Oldest Performer You've Seen Who Was Still Excellent

I've got tickets to see Kris Kristofferson (80) in a couple of weeks. His recent shows have been reviewed quite well.

 

Sparks a couple of years ago (both in their 60s I believe).
John Cale around 15 years ago (probably in his 60s then).

 

Haven't seen him personally but here's Jimmy Heath at 89 years of age. You can hear he's not a young man anymore but his mind is still sharp, which is also evident in recent interviews.

 

Leonard Cohen

After "Songs From The Road" came out, but before "Old Ideas" came out.

 

Phil Collins...next year

 

My vote would have to go to B.B. King in the early 1990s. Still totally on top of his material.

 

Buddy Guy at 79
Willie Nelson at 81

 

I saw Ian Hunter October 8th of this year.
He's 77 and still rockin'!

 

Willie

 

Saw McCoy Tyner when he was 70;
He was astonishing.

 

saw ian tyson last year at 82 years old---first saw him in 63---he continues to be rather brilliant

 

Tina Turner in 2008. Great show.

Someone upthread mentioned B.B. King... I, too, saw him a couple of times – last one in 2001. He was probably the oldest headliner I've ever gone to see, and he was fine but time had definitely gotten to him by that point. Tina, on the other hand was incredible.

 

Roger Daltrey at 72, singing Baba O'Riley @ Desert Trip, October 9, 2016. The song is 45 years old and Roger sings it in the original key, fine job in the upper register.

 

Saw Crosby, Stills & Nash in 2012 and it was fantastic.

Saw Brian Wilson a few weeks ago and I'm left aching for another taste.

 

Streisand

 

Paul Simon this year in Vancouver, and Joe Jackson in Victoria. Both of them have brought out excellent albums this past year and still have their voice! While I love their old material I found myself on both occasions wishing they had played more new songs.

 

Link Wray at 76, a few months before he died in 2005.

Dick Dale at 77 or 78 in 2015

Sonny Burgess' set blew me away and he was 77 at the time in 2008

Billy Boy Arnold at 80! last year

 

And still recording good albums!

 

I appreciate she isn't to everyone's tastes, but I saw Yoko Ono performing live aged 80 and it blew my socks off. Still one of my favourite gigs of all time.

And I wasn't the only one thinking so: Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band – review »

 

I know Brian Wilson has a reputation for being unpredictable. One gig he'll decide to show up and then 9 others he'll just phone it in. Last year I was lucky enough to be at one of those sublime concerts. In Nashville outside, weather was perfect, we were under the stars, and Brian was putting his soul into those songs (the band is ALWAYS good). He was 73 then.

Saw him again this year. Not even close to the magic he brought last time.

 

Dick Dale the "surf king" about 10 years ago. Man could that guy rock! Bit of an attitude though...kept telling the sound man off! But he rocked and he was LOUD!!

 

Steve Winwood opening for Tom Petty last year sang and played like he was in Traffic in 1971.

 

I saw Sonny Rollins most recently about four years ago. Also saw Roy Haynes (b. 1925) around 2000. And the late Ornette Coleman (b. 1930) in 2008.

 

well I guess this is the time to talk about Neil Young and Crazy Horse at the Hollywood Bowl in 2012 - I was watching that show just transfixed by the brilliance of the music and it was really only about halfway through that I thought to myself suddenly "hey, these guys are all pushing seventy and I never once noticed it until this second" and that was only a random thought as well - it wasn't in context of anything elderly in the music.

 

Burt Bacharach, 86 - July this year