In 1989, Cher scored a #1 hit on the Billboard charts by singing about what she would do if she could turn back time. Nearly 30 years later, Cher is 71 years old and still out on the road performing for adoring fans. But it's not just Cher who's still rocking long after turning 50 – musical legends across every genre of music are reliving their glory days and performing in venues all over the world. These over-the-hill artists are proving that there's no need to turn back time because for them, age ain't nothing but a number.
For this list of musicians over 50 who are still touring, we turned to music industry tour tracker Pollstar as well as artists' personal websites to determine which musicians were still logging hours on the road. To qualify for the list, the artist had to be over 50 years old as of May 11, 2018. Read on to see which hitmakers are using their golden years to perform their greatest hits.
David Carroll // Flickr
2 / 50Jonas Rogowski // Wikicommons
3 / 50Ian Paice (Deep Purple), 69
john or juan // Wikicommons
4 / 50Ian McCulloch (Echo & the Bunnymen), 59
Date of birth: May 5, 1959
Liverpool may be best known as the birthplace of The Beatles, but the city also claims Echo & the Bunnymen as their own. Singer and guitarist Ian McCulloch left the band after its most popular stretch in the '80s, but returned in the '90s, and the enigmatic band has been touring ever since. They’re playing a run in the U.K. later this spring and then head to the U.S. over the summer.
Sarah McKagen // Wikicommons
5 / 50Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mac), 70
Shirley Manson (Garbage), 51
Rob Mieremet // Wikicommons
7 / 50Herb Alpert, 83
Date of birth: March 31, 1935
Jazzman Herb Alpert is not just an iconic trumpeter from his days performing with The Tijuana Brass. He’s also the “A” in world-renowned record label A&M Records. With nine Grammys to his credit, the 83-year-old is still blowing his horn at smaller shows across the United States.
JStone // Shutterstock
8 / 50Dori // Wikicommons
9 / 50Rob Halford (Judas Priest), 66
Date of birth: Aug. 25, 1951
The British heavy metal rockers of Judas Priest have been destroying eardrums since 1969, but they didn’t explode into international stardom until 1980’s “British Steel,” an album that Rolling Stone calls the #3 Greatest Metal Album of All Time. They’re currently traversing the globe with stops in Mexico, Poland, and Greece, among others.
Chris Owen // Flickr
10 / 50Martina McBride, 51
Date of birth: July 29, 1966
Country music songstress Martina McBride got her start in the early '90s with major pop-country crossover hits like "The Time Has Come" and "A Broken Wing." In addition to touring, McBride heads up Team Music is Love, a philanthropic organization that does everything from diaper donations in Nashville to disaster relief for hurricane victims.
Sven Mandel // Wikicommons
11 / 50Jim Kerr (Simple Minds), 58
Nationaal Archief // Wikicommons
12 / 50Tony Orlando, 74
Date of birth: April 3, 1944
The family-friendly crooner has been working steadily since his teenage Brill Building days in the early '60s. His hit song “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree,” a tribute to military personnel returning home after their service, was a #1 Billboard hit. Today, 74-year-old Orlando is still performing regularly on the casino arena circuit.
Elekes Andor // Wikicommons
13 / 50Plácido Domingo, 77
Date of birth: Jan. 21, 1941
The Spanish-born opera star become an international sensation as one of the Three Tenors and has performed in close to 4,000 shows with his soaring voice nonstop since the '60s. His current tour features him conducting and singing in operas around the world deep into the summer of 2019.
Eva Rinaldi // Wikicommons
14 / 50Boy George (Culture Club), 56
Mark Sadowski // Wikicommons
15 / 50Wayne Coyne (The Flaming Lips), 57
Date of birth: Jan. 13, 1961
Indie rock darlings The Flaming Lips may have been the pride of Oklahoma City's music scene in the '80s, but they didn't start winning critical acclaim until 1993 with the release of "She Don't Use Jelly." In 1999, the music world went crazy for the album "The Soft Bulletin," and the success continued with six Grammy nominations and three wins. Singer Wayne Coyne has led the group since the beginning, and they've been touring extensively for decades.
Sean Rowe // Wikicommons
16 / 50Steve Earle, 63
Date of birth: Jan. 17, 1955
As one of the most well-respected singer-songwriters in folk and country music today, Steve Earle has written songs for everyone from Travis Tritt to Johnny Cash. The bearded troubadour is currently playing smaller U.S. shows with his band The Dukes until June, when he will head to Europe for the next leg of the journey.
Newted // Wikicommons
17 / 50Ralph Arvesen // Flickr
18 / 50Alice Cooper, 70
Date of birth: Feb. 4, 1948
Metal superstar Alice Cooper, born Vincent Furnier, first made waves in the music scene as part of his self-named band back in the late '60s and early '70s. Cooper really made his mark as a solo artist, almost always seen with his trademark dark eye makeup. He’ll be back on the road this August playing dates around the U.S.
Lotte Geselle // Wikicommons
19 / 50John Rzeznik (Goo Goo Dolls), 52
rulenumberone2 // Flickr
20 / 50Vince Gill, 61
Date of birth: April 12, 1957
Gill earned his spot in the Country Music Hall of Fame with a career that stretches back to the late 70s in the band Pure Prairie League. His solo career has garnered him 44 Grammy nominations and 21 wins with the Country Music Academy bestowing even more awards upon him, including five consecutive Male Vocalist of the Year awards. Gill's back on the road right now and will finish the year with a month of shows at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
Takahiro Kyono // Flickr
21 / 50Brian Wilson, 75
Date of birth: June 20, 1942
Brian Wilson is best known as the mastermind behind the Beach Boys, but he’s found great success over the past 30 years as a solo artist, as well. Wilson had a full spring/summer tour planned for this year, but back surgery has sidelined him for the moment.
Intel Free Press // Flickr
22 / 50Adam Duritz (Counting Crows), 53
John VanderHaagen // Wikicommons
23 / 50Randy Guss (Toad the Wet Sprocket), 51
Bob Jagendorf // Wikicommons
24 / 50Weatherman90 // Wikicommons
25 / 50Mark Johnson // Wikicommons
26 / 50Bruce Hornsby, 63
Date of birth: Nov. 23, 1954
Bruce Hornsby is a rock piano legend, and that’s just the way it is. He’s played with his own band, The Range, as well as the Grateful Dead for a stint in the early '90s. His tour this year starts in late May with his latest band, The Noisemakers.
Rob DiCaterino // Flickr
27 / 50Ringo Starr, 77
Date of birth: July 7, 1940
It’s not every day that a person can say they saw a Beatle perform live, but luckily Ringo and his All-Starr Band are traversing the globe from June through September of this year. Starr started his career as the drummer for The Beatles, and he’s been playing solo since his 1970 album “Sentimental Journey.”
Kotivalo // Wikicommons
28 / 50Donald Fagen (Steely Dan), 70
Date of birth: Jan. 10, 1948
Together, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker became Steely Dan in 1972. They split up in the '80s, but reunited in 1993 and went back on the road. Becker passed away in 2017, but Fagen has continued to tour as Steely Dan with dates all summer long, accompanied by the Doobie Brothers.
Rick Dikeman // Wikicommons
29 / 50Steve Howe (Yes), 71
Date of birth: April 8, 1947
Despite no official founding members remaining, Yes still exists as one of the most well-known progressive rock bands in history. Steve Howe has played guitar for Yes since 1970 (with a few breaks in between) and now leads the group on their current 50th Anniversary tour.
Paul Chin // Wikicommons
30 / 50Graham Russell (Air Supply), 67
livepict.com // Wikicommons
31 / 50Fred Schneider (The B-52s), 66
Takahiro Kyono // Flickr
32 / 50Bruce Springsteen, 68
Date of birth: Sept. 23, 1949
The Boss truly earned his nickname by becoming one of the biggest names in rock in the 70s and 80s, with massive hits ranging from “Born to Run” to “Born in the U.S.A.,” along with popular tunes with titles that don’t include the word “born.” Springsteen isn’t hitting the road this year, but he’s still performing regularly in his sold-out Broadway show, "Springsteen on Broadway."
Jason Merritt // Getty Images
33 / 50Donny Osmond, 60, and Marie Osmond, 58
RCA Records // Wikicommons
34 / 50Garry Peterson (The Guess Who), 72
Date of birth: May 26, 1945
It’s slightly ironic that a Canadian rock band would score their biggest hit with “American Woman.” After starting out in the late '50s and early '60s, The Guess Who transformed quite a bit in terms of music and band composition. Today, Garry Peterson is the only remaining member from the original incarnation of the band, which is out on limited tour this summer.
DFP Photographic // Shutterstock
35 / 50Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders), 66
Date of birth: Sept. 7, 1951
Chrissie Hynde has been at the microphone for The Pretenders since their debut in 1978. Their biggest hits — "I'll Stand By You" and "Back on the Chain Gang" — are instantly recognizable and led to the group being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. This summer, The Pretenders embark on tour across the U.S. and U.K.
Rena Schild // Shutterstock
36 / 50Richard Marx, 54
Date of birth: Sept. 16, 1963
In 1987, Marx made his debut with a self-titled album that sold over 3 million copies in the United States alone. Thirty years later, Marx is still touring with shows around the U.S. this summer and even a few in Argentina and Chile.
Julio Aprea // Wikicommons
37 / 50Steven Tyler, 70
Date of birth: March 26, 1948
Most people know Steven Tyler as the lead singer of Aerosmith or as a judge on "American Idol," but Tyler also indulges a solo career once in a while. This summer, he’s hitting the road and heading to Europe, Canada, and the U.S., backed by Nashville’s Loving Mary Band.
Djh57 // Wikicommons
38 / 50Melanie Vyvyan // Wikicommons
39 / 50Dirk Haun // Flickr
41 / 50Melissa Etheridge, 56
Date of birth: May 29, 1961
Melissa Etheridge released her self-titled debut album in 1988 and found success immediately. Since then, she’s become one of the most well-known female singer-songwriters of the past 30 years. Her current tour has her crossing the country and playing iconic venues like the Kennedy Center in D.C. and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
Altrena2 // Wikicommons
42 / 50David Haberthür // Wikicommons
43 / 50Billy Idol, 62
Date of birth: Nov. 30, 1955
Billy Idol made his reputation as an incorrigible British punk rocker with songs that get still regular radio airplay, like “Rebel Yell” and “White Wedding.” Now he’s in his 60s and still releasing new albums and touring.
Craig ONeal // Wikicommons
44 / 50Jtgphoto // Wikicommons
45 / 50Joan Baez, 77
Date of birth: Jan. 9, 1941
Folk music wouldn't be the same without Joan Baez. She gave her first concert at the Newport Folk Festival in 1959 and never looked back. She's currently on her "Fare Thee Well" tour, which is scheduled all the way into 2019.
Kreepin Deth /// Wikicommons
46 / 50James Hetfield (Metallica), 54
ceedub13 // Flickr
47 / 50John Fogerty, 72
Date of birth: May 28, 1945
John Fogerty began his career as one of the founders of Creedence Clearwater Revival, but his solo career that started in 1972 is just as impressive. Rolling Stone magazine even named him #72 on their list of the 100 greatest singers of all time. He’ll be performing with ZZ Top all summer long as part of the "Blues and Bayous" tour.
ceedub13 // Wikicommons
48 / 50Jim Pietryga // Wikicommons
49 / 50Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones), 74
NBC Television // Wikicommons
50 / 50Danny Hutton (Three Dog Night), 75
Date of birth: Sept. 10, 1942
Three Dog Night brought joy to the world in 1967 when they first formed and they cranked out Americana classics all through the '70s. Only singer Danny Hutton has been around for the band's entire tenure, but the band is still touring on a regular basis all over the United States.