Longevity

All right, you Saipan jet-setters, let’s see if you can match this itinerary for May through September: Turkey, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Poland, the U.K., France, Italy, Ukraine, Canada, and the United States.
That’s the schedule for Aerosmith’s 2014 “Let Rock Rule” tour.

As impressive as the itinerary is, the longevity of this famous rock ‘n’ roll band merits mention. Aerosmith started 44 years ago, in 1970, in Boston. Its frontman and a founding member, Steven Tyler, 66, is famous for being one of the most energetic performers under the limelight.

While I was reading Aerosmith’s 2014 tour schedule and reflecting on their longevity, I decided to list a few other big names that have enjoyed long-running success. This isn’t a comprehensive survey of the matter, but, instead, just a random walk.

Here’s one rock ‘n’ roll act that has surpassed the half-century mark: The Rolling Stones. An English band, they were formed in 1962. Their frontman and a founding member, Mick Jagger, will turn 71 in July.

And where will he be in July? On tour, of course. At least for the first part of the month.

Yes, the Stones are also rolling around the world, and some of the upcoming points on their 2014 tour are Norway, Portugal, Switzerland, Israel, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Austria, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, and New Zealand. I think they’ve been playing in Asia recently.

Here’s another famous name from England that is still going strong: Elton John, who is 67.

If you’ve got any gray hair and would like a parlor game to keep you busy before somebody hauls out the Pictionary and Mad Libs, then try to list all of his hits.

What a long list it is. He has tallied 56 Top 40 hits. He’s also sold over 250 million records. I sure remember that in the ’70s the radio was always buzzing with his songs. His 2014 tour schedule spans much of western Europe and the U.S.

Having already made my point about globe-trotting scale in the case of Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones, I’ll spare you more such details. I think that all of the musicians I’m mentioning have websites that feature tour information.

Meanwhile, New York native Billy Joel, 64, is touring. Upcoming performances for the year are slated for the U.S. and Canada. This piano man is no stranger to the Top 40, having put 33 songs there over the years, the first one in 1973.

And now for some tropical sunshine: Saipan, like many nooks in the tropics, harbors many Jimmy Buffett fans. Buffett, 67, is on tour in the U.S.

Buffett is also a pilot and a writer, with a cool-guy persona that attracts legions of fans.

He scraped along for a long time before his song Margaritaville became famous in 1977.

Here’s something that may interest you: In 1997, Buffett put on a musical show based on a novel by Herman Wouk called Don’t Stop the Carnival. It’s about a guy doing business, or trying to, on a tropical island, and it seems like a slice of life on Saipan, although it was really about the Caribbean.

Anyway, of the big stars on tour, the most senior names I can think of are country stars, not rock stars. For example, Merle Haggard, 77, has a busy tour schedule in the U.S. for the remainder of this year.

When you think of country music you probably think of Tennessee or Texas, which is fair enough. But California played a role, too. That’s where the town of Bakersfield is, a hub for oilmen, cowboys, and farmers. It has seen its share of achy-breaky hard times, generating suitably honky-tonk tunes, including Haggard’s.

Of course, when it comes to country, it doesn’t get any more country than Willie Nelson. Born in Texas, he turned 81 just this week, and, yes, he’s still touring, with appearances inked in the U.S. for the rest of 2014.

I’ve only mentioned seven stars here, but they sure cover a lot of years, a lot of ground, and a lot of culture. We’re lucky to have them: so here’s to longevity! That’s one thing the cowboys, the city slickers, and even the beach bums (hooray) can certainly agree on.

Visit Ed Stephens Jr. at EdStephensJr.com. His column runs every Friday.