7 music acts on farewell tours include L7, Journey

Veteran musical acts often endure the rigors of touring for the fan adulation and the nostalgia-infused cash that comes along with it.

But a good marketing tool is the “farewell” tour. For some younger acts, like Wu-Tang Clan, this isn’t guaranteed goodbye. For older ones, like Little Feat and Rod Stewart, age and health are real factors.

Two notable acts are coming to Atlanta in mid-October on formally announced farewell tours: L7 at the Masquerade Saturday and Journey at State Farm Arena on Monday.

This doesn’t necessarily mean acts can’t change their minds.

The Who’s 1982 farewell tour was famously premature by several decades. Paul Simon returned to the road last year, after initially retiring in 2018.

Oher acts drag it out with a wink and a nod. The Eagles’ aptly titled “Long Farewell” tour has been going on so long, the band has made stops in Atlanta twice over a span of three years, including Truist Park earlier this year. Former Atlantan Elton John’s farewell tour lasted almost five years, featuring a final stop at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2022.

Here are acts who are in farewell mode and why:

Journey

Why they’ve been successful: Their fist-pumping, arena-ready rock anthems and power ballads have transcended generations, becoming karaoke favorites.

Sample of hits: “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Open Arms,” “Faithfully,” “Any Way You Want It,” “Separate Ways”

Monthly Spotify listeners: 28.3 million

Key touring members who were around when the act was generating hits: Co-founder and lead guitarist Neal Schon, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Jonathan Cain.

Why they are stopping: Cain said it was time. “I’m 76, and it just feels like the right time to stop,” he told Rolling Stone magazine earlier this year. “I know the road takes a lot out of you as far as your adrenal glands and your ability to fight off infection, anything like that. It is very grinding.” It doesn’t help that Schon and Cain have traded lawsuits over band management issues and Schon isn’t a fan of Cain’s public embrace of right-wing political issues, devout Catholicism and support of the Trump administration. Schon would prefer the band be apolitical. (Journey sticks to the music during its shows.)

Inducted into the Hall of Fame: 2017

Upcoming Atlanta date: The Final Frontier Tour, 7:30 p.m., Oct. 19, $57.50 and up, State Farm Arena, 1 State Farm Drive, Atlanta, ticketmaster.com

L7

Why they were successful: This Los Angeles all-female punk rock quartet found a fan base during the grunge era by combining a rebellious streak with a social conscience.

Biggest hit: “Pretend We’re Dead”

Monthly Spotify listeners: 566,000

Key touring members who were around when the act was generating hits: Donita Sparks, Suzi Gardner, Dee Plakas

Why they are stopping: “Excitement for us waned in the late ’90s,” frontwoman Sparks told Phoenix New Times earlier this year. “And that’s why we kind of went on an indefinite hiatus, as we called it, in 2001. That’s the whole reason why we’re doing this final tour. We fizzled out without any fanfare, and so now we feel we can go out on a high and have it be joyous instead of kind of licking our wounds like last time.” (Original bassist Jennifer Finch died in July of brain cancer but she OK’d the tour before she passed.)

Upcoming Atlanta date: The Last Hurrah Tour, 7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 17, $39.75 general admission, The Masquerade (Heaven), Kenny’s Alley, 50 Lower Alabama Street, Atlanta, ticketmaster.com

Little Feat

What makes them special: Formed in Los Angeles in 1969, this band has prided itself on intermixing musical genres including California rock, blues, New Orleans funk, country, folk, and jazz fusion.

Fan favorites: “Willin,” “Dixie Chicken,” “Spanish Moon,” “Long Distance Love”

Monthly Spotify listeners: 1.1 million

Key touring members who were around when the act was generating hits: Co-founder keyboardist and vocalist Bill Payne, bassist Kenny Gradney, drummer and vocalist Sam Clayton

Why they are stopping: Payne cited age, given that original members are in their late 70s and early 80s. “They’ve hit a major high note in their sound and career,” co-manager Brian Penix, of the Nashville-based Vector, told Rolling Stone last year, “And we all want to celebrate the legacy of Little Feat one more time across the globe. And in the right way, while we still can.”

Last performed in Atlanta: Oct. 19, 2025, Atlanta Symphony Hall

Upcoming date in Georgia: The Last Farewell Tour, 7 p.m., March 2, 2027, $70 and up, Macon City Auditorium, 415 1st St, Macon, www.tickemaster.com

Rod Stewart

What makes him special: Stewart has brought a consistent charisma and sexy, world-weary raspiness to the pop and rock airwaves over multiple decades, segueing into standards in his later years.

Sample of hits: “Maggie May,” “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?,” “Forever Young,” “Have I Told You Lately”

Monthly Spotify listeners: 16.7 million

Why he is ending his touring career: At age 81, Stewart has faced a series of health issues including heart problems that forced him to cancel tour dates this year. “Ladies and gentlemen, after much deliberation and sadness, I have to announce that next year will be my last tour ever, ever, ever,” Stewart said in an Instagram video in September. “I’m not retiring, but this will be the last rock n’ roll tour. So I want to thank you for everything you’ve given me and hopefully I’ve given you something in return.”

Inducted into the Hall of Fame: 1994 as a solo artist, 2012 as a member of the group Faces.

Last time he performed in metro Atlanta: Aug.1, 2025 at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre

Wu-Tang Clan

What made them special: The Staten Island crew is known for its raw, minimalistic hardcore approach to hip-hop with distinctive martial arts movie sound effects and dialogue woven into much of its music. And while RZA is the de facto leader, he has shared the spotlight with the other eight members, providing them the ability to build their own solo careers.

Sample of hits: “C.R.E.A.M.”, “Protect Ya Neck,” “Triumph,” “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta F’ Wit”

Monthly Spotify listeners: 7.1 million

Key active members when the band was generating hits: RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa. (Young Dirty Bastard, the late Old Dirty Bastard’s son, has taken his slot.)

Why they are stopping: RZA told Billboard that the end of touring was part of a five-year master plan that included a documentary series, a Hulu series and a Las Vegas residency.

Their last Atlanta stop: Shaky Knees Festival, Piedmont Park, Atlanta, Sept., 19. Their final date was Oct. 4 in Phoenix.

Inducted into the Hall of Fame: 2026

Megadeth

What made them special: The band brought thrash metal to the mainstream world in the mid-1980s, incorporating jazz fusion, intricate guitar arrangements and politically charged lyrics.

Fan favorites: “Holy Wars… The Punishment Due,” “Peace Sells,” “Symphony of Destruction,” “Tornado of Souls”

Monthly Spotify listeners: 5.4 million

Key active members when the band was generating hits: lead singer and guitarist Dave Mustaine

Why they are stopping: Last month during a New York City book launch tour for his memoir “In My Darkest Hour,” Mustaine said he has Dupuytren’s contracture in his strumming hand, which makes it difficult for him to play guitar. “I think about, ‘Could I carry on if I just sang?’ I wouldn’t want to do that,” he told the audience. “I would want to play guitar, because that’s my love.” Mustaine, 65, has had an array of other medical issues, including arthritis and back problems that have impacted his ability to perform at 100%.

Their last Atlanta stop: Oct.10, 2022 at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre

Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers