In photos: As Aerosmith begins farewell tour, a look at bands you may never see again on stage

Aerosmith — the quintet that has given the world 50 years of classic rock and some of the most enduring songs of all time, including ‘Dream On’, ‘Walk This Way’ and ‘Sweet Emotion’ — began its farewell ‘Peace Out’ tour last week in Philadelphia, US, with a two-hour set spanning its voluminous catalogue. This gives the world one last chance to see what earned these skinny guys from New England an exalted place in the pantheon of rock’s all-time greats.

Singer Steven Tyler, guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford, and bassist Tom Hamilton all wore black cowboy hats as they ripped into ‘Back In The Saddle’, the song that has opened Aerosmith shows for decades as a giant Aerosmith logo folded down from the rafters, flanked by an even bigger set of wings.

Tyler and Perry sang from either side of a microphone stand draped in Tyler’s trademark scarves, recreating one of rock’s most iconic poses. Tyler nailed the extreme high note at the end of the song, proving that even at age 75 and after a life filled with pharmaceutical misadventures, he can still bring it. As Aerosmith bids adieu, we look at other musicians and bands that have performed for the last time in the recent past.

The iconic British singer Elton John performed on tour for the last time in July. His final concert was set in Stockholm, Sweden, as part of his 'Farewell Yellow Brick Road' tour, which reportedly lasted over five years and 330 shows. One month before, John gave his final UK performance at the Glastonbury Music Festival.

If you're a fan of rock, you have at some point in your life listened to the ever-effervescent hit 'Hotel California', a song that continues to rule streaming charts around the world. And for that, we have to thank The Eagles, also known as Eagles. This band's farewell tour will commence this month and go on till 2025. The will make at minimum of 13 pit-stops initially and final venues will be announced later.

Regarded among the best-selling rock bands of all time, US rock band KISS has sold over 75 million records worldwide. Some of their biggest hits include ‘Rock and Roll All Nite’ and ‘Black Diamond’, ‘I Was Made for Lovin’ You’, ‘Detroit Rock City’ and ‘Heaven’s on Fire’. They're on their their final world tour, titled ‘End of the Road’. Fun fact: they're slated to perform at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on October 13, 2023.

Dead & Company, an American rock band, formed in 2015 with former members of the band Grateful Dead Bob Weir, who's a guitarist and vocalist; drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann; along with a few others. This band announced in September last year that their Summer 2023 concert series, which ran from May through July 16, would be their last.

As intriguing as their name sounds, the British-American rock band formed in 1976 by guitarist Mick Jones, Ian McDonald and vocalist Lou Gramm, has had many hits to its name, including 'Feels Like The First Time' and 'Cold As Ice'. Nearly 5 decades later, the band will be performing for the last time next month. Bassist Jeff Pilson said in a recent interview told The Pick that "retirement was a matter of integrity". “Well, this isn’t the very final leg but yes, it is the farewell tour and we do mean it. But it’s going to go well. It’s going to go at least till the end of 2024 so it may not be the last time you see us. But yes, we are seriously calling it a day.”

Formed in 1976, this pop band has been in business for a long time now. Fans would point out that 'Rock Lobster', 'Planet Claire', 'Party Out of Bounds', are among their biggest and foot-tapping hits. In April last year, the band announced their final tour, lasting from August 11, 2022, to November 11, 2022. 'The B52s' last concert was held in January. However, there is good news: the band has extended its farewell tour with a Las Vegas residency next year.