Musicians Who Have Been Touring For Decades – These Legends Are Still Rocking After All This Time
While breaking into the music industry is as hard as it gets, that doesn't mean necessarily get more stable even for those who make it to the top. Audiences are often fickle, touring can be rough on an artist, and it's not uncommon for bands to lose members due to creative differences, personal squabbles, or unexpected life events.
However, some artists have managed to build fanbases that have followed them for decades and been lucky and disciplined enough to keep bringing the people what they want. Some have been on that grind for 40 years, while others have been doing it for more than 60 years.
The Rolling Stones
Since The Rolling Stones started touring in 1962, it stands to reason that their lineup would change dramatically in the over 60 years since the were a key part of the famous British Invasion.
Some members — like original bassist Bill Wyman — have left the band but other former members like Brian Jones and Charlie Watts had the sadder fate of passing away. Still, as long as Mick Jagger and Keith Richards make up the band's core, they'll keep on going.
Cher
Known for her distinct, powerful voice and flashy, elaborate costumes during live performances, Cher has traversed different genres and adeptly performed both by herself and with others for over 60 years.
Touring started for her in 1963 and many of her biggest hits were made and sung in the company of her former husband Sonny Bono. With her genre and aesthetic changes over the years, however, Cher has kept her fans coming back for more for decades on her own.
Metallica
Despite intra-band struggles, intense peaks and valleys in their discography, and a horrific 1992 incident that saw lead singer James Hetfield severely burned by pyrotechnics, Metallica have not only stayed consistently touring for over 40 years but remain one of the hottest touring acts in the world.
This is partially because the loyalty of metal fans is not something to be underestimated but also because they've been able to keep hitting hard into their 60s and maintained the strong core trio of Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Kirk Hammett through even their rockiest times together.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers
Considering how many periods of turmoil the Red Hot Chili Peppers have had over the years, it's amazing to consider that they're not only still touring and releasing music today but doing so with their best-known lineup.
It's no secret that the band has a volatile, hard-partying past and that periods without strongly talented yet historically unpredictable lead guitarist John Frusciante have led to some unpopular lineup changes at times. However, recent years have suggested that the band has landed on an internal dynamic that works.
The B-52s
While their biggest hits are firmly in decades past, the unusual energetic style of the B-52s has made their music easy to appreciate across generations and eye-catching sights like this show what a fun experience their performances are.
They've been at it since 1976 and enjoy a Las Vegas residency that's set to elapse by April 19, 2025. However, it appears that while they've been touring for almost 50 years, that may be the last time fans can see them.
Bob Dylan
Although Bob Dylan started touring in earnest in 1964, his schedule since 1988 has been so intense that he's sometimes described as embarking on the never-ending tour.
Indeed, that perception matches his current "Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour" cycle as it's still going with extended dates despite starting all the way back in 2021. As for why he's still going 60 years after he started, the simple answer is that Dylan does whatever he wants.
Bruce Springsteen
While Bruce Springsteen's famous E Street Band has sadly been without the saxophone virtuosity of Clarence Clemons since his passing in 2011, they have kept together on a permanent basis since their reformation in 1999.
As for The Boss himself, Springsteen has been performing with and without the E Street Band since 1972 and even after 50 years, remains known for his intensely energetic shows that have been known to last as long as four hours at a time. He's the quintessential example of an artist who leaves it all on the stage.
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick earned her first hit with "Don't Make Me Over" in 1962 and remains touring over 60 years later. Although this is partially due to financial necessity in the wake of long-term issues with the IRS, her tours nonetheless take her all over the world and she hasn't slowed down into her 80s.
Considering that she's won six Grammys in her time and has released 40 studio albums throughout her career, there's a wealth of material to give those fans when she makes her dates.
Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson is one of the last great legends from country music's classic era still living and it's wild to know that it's possible for someone to have seen him perform in the '50s and see him again today.
Granted, his early career saw him struggle to find a large audience so it's unlikely that such a person could do so, but the fact it it's even theoretically possible is staggering. Nelson and his trusty guitar Trigger have been through more up and downs than most artists experience in three lifetimes and at 91, he's one of the oldest musicians still touring and recording today.
Ice-T
Although there are certainly artists who have been performing for longer than Ice-T — who released his debut album Rhyme Pays in 1987 — it's far harder to find any in rap who still tour today.
Nonetheless, Ice-T still commands the respect and popularity to pull that off in what is often considered a young person's genre and is just as likely to perform heavy rock music with his band Body Count as his classic rap hits.
Dolly Parton
Although Dolly Parton technically stopped touring in 2022, she's nonetheless participating in a unique multimedia experience with a live symphony orchestra called Threads: My Songs in Symphony.
Nonetheless, before she mostly retired from touring, she had been performing for an impressive 66 years after booking her first concert in 1956. In that time, she's become one of the most beloved and venerated artists not just in country music, but in the entertainment world at large.
Buddy Guy
Among blues circles, it's hard to name a more respected artist still working today than Buddy Guy. Not only has the guitarist and singer made his indelible mark on that classic scene but his influence extends to rock and credibly impacted such venerated guitarists as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Keith Richards.
Although he announced his retirement from touring in 2024, his final Damn Right Encore Tour has nonetheless extended into the summer of 2025. Considering he's been playing in his signature style since 1957, that's longevity that most artists could hardly even dream of.
Iron Maiden
Although Iron Maiden have been together since 1975, it wasn't until 1980 that they hit the proud milestone of embarking on their first headlining tour, which took them throughout Europe. Naturally, as metal boomed throughout the '80s, so too did Iron Maiden's international success.
As is often the case for veteran metal acts, enthusiasm to see them within the community is as high internationally now as it would have been 45 years ago. Their current tour is taking them across 18 countries and is set to continue into 2026.
The Hollies
As fans of veteran acts can often attest, they don't tend to have many original members left if the band keeps going decades after their classic era. Considering that neither Graham Nash nor Allan Clarke are members of the band they founded, that makes The Hollies a somewhat unusual case.
However, it is nonetheless true that Tony Hicks and Bobby Elliot have been performing with the English rock band since 1963, which means they've been touring with The Hollies for over 60 years. It's fair to say that they rival The Rolling Stones in longevity.
Styx
For many who stopped paying attention to them after their implosion following their 1983 album Kilroy Was Here, it would be easy to assume that the Styx story ended there. However, they reunited multiple times throughout the '90s before landing on their steady lineup after founding singer and keyboardist Dennis DeYoung departed in 1999.
Although they've often been maligned throughout their time together, Styx has nonetheless been recording and performing together since 1972, which means their dedicated fans have been powering their ventures for over 50 years.
AC/DC
It's hard for a band not to be thrown into an uncertain future after suddenly losing their lead singer, but AC/DC rebounded incredibly with the release of their 1980 Back In Black following the passing of Bon Scott.
And while beloved founding member Malcolm Young has also since retired and passed away, both intense vocalist Brian Johnson and founding guitarist Angus Young remain touring with the band 52 years after AC/DC first formed in 1973.
Kool And The Gang
Although the sad truth is that some of Kool and the Gang's founding members have passed away since 2020, the band has stayed incredibly cohesive and consistent up to that point and beyond.
After all, they're still touring as of 2025 and that's an incredible achievement in its own right, as they embarked on their first tour in 1969. That marks 56 years on the road.
The Beach Boys
Due to intra-band and life struggles between its remaining founding members, may within the Beach Boys' current lineup have spent long periods away from the band.
Yet while many have had reservations about working with band leader Mike Love, Brian Wilson, Al Jardine, and Bruce Johnston have all been consistently working with him since 2012. Even with all that strife, it's amazing that so many of them are now touring with a band they joined all the way back in 1961.
Madness
Second-wave English ska band Madness emerged as legendary figures in the scene in the late 1970s achieved some international prominence during the '80s. And while they had a hiatus between 1986 and 1992, the latter saw them embark as a unit into a touring and recording schedule that has taken them to the present day.
Since three of its current members — Chris Foreman, Mike Barson, and Graham "Suggs" McPherson — have been performing since at least 1977, some of them have been touring together for almost 50 years.
New Order
After practically defining the post-punk scene with fallen Joy Division lead singer and lyricist Ian Curtis, the band's surviving members formed a new band with a similarly alternative but more synth-friendly sensibilities called New Order in 1980.
Although they're best known for classic '80s tracks like "Blue Monday" and "True Faith," they unleashed a new era of touring in 2017 and have been performing together ever since. As of now, they've been touring — if not uninterrupted — for 45 years.
