The oldest bands still touring today
11 January 2020, 19:00 | Updated: 11 January 2020, 19:01
The Who are back on the road, Iron Maiden are headlining festivals, U2 just won't stop. Find out who else is still on the road after all these years.
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The Rolling Stones - established 1962
Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones in 1963. Picture: John Hoppy Hopkins/Redferns/Getty Images Speaking to Rolling Stone recently, Keith Richards said of the Stones’ last tour - No Filter which wound up in August 2019 - "Maybe this will be the last one, I don’t know." They’ve been playing together under that name for nearly 60 years!
Ronnie Wood, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones attend The Rolling Stones celebrate the North American debut of Exhibitionism at Industria in the West Village on November 15, 2016. Picture: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images -
The Who - established 1964
Keith Moon, Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, and Pete Townshend of The Who in 1965. Picture: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Now just the duo of Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend, the band’s website names the Paradise Club in Peckham in July 1962 as the scene of the Oo’s first show. They changed their name to The Who in February ’64 and have been playing in some shape or form ever since.
Their “farewell tour” seems to have no sign of coming to an end and the rockers have recently announced a string of dates in March 2020 to mark their first album in 13 years, WHO.
Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend from The Who attend the Music Walk Of Fame Founding Stone Unveiling at The Jazz Cafe on November 19, 2019. Picture: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images -
Aerosmith - established 1970
Aerosmith: Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Steven Tyler (front), Tom Hamilton (back), Joey Kramer in 1974. Picture: Gems/Redferns/Getty Images Aerosmith kick off their 50th year in business with a Las Vegas residency, then Walk That Way across Europe's biggest venues in the summer.
Brad Whitford, Joe Perry, Joey Kramer, Tom Hamilton and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith at the Grammys in February 2019. Picture: Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Janie's Fund -
U2 - established 1978
U2 in 1980: The Edge, Bono, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jnr. Picture: Lex van Rossen/MAI/Redferns Before they were U2 they were Feeback and The Hype, but for four decades Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Junior have been playing together. The band took their Joshua Tree show to Australia, New Zealand, Japan and other countries in 2019 and showed that the group were still as popular and proficient as ever.
The Edge, Bono, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr of U2 pose with the Global Icon award during the MTV EMAs 2017 held at The SSE Arena, Wembley on November 12, 2017. Picture: Ian Gavan/Getty Images for MTV -
The Beach Boys - established 1961
The Beach Boys in 1962. Picture: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Death, illness and mental health issues haven’t soured the American Dream and surf seems to be continually up for this legendary act. The "boys" - all now in their 70s - have live dates stretching out until August 2020.
Bruce Johnston and Mike Love of The Beach Boys perform live on stage during a concert at the Verti Music Hall on July 16, 2019 in Berlin. Picture: Frank Hoensch/Redferns/Getty Images -
ZZ Top - established 1969
Dusty Hill, Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard of ZZ Top in 1975. Picture: Gems/Redferns/Getty Images The Texas hard rockin' trio - still the team of Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard - boogie into 2020 with five nights in Vegas, before heading off on a Canadian tour in May.
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KISS - established 1973
Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of Kiss in 1974. Picture: Ginny Winn/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images It's nearly 50 years since Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley changed their name from Wicked Lester to KISS, and June 2020 will see the band headline Download Festival in the UK, among other shows.
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The Cure - established 1978
The Cure in October 1980: Simon Gallup, Robert Smith and Lol Tolhurst. Picture: Rob Verhorst/Redferns/Getty Images July 2018 saw Robert Smith and his crew play a special show in London’s Hyde Park to mark 40 years since their first gig under the name The Cure - but the history of the group goes back to 1976. 2019 sees the band hitting some of the biggest festivals in the world.
Robert Smith of The Cure performs on The Pyramid Stage during day five of Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 30, 2019. Picture: Harry Durrant/Getty Images -
Iron Maiden - established 1975
Iron Maiden in 1983: Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Nicko McBrain, Bruce Dickinson, and Adrian Smith. Picture: Paul Natkin/Getty Images The metal legends have been doing their unique thing since the mid-70s and kick off the next leg of their Legacy Of The Beast tour in Australia in May 2020, headlining Download Festival in June.
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Def Leppard - established 1977
Rick Savage, Joe Elliott, Pete Willis,Rick Allen, Steve Clark of Def Leppard in 1979. Picture: Chris Walter/WireImage/Getty Images The British metal legends have 2020 all mapped out - an enormous stadium tour of the US, over 40 years since they began their life in downtown Sheffield.
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Metallica - established 1981
Metallica in 1985: Drummer Lars Ulrich, singer and guitarist James Hetfield, bass player Jason Newsted and guitarist Kirk Hammett. Picture: Hulton Archive/Getty Images The hardcore metal band will mark nearly four decades in rock with the Worldwired Tour 2020, including a jaunt around South America.
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Red Hot Chili Peppers - established 1983
Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1985: , Flea, Anthony Kiedis, Chad Smith, and Hillel Slovak. Picture: Paul Natkin/Getty Images The LA rockers began their career as Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem almost forty years ago, which is incredible considering the ups and downs they've had over the years. They're playing Bottle Rock, Pinkpop, Ejekt and other festival in the summer of 2020.