It's not uncommon these days for artists to tour well into their 60s and 70s. Some of the biggest touring acts in the world, such as Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones and The Eagles are still putting on three hour shows when, by rights, they could just as well be putting their feet up on some tropical island somewhere. Tom Waits is 65 years old, has a strong cult following (which has grown considerably in recent years) and a back catalogue of over thirty years' worth of material to choose from. So where's the tour? His fans would (and have) pay top dollar to see the great man live. But Waits hasn't toured properly since 2008's Glitter and Doom tour, where he played 28 dates in North America and Europe (thirteen in the former and fifteen in the latter). For the tour, fans were limited to two tickets per person and a valid ID matching the name on the ticket was required upon entry to the shows in order to beat ticket touts. Clearly, Waits cares about his true fans who want to see him perform live, and not so much about somebody who's going to buy tickets to his shows just to sell them on for a price higher than face value. So what's with the lack of tour in the last seven years, then? Waits has expressed that touring tires him out in the past and that, by the end of a long one, he just wants to go home. Could Waits have gone home for good? He has performed some surprise concerts (such as a school benefit show) in recent years, but not full-on tour appears to be forthcoming, despite the hopes of fans.
