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.

1. The Rolling Stones - established 1962

   

   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!

   

2. The Who - established 1964

   

   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.

   

3. Aerosmith - established 1970

   

   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.

   

4. U2 - established 1978

   

   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.

   

5. The Beach Boys - established 1961

   

   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.

   

6. ZZ Top - established 1969

   

   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.

7. KISS - established 1973

   

   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.

8. The Cure - established 1978

   

   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.

   

9. Iron Maiden - established 1975

   

   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.

10. Def Leppard - established 1977

    

    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.

11. Metallica - established 1981

    

    The hardcore metal band will mark nearly four decades in rock with the Worldwired Tour 2020, including a jaunt around South America.

12. Red Hot Chili Peppers - established 1983

    

    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.