What Does “retirement” really mean for an artist?
On September 6th, 2018, Childish Gambino embarked on his “This is America” tour in Atlanta, Georgia. It was on this date that he announced, suddenly, that this was “the last Childish Gambino tour ever.”
It seems that many artists of late have announced some sort of “final tour” as of late. Elton John, Ozzy Osbourne, and Anita Baker have also recently embarked on their farewell tours, some of which span numerous dates into next year. These artists have been performing and touring for as long as I have lived. They have earned their last hurrah, and are doing their damndest to make sure it is one last, fun ride.
All of this makes me wonder: just what does a final tour actually entail?
Finality in music has been a fickle subject when it comes to artists. Retirement for an artists tends to fall into two categories: the exhaustion of a long career with not much more to accomplish, or one final celebratory lap of a long career. Jay-Z famously retired in 2003 with his “final” album at the time, “The Black Album,” and the “Fade to Black” concert, his supposed final concert. “The Black Album” received rave reviews, with many critics comparing it favorably to his best work. The “Fade to Black” concert took place on November 25th, 2003, and filmed for a theatrical release to promote the finality of Jay-Z’s career. Appearances from musical contemporaries such as Pharrell Williams and Beyonce made the event feel like a true curtain call, a send off fit for an artist of Jay-Z’s stature.
Less than three years later, after showing up on a number of songs since his retirement, Jay-Z would return with a new studio album. He has not retired again since.
Contemporary artists are not immune from the idea of retirement. Last year, after a tour that ended in vocal injuries, Adele seemingly announced her retirement in a vague statement, saying “I don’t know if I’ll ever tour again,” citing injuries as a concern for further touring. Injury is a legitimate cause to retire, if not a disappointing ending to an otherwise fabulous career. Phil Collins famously retired in 2011 due to numerous health concerns involving his spine, hands, and his hearing. Yet, against all odds, Phil Collins returned to music in 2016 with the full intention of releasing new music, as well as full time touring. As I write this, Phil Collins is currently waiting to continue his aptly titled “Not Dead Yet” tour.
This all leads back to the “final tour” of Childish Gambino, the musical alter ego of Donald Glover. This announcement comes as no surprise to those who follow him, as he has mentioned the intent of retiring the Childish Gambino “project” due to it being not as interesting as it once was to Glover. As of this writing, Glover has been very coy as to what this “final Childish Gambino” tour really means.
I attended his first of two New York City shows, at Madison Square Garden on September 14th. The show itself was a fun, energetic show, full of dazzling performances and excellent stage presence. He also reiterated at the beginning of the show that this was “the last Childish Gambino tour ever.” If this was meant to be a last hurrah for Childish Gambino, then it was a good ride, a strong conclusion to the rap-era of Donald Glover’s career.
I can’t speak for what will come next for Donald Glover. Maybe he intends on dropping a final “Childish Gambino” album, then focusing on his acting for the foreseeable future. Or maybe he’ll adopt a new stage name, and continue his new rapper turned crooner persona. Regardless of the outcome, it’s best to look at this ending as more of a soft reboot than anything else.
