Staying Fit

Concert tours are booming business these days. Ticket revenues are up 16 percent from 2022, and megastars from Taylor Swift to Bruce Springsteen, 73, are lighting up concert venues all over the country (consider that Elton John, 76, grossed $939 million on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road marathon). And in the spirit of Sir Elton, anniversary tours — shows pegged to popular vintage albums — have seen an uptick as well. It’s a win-win for grownup fans who love the oldies and veteran acts, even if they’re no longer cranking out the hits.
And this fall is no different. The season traditionally fills with concert tours observing anniversaries and farewells. Whether it’s your favorite band back out on the road or the chance to finally hear a star you missed each time they came to town, check out these 14 fantastic fall concert tours to put on your calendar.
Aerosmith
When: Sept. 2–Jan. 26
Why go: After 50 years, the Boston rock band is taking to the road for the last time with its Peace Out: The Farewell Tour. Aerosmith will draw from five decades of staples (perhaps hits such as “Dream On” and “Love in an Elevator”) and dish up THX Certified Live! high-fidelity technology. Drummer Joey Kramer, 73, citing a need to focus on his family and health, will sit out the tour. The Black Crowes open all 40 arena dates.
Eagles
When: Sept. 7–Nov. 17
Why go: The Long Goodbye tour, expected to stretch into 2025, will be a long end to a long run by what was once the world’s biggest-selling act. With 38 million copies sold, Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) is the top-selling album ever in the United States. Don Henley, 76, Joe Walsh, 75, and Timothy B. Schmit, 75, along with later additions Vince Gill, 66, and Deacon Frey (son of the late Glenn Frey) plan to extend stays at venues, depending on demand.
Willie Nelson
When: Sept. 8–Oct. 18
Why go: After a blockbuster summer run, the indefatigable 90-year-old country icon headlines the Outlaw Music Festival. Each show has four openers, with a rotating cast including Los Lobos, Gov’t Mule, the Avett Brothers, Elizabeth Cook, Mike Campbell & the Dirty Knobs, Particle Kid, the String Cheese Incident and Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros.
Lauryn Hill
When: Sept. 8–Nov. 9
Why go: The rapper-singer is celebrating the 25th anniversary of her critically lauded 1998 debut, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, with a short arena tour. The Fugees, her former group, are reuniting to join her. Hill, who rose to stardom on the strength of Miseducation’s artistic powers and personal sentiments, said it “was a love song to my parents, my family, my people, my musical and cultural forebears, my teachers, my loves, my Creator.”
Peter Gabriel
When: Sept. 8–Oct.13
Why go: The art rock/worldbeat singer’s i/o — The Tour focuses on material from his upcoming i/o album, which Gabriel, 73, has teased for two decades, as well as hits and surprises. Gabriel has been releasing a song from i/o on the full moon of each month starting in January, when he shared “Panopticom,” based on his idea “to initiate the creation of an infinitely expandable accessible data globe.”
Herb Alpert and Lani Hall
When: Sept. 16–Jan. 31
Why go: Herb Alpert, 88, the trumpet player who outsold the Beatles in 1966, and his singer wife Lani Hall, 77, plan a mix of standards, Beatles hits, Brazilian jazz and nuggets from his band Tijuana Brass and her band Brasil ’66. Lately they’ve played “This Guy’s in Love With You,” “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “The Lonely Bull,” “A Taste of Honey,” “Fool on the Hill” and “What a Wonderful World.”
More From AARP
Remembering the Many Moods of Mick Jagger
From Blues Mick to Disco Mick to Health Nut Mick, here are our favorite phases of his remarkable life
After 6 Decades, Kool & the Gang Still Get the Party Started
Cofounder George ‘Funky’ Brown tells AARP about their new album and tour
Smokey Robinson, 83, Tells All About His Sexy New Album ‘Gasms’
The Motown legend explains his latest record and age-defying secrets