Fans Think This Classic Rock Band Needs To Retire Immediately
In an era of music where electric guitars and live drums have arguably been rendered passé in favor of samples and virtual instruments, it's refreshing for many a fan to know that there are many classic rock bands who refuse to give up the ghost. Instead of following the lead of your average early-twentysomething SoundCloud rapper, these bands proudly stick to their guns, pleasing crowds by playing the hits they made popular back in the day, and sometimes releasing new material that mostly stays true to their original vision. And that, too, applies to the bands many of us grew up listening to in the '80s and the '90s — whether we like it or not, such acts are considered classic rock by the kids of Generation Z, much like Generation X-ers and older millennials felt about bands from their parents' generation like Led Zeppelin and the Beatles.
However, there are also older bands that, in the eyes and ears of many, have seen much better days. So with that in mind, Grunge asked 688 readers to pick the classic rock band they think needs to retire immediately, as opposed to chasing diminishing returns onstage and/or in the studio. We found that it wasn't close when it came to the group that topped the survey, but as we often do, we're going to look at each of the bands you selected and count them all down before getting to your No. 1 choice.
Bands from different decades made up our bottom three
It was interesting to see that the fourth to sixth spots on our survey featured bands that were most successful in different decades. Bon Jovi finished sixth with only 6.40% of the total vote, and it's not much of a shock, considering they broke out later than the other bands in the poll, doing so with their 1986 album "Slippery When Wet." As reported by USA Today, the band fittingly released their 15th album, "2020," on October 2, 2020, and while they have no immediate plans of retiring, frontman Jon Bon Jovi told the outlet that it's important to "know when it's time to go."
Amazingly, the Rolling Stones, who remain mostly intact almost six decades after their formation, were "only" fifth with 12.65% of the vote. Although founding members Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are closing in on their eighth decade on this planet, Richards told Rolling Stone in 2020 that retirement is still not in the cards and that he's looking forward to playing shows in 2022 to mark the band's 60th anniversary.
At fourth place was Lynyrd Skynyrd, and while they overcame the tragedy of losing their original vocalist, Ronnie Van Zant, and two other band members in a 1977 plane crash, 14.39% of you felt that we've probably had enough of that guy yelling "play 'Free Bird!'" at concerts. They are, however, on their farewell tour, which recently resumed after the COVID-19 pandemic put several dates on hold, per Fort Worth Magazine.
Fans have had enough of these two '80s mainstays
Like Bon Jovi, the next two groups also enjoyed the most success in the decade of mullets and spandex. U2 placed third at 15.41%, and while they were decidedly different from the hair metal bands that dominated the 1980s, they were among the decade's hottest acts, with their relevance carrying over well into the '90s and 2000s. But we can't help but wonder whether their controversial decision to effectively spam Apple users with their 2014 album "Songs of Innocence" still made you think they should call it a career. (Aside from that failed marketing strategy, Salon named several other reasons why people tend to hate U2 despite their proven track record as hitmakers.)
As for Mötley Crüe, which ranked second with 20.20% of the vote, they were definitely among the titans of '80s hair metal, and much of it was on account of their bad-boy image and unabashed penchant for sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. Their misadventures were faithfully documented in their autobiography "The Dirt," and when the movie based on the book dropped on Netflix in 2019, the Crüe was back in business, reuniting for a stadium tour with other '80s heavyweights, per Deadline. As for the reason people want them to retire once again, we're guessing much of it has to do with frontman Vince Neil and his supposedly deteriorating vocals, as noted by Ultimate Classic Rock.
Many hope KISS' current farewell tour is truly their last
We're down to the band that topped our survey, and 30.96% of our readers agreed that KISS' current farewell tour should be the last before they retire once and for all. For the past several years, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley have been flying the flag for the veteran hard rockers with two guys not named Ace Frehley or Peter Criss. And while Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer have performed creditably in place of "Space" Ace and the Catman, respectively, it can also be argued that it's just not the same if it isn't the classic lineup.
In addition, you've got to consider the other issues fans tend to have with KISS, including Simmons' reputation as a money-hungry businessman who will slap the band's name on just about everything (via The Odyssey Online), as well as his many hot takes about the current state of music. These most notably include his oft-repeated statement that "rock is dead," as documented by Consequence.
Despite how many of you seem to want KISS to definitively call it quits, it looks like they have no plans of doing so once their farewell tour (their second one in 20 years, might we add) wraps up. "The band isn't necessarily disappearing into thin air," Stanley clarified to C-Ville Weekly in 2020. "It's just reached a time where touring, and doing 100 shows in seven months ... is just too demanding and time-consuming, when there's other things to do in life."