Poll: Gigging and over 50 - When to quit?

[PCR]

54 yo and still gigging strong w my band mates.

Love seeing all these pics and posts! (280 and counting!)

 

[godofthunder59]

Just turned 60 and I'm in 4 bands and in demand. I'm going to keep playing till

I drop.

 

[OogieWaWa]

Hey all you Grey Haired Rock Stars! A young lady you may have heard of wrote a song about you and me! Local girl, got her skills playing with and for a bunch of old farts like us. Enjoy!!!

 

[Mastermold]

Just turned 60 and I'm in 4 bands and in demand. I'm going to keep playing till View attachment 3517833 I drop.

When the God of Thunder eventually does retire ….

 

[sharkbait130]

I'm 66. The horn players in my band are 73 and 74. Ask me again in about ten years.

 

[jdthebassman]

View attachment 3513688 I’m 65 (at least for a few more monthes). I play out quite a bit less than i’d like, but enjoy doing so when the gigs come. (I live in a small,remote town,and have zero interest in travelling for gigs).
I’m still working a fulltime day job, so playing music has always been an enjoyable hobby for me.
I want to play as long as i find it fun for myself,my bandmates,and the audience. I have done a few things that help make it less like work for me, including using smaller amps/cabs for years, and now, going ampless, just using a sansamp into the PA. I’ve got several basses that are 8lbs or less. Also trying to watch after my general health and welfare. One direction i could see myself going in would be to get out of rock bands and go acoustic, but i really like playing with an electric band.
It’s just i have to wear hearing protection all the time now. Ah well....

I like that VC bass just picked up one my self what year is yours

 

[jmhaslip]

At 53 I hurt after standing for several hours.
Soon I will purchase a stool.
Possibly I need to dye my hair more grey.

I'm 64 and recently noticed my feet hurt after playing. I got a mat with some padding and it's made all the difference in the world.

 

[woodyng2]

I like that VC bass just picked up one my self what year is yours

It’s an ‘81. I just got it pretty recently, and am really loving it. Love to see yours!

 

[Mark Ambler]

It’s an ‘81. I just got it pretty recently, and am really loving it. Love to see yours!

What is a VC bass, please?

 

[Mark Ambler]

Power in the Darkness was one of the albums that sound tracked my early teens, shame the band split up just as I got old enough to start going to gigs. The free stencil also left it's mark around the local bus stops and telephone boxes.

Thanks for the great memories, just played it for the first time in ages and it still sounds great. It's a real shame about Danny Kustow too, we recently held the second annual tribute to our own late guitarist so I know how emotional it is getting up on stage and playing for them.

Thanks for the kind words. So much was happening at that time. The band was quickly signed to EMI after they were forced to drop the Sex Pistols because Cliff etc didn’t like them. Chart success came quickly and the band toured non stop and recorded Power in the Darkness.
So many stories that I’m unable to share, unfortunately/ fortunately, Haha.
I will mention that the Song,Power in the Darkness came about because I was playing a riff in A min based on the groove of Lady Marmalade, at rehearsal, Danny and Brian joined in, and when Tom arrived a few minutes later, he said he had to write lyrics to it! A couple of nights later we were playing it at the Hope and Anchor. It was a very ‘heady time’ especially as I was only 16. Anyway, keep playing until you don’t want to. Use it or lose it.

 

[stringthrough]

What is a VC bass, please?

Veillette Citron - A boutique bass and guitar manufacturer.

Veillette Guitars in the Press

 

[woodyng2]

What is a VC bass, please?

Veillette-Citron. A company that was in business about 6 years back around 1978-83. They made high end guitars and basses (about 300 in all), and then the company closed.

 

[hbarcat]

Quit my last cover band about a year ago because they were content to "practice" in the basement every Saturday and play about 1 gig every 3 months.

I was getting physically tired by then, with some health issues, but still eager to take on more shows. So now, I'm actively looking for a new band to try to do 2-3 gigs per month.

Last week I played an "audition" at an open mic night with a guitar, keys, and drummer who were looking for a bassist. We ended up being a crowd favorite and played for about 2 1/2 hours straight. I got home at midnight and got to bed about 1am.

Felt horrible the next day and went to work at my factory day job 3 hours late. I didn't have anything to drink and I don't smoke or use drugs. Also, backline was provided so all I had to bring was my bass, so this was just my 51 year old body wearing out too early, I guess. I know there's folks decades older than me still going strong and I now have lot more respect for you guys.

Not sure how I feel about this, because my actual playing and musicianship is better than it's ever been, but if just doing an easy open mic night is going to lay me out until noon the next day, then I'm going to need to rethink this.

 

[Mark Ambler]

Quit my last cover band about a year ago because they were content to "practice" in the basement every Saturday and play about 1 gig every 3 months.

I was getting physically tired by then, with some health issues, but still eager to take on more shows. So now, I'm actively looking for a new band to try to do 2-3 gigs per month.

Last week I played an "audition" at an open mic night with a guitar, keys, and drummer who were looking for a bassist. We ended up being a crowd favorite and played for about 2 1/2 hours straight. I got home at midnight and got to bed about 1am.

Felt horrible the next day and went to work at my factory day job 3 hours late. I didn't have anything to drink and I don't smoke or use drugs. Also, backline was provided so all I had to bring was my bass, so this was just my 51 year old body wearing out too early, I guess. I know there's folks decades older than me still going strong and I now have lot more respect for you guys.

Not sure how I feel about this, because my actual playing and musicianship is better than it's ever been, but if just doing an easy open mic night is going to lay me out until noon the next day, then I'm going to need to rethink this.

51? Ok. I’m 59 and in the last two weeks I’ve done 12 gigs. I work as a pianist / bassist, and I I’ve only had to carry gear twice. 1am is when I try to get to bed by and I try to sleep until 8am. This is what I’ve been doing for a long time, so I’m used to it, but having a tiring day job as well, nope, that wouldn’t work. My only advice is to do gigs on Saturday and try to get an early night the night before. If you often don’t get enough sleep, it will catch up on you much more once you enter your late 50s, so you just have to plan accordingly, then there’s no problem.

 

[Nick Danger]

I'm almost 66 and play in 2 bands. Playing as much as possible is exactly what I wanted to be doing after I retired. They'll have to pry my bass from my cold dead hands when I join the choir invisible!

 

[hbarcat]

51? Ok. I’m 59 and in the last two weeks I’ve done 12 gigs. I work as a pianist / bassist, and I I’ve only had to carry gear twice. 1am is when I try to get to bed by and I try to sleep until 8am. This is what I’ve been doing for a long time, so I’m used to it, but having a tiring day job as well, nope, that wouldn’t work. My only advice is to do gigs on Saturday and try to get an early night the night before. If you often don’t get enough sleep, it will catch up on you much more once you enter your late 50s, so you just have to plan accordingly, then there’s no problem.

Been working in the same factory for about 20 years and while it isn't exactly the brutal work some people do, it does take it out of you, especially in the summer when temperature inside with all the hot equipment is often over 100 F.

In my last band, I only agreed to play Saturday gigs. Usually, we'd play until 1am so I'd be in bed around 3am. That's fine as long as I can sleep in on Sunday.

I did give up drinking any alcohol during shows years ago, and I just drink water or tea. If I had booze to drink I'd be a total wreck.

 

[bbh]

Quit my last cover band about a year ago because they were content to "practice" in the basement every Saturday and play about 1 gig every 3 months.

I was getting physically tired by then, with some health issues, but still eager to take on more shows. So now, I'm actively looking for a new band to try to do 2-3 gigs per month.

Last week I played an "audition" at an open mic night with a guitar, keys, and drummer who were looking for a bassist. We ended up being a crowd favorite and played for about 2 1/2 hours straight. I got home at midnight and got to bed about 1am.

Felt horrible the next day and went to work at my factory day job 3 hours late. I didn't have anything to drink and I don't smoke or use drugs. Also, backline was provided so all I had to bring was my bass, so this was just my 51 year old body wearing out too early, I guess. I know there's folks decades older than me still going strong and I now have lot more respect for you guys.

Not sure how I feel about this, because my actual playing and musicianship is better than it's ever been, but if just doing an easy open mic night is going to lay me out until noon the next day, then I'm going to need to rethink this.

Hydrate like crazy. The bar has plenty of seltzer and lemons or limes. It will help with the following day.

 

[OllyW]

I was 53 when I made my live debut as a bass player so gigging in my fifties seems pretty normal to me.

This photo was at a recent tribute gig and I'm playing keyboards in one of my previous bands in the background.

 

[TomB]

Quit my last cover band about a year ago because they were content to "practice" in the basement every Saturday and play about 1 gig every 3 months.

I was getting physically tired by then, with some health issues, but still eager to take on more shows. So now, I'm actively looking for a new band to try to do 2-3 gigs per month.

Last week I played an "audition" at an open mic night with a guitar, keys, and drummer who were looking for a bassist. We ended up being a crowd favorite and played for about 2 1/2 hours straight. I got home at midnight and got to bed about 1am.

Felt horrible the next day and went to work at my factory day job 3 hours late. I didn't have anything to drink and I don't smoke or use drugs. Also, backline was provided so all I had to bring was my bass, so this was just my 51 year old body wearing out too early, I guess. I know there's folks decades older than me still going strong and I now have lot more respect for you guys.

Not sure how I feel about this, because my actual playing and musicianship is better than it's ever been, but if just doing an easy open mic night is going to lay me out until noon the next day, then I'm going to need to rethink this.

Late ‘60’s, 3 gigs/wk. I only rarely go past 11 pm now. That makes a huge difference.

 

[isaac42]

Seems to me that the answer should be obvious. You quit when you can't do it anymore, or when you no longer want to.