed as Sabbath's final tour, with band members guaranteeing a round of shows that "promises to surpass all previous tours and will feature the band's most mesmerizing production ever."
5. Scorpions
They had said: “While we were working on our album these past few months, we could literally feel how powerful and creative our work was – and how much fun we were still having, in the process. We want to end the SCORPIONS’ extraordinary career on a high note. We are extremely gracious for the fact that we still have the same passion for music we’ve always had since the beginning.” — Klaus Meine, 2010
They next toured: 2015
Explanation: "When you start a three-year farewell tour, you know you've got a long time ahead of you. But that long period went by much faster than we imagined. The closer we got to the goal - Munich in December 2012 - the stronger the feeling was that we hadn't come to the end at all. There were so many images in our minds and so many emotions in our hearts. Everything we experienced between 2010 and 2012, the 200 concerts - it was all so powerful. You stand on stage, look down and see so many fans - including the younger generation, who are really getting into it and saying: 'Guys, this is so cool. We're seeing you for the first time. When will you be back?' It's so motivating and inspiring to play for three generations. We're all having too much fun to put down the guitars.— Klaus Meine, 2014
6. Cream
They had said: “I think the Cream reached its peak last year at San Francisco. From that we all went on such a huge ego trip. Making it in the States was a bang in the head … I just want to perform contemporary blues. With the Cream, solos were the thing, but I’m really off that virtuoso kick. It was all overexposed. We died the death from playing exposure.” —Eric Clapton, 1968
They next toured: 2005 (only two cities)
Explanation: "In many ways, I wish we had left it at the Royal Albert Hall. But the offer we were made was too good to refuse . . . The shows were a pale shadow of what we sounded like in London. Lack of rehearsal was one thing, but it reflected something else. The arrogance was back.” —Eric Clapton in his memoir 2008 Clapton.
7. Nine Inch Nails
They had said: “NIN as a touring live band or live band that’s on the road all the time is stopping. I’ve just reached the point where it has invaded every other aspect of my life. I’d never want to be Gene Simmons, an old man who puts on makeup to entertain kids, like a clown going to work. In my paranoia, I fear that if I don’t stop this, it could become that.” —Trent Reznor, 2009
They next toured: 2013
Explanation: "Nine Inch Nails are touring this year. I was working with Adrian Belew on some musical ideas, which led to some discussion on performing, which led to some beard-scratching, which (many steps later) led to the decision to re-think the idea of what Nine Inch Nails could be, and the idea of playing a show. Calls were made to some friends, lots of new ideas were discussed, and a show was booked - which led to another, which somehow led to a lot of shows.The band is reinventing itself from scratch." —Trent Reznor, 2013
8. LCD Soundsystem
They had said: “The thing I’m saying goodbye to is being a professional rock & roll artist. I don’t want to make albums and tour and make videos. I don’t want that to be my life anymore. When you have a kid in college, all your money goes to college. You stop saving, stop going on vacation, you don’t buy a new car. When they get out of college you go phew, OK. That’s what I’m doing with my time. Right now my time is in LCD college and when LCD graduates then I can go back to the DFA and production and DJ’ing and all the other things. And maybe gardening. I want a garden. I want to grow some vegetables.” —James Murphy, 2010
They also said: “It’s not like some big, dramatic ending — we’ve talked about if in five years we’d want to play again, we’d do it.” —James Murphy, 2010
They next toured: 2016
Explanation: “We’re not just having some reunion tour. We’re releasing a record (sometime this year—still working on it, actually), so this isn’t a victory lap or anything, which wouldn’t be of much interest to us. This is just the bus full of substitute teachers back from their coffee break with new music and the same weird gear."—James Murphy, 2015
9. Tina Turner
She had said: “I’ve done enough. I’ve been performing for 44 years. I really should hang up my dancing shoes.” —Tina Turner, 2000
She next toured: 2008
Explanation: “After performing with Beyonce at The Grammy Awards, the response was overwhelming. Everywhere I went people were asking me when I was going back on tour. So after a lot of thought and planning, I can answer the only way I know how …. See you in Kansas City where we’ll kick the tour off!” —Tina Turner, 2008
10. The Who
They had said: “There’s so many new media concepts opening up now to us that I think touring in five years’ time is going to be outdated anyway. It’s got as big as its ever going to get. What are we going to do next time round? We can’t play any bigger stadiums to any more people. We’d just be parodying ourselves.” —Roger Daltrey, 1982
They next toured: 1989
Explanation: “Pete changed his mind. It’s our 25th anniversary. We’re going to celebrate the fact that we’re still here.” —Roger Daltrey, 1989
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