Do you think that a performing artist should stop performing when they get too old to provide the level of performance they gave in their younger years?

I guess not if people are still willing to buy the tickets and the shows are still selling out. Hey the Stones are still rockin.
I know when my parents went to see Bob Dylan a couple years ago they were pretty disappointed. But I guess that’s on a different performance scale than Madonna.

Yes, but few people recognize their performance has slipped—either in art or sports.

It seems to depend on if people will come to see them or not there are still Oldie but Goodies shows going on with groups like The Four Tops and Neil Diamond and of course the grandfathers of Rock & Roll the Rolling Stones. These acts are still able to pack the stadiums so some people must still enjoy them.

Yes. Michael Jackson needs to go.

Nope, they sure shouldn’t. Just because they’re older, doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t put on a good show.
People vote on this issue with their wallets- and people have clearly voted for Madonna to keep touring.

No.

Try telling that to Martha Graham.

Her last performance was when she was 76, and she continued to chroeograph for 20 more years. Suck on that, Madonna.

@GAMBIT: The Four Tops and Little Anthony & The Imperials was my first concert, and they were awesome. And many of them in their 70s I believe.

And, Tina Turner. That woman doesn’t age, and she can still move!

As long as they still have something that audiences want and will pay for, and they still want to perform, who’s to say they shouldn’t get together? I think there’s something wrong with it only when the audience is misled or misinformed about what the star can deliver.

Even in decline, some performers are better than most of their competition are ever going to be. And there are plenty of folks who will come out for sentimental reasons. They’re not as hot as they used to be, either.

Still, the star should be the first to know when it’s time to retire.

In 2000 I went to one more Bob Dylan concert and realized that would be my last. I didn’t want to see him lose anything more. He no longer sang the songs but let the band carry the tune, he left out a lot of verses, and he looked like he was in pain. Nevertheless, it was an absolute thrill to be in the same room with an icon.

I went to a Joan Baez concert around the same time. She no longer sounded like a 23-year-old, and who would? But she was mellower and deeper, with the same charisma and the same humor she’s always had. No disappointment there.

I saw Mississippi John Hurt perform in a club when he was just a little old wizzled up ancient stick of a guy, just bones and raspy voice and a big guitar. Wouldn’t have missed it.

If you still love what you do and people still come to see you do it, fine. Go for it! Live performance is never a static art and changes day by day.

If you personally feel an artist has slipped so far that you no longer enjoy their performances, then just don’t go see them.

Hey – I should clarify: I love Madonna – even if it’s odd to see her gettin all up and personal with kids half her age
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r9tYMB7-5I

Madonna is still Madonna. I’ll still go see her even if she can barely move or croak out a tune

@Jeruba
true that. I would have loved to been able to see johnny cash in his later years, he got better as he got older

YES

I’m struck by this from the wikipedia article on the country musician Buck Owens…

Buck Owens died in his sleep of an apparent heart attack on March 25, 2006, only hours after performing at his Crystal Palace restaurant, club and museum in Bakersfield. He had successfully recovered from oral cancer in the early 1990s, but had additional health problems near the end of the 1990s and the beginning of the 21st century, including pneumonia and a minor stroke suffered in 2004. These health problems had forced him to curtail his regular weekly performances with the Buckaroos at his Crystal Palace.

The Los Angeles Times interviewed longtime Owens spokesman (and Buckaroos keyboard player) Jim Shaw, who said Owens “had come to the club early and had a chicken-fried steak dinner and bragged that it’s his favorite meal.” Afterwards, Owens told band members that he wasn’t feeling well and was going to skip that night’s performance. Shaw said a group of fans introduced themselves while Owens was preparing to drive home; when they told him that they had traveled from Oregon to hear him perform, Owens changed his mind and took the stage anyway.

Shaw recalled Owens telling the audience, “If somebody’s come all that way, I’m gonna do the show and give it my best shot. I might groan and squeak, but I’ll see what I can do.” Shaw added, “So, he had his favorite meal, played a show and died in his sleep. We thought, that’s not too bad.”

Great story, @3h3f. Thanks!

No, think of Dick Van Dyke, Christopher Reeve, Sammy David Jr, Frank Sinatra, Barbara Streisand, and so on. The important factor is talent, not age.

yes, I think they should

I feel sorry for people like Tina Turner trying to be sexy at the age of 70 (or whatever she is). And when you’ve made enough money, then staying on stage and trying to prove you are something you’re not, just wears you down and makes people lose the respect they had for that glamorous star all those years ago.

But YARNLADY is right about other stars, people who age like wine, and whose talent has nothing to do with their looks or age (eg Frank Sinatra). Even though I still think Frank should have quit earlier too.

Madonna is a different case altogether, because she developed. She is no longer playing the cute little girl of the 80s. And for whatever reason, she still sells (especially to younger audiences). So why quit?

Following the rationale explained above, I quit singing last year (which is several years later than I should have). I’m not that old, but for family reasons I can no longer do it anymore. But I still do the odd gig here and there, and I had a spell singing a different type of music, which corresponds to my age.

When I was 15 I was in a heavy metal band, screaming our lungs out. When I was 21 I wrote political songs and swore a lot. When I was 28 I did love ballads. Now I sing blues and folk. I’ll probably be doing arias by the time I retire.

@YARNLADY: Sammy Davis, Jr.?

And for the record, Jack has a wonderful voice.

thanks, though where on earth did you find that out? thought I’d discarded all evidence lol

@asmonet yes, typo

@asmonet – glad you had a good time.

It depends on what the performance art is.

If you have someone like Britney Spears or the Backstreet Boys, where the performance is about being nubile or virile and gyrating at the right time and in the right way, then they should stop when they can’t deliver that.

But if you have someone like Odetta or B. B. King, or Mstislav Rostropovich, where the performance is about soul, well, the performer should stop when unable to deliver that—but soul tends to improve with age.

@Jack79: I think you linked me something on YouTube ages ago. I have since lost the comment and wouldn’t even know how to get back there. But it was lovely. I think it was a video of your daughter and you, singing. You were out of frame. ;)

ah yes, that one. Thought you downloaded my album or something

I did not know it existed, though obviously I should have assumed. I gladly would though, I really do love your voice. Very nice. Point me in the direction of that album and I will. :)