With the Classic Rock generation set to retire, Dan DeLuca of the Philadelphia Inquirer asks a really good question: “Who’s going to fill their shoes?”
Paul Simon, Elton John, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Neil Diamond, and Ozzy Osbourne have all announced that they are retiring after their tours. With the losses of David Bowie, Prince and Tom Petty in recent years, the concert industry is going to have a problem.
There are very few marquee-topping acts left to fill stadiums and arenas on their own. DeLuca says today’s stars like Arcade Fire, Lana Del Rey, and Lorde leave plenty of empty seats at their shows.
But there is one group of next-generation headliners who can sell tickets: Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Ed Sheeran all put fans in seats. Unfortunately they’re not in the rock world.