Too Old To Rock? Never!

Jaxson Niemerg

Photo courtesy of File: Rolling Stones in Cuba-4601.jpg – Wikimedia Commons

Many people may think that retirement is the greatest thing that will happen to them in life. You don’t have nearly as many responsibilities and an endless break of sitting in a retirement home. But that’s not everyone’s ideal future, especially The Rolling Stones. This ‘60s English rock ‘n roll band has been touring for more than six decades, playing through generations of music.

The Rolling Stones formed in 1962 and debuted on April 17, 1964, with their first album “The Rolling Stones”, their self-titled album featuring hit songs in the UK such as “Not Fade Away” and “Tell Me (You’re Coming Back)”. The same year that they officially released this album, they went on their first American tour, which began on June 5th and concluded on June 20th, 1964. Even though it may not seem like a long time, spanning less than a month, it would end up beginning their long journey of tours and fame.

They continued to tour, only taking 2 extended breaks during the ‘60s from 1967 – 1969 and the ‘80s from 1982 – 1989. Afterward, the trend didn’t stop, releasing albums on top of albums and staying on tour at almost all times up until 2007, when they took their last break before hitting the road again in 2012.

As of 2025, three of the remaining band members are alive and in their late 70s – early 80s. In fact, the only band that is older than them that still tours is The Beach Boys, being formed in 1961 and still touring today (Although only 2 of the original 5 are still actually in the band). Other than The Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys, ZZ Top, The Who, and Aerosmith are other bands that have been around for well over 50 years.

But even though all of these bands have been touring for so long, none of them takes the cake for longest longest-running band. That title belongs to The Searchers, who have been touring for 68 years. They formed as a band in 1957 and are commonly considered the longest-running pop group, recently ending their almost 70-year journey as of June 27, 2025, at the Glastonbury Festival.

You might be wondering why any band would stop when they are world records in the making, but the answer might surprise you. Bassist and singer of The Searchers, Frank Allen, says, “Shows slow you down a bit. We did between 180 and 200 shows a year. But driving up and down the motorways is the hard part because the traffic was heavier than it ever was”. This seemed to be the general vibe throughout the entire band, so they eventually went on their farewell tour, knowing that they left people happy and records broken all over the world.