When is it Time To REALLY Hang It Up?

Remember KISS saying it's their "farewell tour"...in 1996? Yet, they continue to tour, 18 years later. Granted, it's not the original line-up but....still. When is it time for a band to "hang it up?"

I'm not saying that KISS shouldn't be touring. I saw them last year at Rock Fest and they STILL put on a pretty kick ass show. They're not one of my top 10 bands but I'd say they had the best, most fun show of the weekend. So, I'm wondering, If a band can still rock, does it matter that they're on the 18th year of their farewell tour?

On the flipside of that, I've seen Motley Crue a few times. Each time I've seen them, the band itself sounds great, Nikki, Tommy and Mick...but Vince Neil sounds like he's out of breath. It sounds to me like he skips words....I thought it was just me that noticed this but I've talked with a number of people about it and they tend to agree. But then I saw just Vince with his solo band and he sounded great. Didn't sound out of breath or anything . I don't get it. So is it a good thing that Motley Crue are not going to tour anymore? it seems that no matter how bad Vince sounds, they still put butts in the seats.

Then again, I happened to drink a LOT of beer at all of these shows...so maybe that had something to do with it. I guess no matter how long the "farewell tours" last, people will still go....just like me.