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Adele -

Adele is one of the great voices of her generation, and her live performances are intimate and hair-raising even when they're in stadiums with thousands of people. However, she has expressed her distaste for touring, even claiming in 2017 after her third studio album's tour that she may never tour again. 

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Adele - She wrote a letter to her fans to explain that she isn't suited to touring as she's such a homebody, and the experience makes her feel vulnerable. "I only ever did this tour for you and to hopefully have an impact on you the way that some of my favorite artists have had on me live," she told her fans.

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The Beatles -

The Beatles were one of the most successful bands of all time. Many incorrectly blamed their 1970 breakup on John Lennon's relationship with Yoko Ono, but the truth was that they had more or less plateaued by that point. Music technology and infrastructure simply couldn't compete with "Beatlemania."

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The Beatles -

The band had given up on live performances four years before they separated. The constant screams of fans in packed stadiums completely overwhelmed the sound systems and the noise the band created from the stage was simply drowned out. Thankfully, the music industry evolved in the following decade and produced speakers that could match such crowds!

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Michael Jackson -

Michael Jackson carried out some spectacular world tours in his career before taking a break in 1997. He took some time away from performing to focus on creating his next album. When 'Invincible' was released it was panned by the critics, and shortly afterward a sexual misconduct scandal sent him into hiding.

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Michael Jackson -

Jackson had always preferred privacy and tried to stay away from the press, but the child abuse allegations forced him to take even more extreme measures. This carried on for years. He was in the process of staging a huge comeback concert in 2009 when he suddenly passed away. Those who attended his last concert a decade earlier had no idea it would be his final live performance.

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Queen - Queen's live performances are legendary. Freddie Mercury had a voice like no other, and his stage presence was something that couldn't be taught. Sadly, they quit touring in 1987 when Mercury was diagnosed with HIV.

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Queen - The band decided that the physical and emotional toll of a tour would be too much for his failing health. That meant that their last live concert together happened in 1986. They still managed to produce three more studio albums before Mercury's death in 1991.

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Kate Bush -

Kate Bush was one of the biggest influences in pop music in the 1980s, but she gave up touring very early in her career. She went on one tour after the release of her second album 'Lionheart,' in 1979, but never took to the road again after that.

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Kate Bush -

Not only did she give up touring, but she didn't do another official live performance until 2014! When asked why she hadn't made live performances a central part of her career, Bush said that she was more focused on producing a good album, followed by visuals to go with the songs. She threw herself into those processes and prioritized them over time- and energy-consuming tours.

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David Bowie -

David Bowie is another legendary performer whose live concerts were multi-disciplinary works of art. Unfortunately, he decided to stop touring after suffering a heart attack during his 2004 Reality tour.

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David Bowie -

Living on the road and doing multiple concerts a week was no longer feasible for Bowie, so he gave up touring. But he continued producing music and did the odd live appearance until his death in 2016.

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Leonard Cohen -

Leonard Cohen was an incredible live performer for much of his career. But he spent most of the '90s on a Buddhist spiritual journey and focused on producing albums in the studio rather than touring in the early 2000s.

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Leonard Cohen -

Cohen hadn't been on the road for roughly two decades when he suddenly found himself in a financial mess. His manager had been embezzling large amounts of money, which might have been a motivating factor in his return to touring! Cohen went on the road again between 2008 and 2013. He passed away in 2016.

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Tom Waits -

Tom Waits is a notorious oddball and his rare performances were appropriately special. He toured around small theaters in the US in 2008 for his Glitter and Doom tour, but no one knew it would be his last official appearance.

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Tom Waits -

Waits hasn't commented on his absence from the stage, but he has continued to release music and has branched out into acting!

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Joni Mitchell -

Folk icon Joni Mitchell hit the stage hard for around 30 years, so no one could blame her when she took a step back. Her last proper tour was in 2000, and she has barely appeared on stage since then.

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Joni Mitchell -

Mitchell celebrated her 70th birthday in 2013 and made a surprise appearance on stage at a birthday concert organized in her honor. But sadly she suffered an aneurysm in 2015, and it's unlikely she'll get back to touring and live shows.

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Talking Heads -

Talking Heads gave fans a legendary tour in 1983 following the release of their seminal album 'Speaking in Tongues.' Their performance was recorded and became the film 'Stop Making Sense,' arguably one of the best concert films of all time. Why try to improve on perfection?

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Talking Heads -

The band retreated into the studio for the next eight years and eventually split up in 1991.

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Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys) - Brian Wilson was the true genius behind The Beach Boys, writing and producing some of their best music. Unfortunately, he also struggled with mental illness and addiction. Despite his core role in creating the music, he let the rest of the band tour without him.

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Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys) -

Wilson is still one of the great reclusive geniuses of music. His time away from the stage allowed him to focus on creating magic in the studio. He attempted to make a live comeback in 2019, but had to cancel the shows after a resurgence of his mental illness.

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Steely Dan -

Steely Dan are another legendary band that gave up touring to focus on honing their skills in the studio. The bands core duo, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, decided to give up touring and focus on the music. They let the other musicians go in 1974, and didn't play another full show again until 1992.

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Steely Dan -

Fagen explained that they had wanted to experiment and play with other musicians but, naturally, their supporting band members wanted to tour and make money. Their record label had more or less forced them to tour, but in 1974 they decided to go their own way and focus on recording. They made a comeback in 1992, and performed until Becker passed away in 2017.

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XTC -

British rock band XTC got together in 1972 and were led by singer and songwriter Andy Partridge. They were touring in the US in 1982 when Partridge suddenly suffered an emotional breakdown live on stage, mid-song. Partridge attributed it to exhaustion, pressure, and withdrawal from valium.

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XTC -

The band went on releasing music for the following decades, but never went on tour or played another concert. In an interview in 2006, Partridge reflected that he didn't regret his decision to give up touring. “Quitting touring allowed us to go Technicolor," he said.

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Harry Nilsson -

American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson was a unique figure in music. He was in the prime of his career in the 1970s, but managed to achieve his success without ever doing any large-scale live performances or tours. He's one of very few recording artists who have pulled this off!

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Scott Walker -

Scott Walker was the ultimate teen heartthrob of the 1960s. He started out in a boy band, but his music took a darker turn when he went solo in 1967. From that time until his last album in 2017, he almost never performed in front of an audience.

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Scott Walker -

Legend has it that Walker officially quit live performances during a 1978 concert. The trumpet player was playing out of tune and Walker became so frustrated that he stormed off the stage and never went back!

Sources: (NME) (Paste Magazine) (Houston Press) (Cassava Films)

See also: Musicians who tanked their careers on stage

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