Call reunion, farewell tours what they are

I heard on the radio this weekend the Judds were planning a farewell tour. Perhaps you thought when Naomi retired in 1991 because she had hepatitis C, that was the duo's formal farewell.

Or perhaps you might have thought that since the duo hadn't performed together, save for a few shows here and there over the past two decades, their career as a duo was over.

You'd be wrong, because apparently their career as a duo won't officially be over until the end of the year when the mother-daughter team release their "last" record and play their "last" show together.

The Judss are hardly the only band to plan a "reunion" or "farewell" after taking a few years, or decades, off (i.e. KISS and their at least half dozen "farewell" tours), but I wish the bands that choose to do so would be honest with fans and call the tours what they are: an excuse to make more money because they ran out of all the money they made back when they were actually in their prime.

Instead of a "come back," "farewell" or "reunion" tour, bands should call them the "We ran out of money," "I want a bigger house," "My accountant made some bad investments and now I'm bankrupt," "We spent all our money on sex and drugs and now need rock and roll to pick up the tab" or "My wife took all my money after she caught me with the babysitter" tours.

It's true the bands wouldn't be able to keep touring if fans didn't keep shelling out money for tickets, but that doesn't mean bands can't be up front with those fans. There's no reason for anyone in the band to pretend like they would be touring together trying to stretch out their fame into a retirement plan if they didn't have to be.

The timing of the Judds' announcement is interesting as they reenter the world of country music duos just as Brooks & Dunn are exiting it. This is the final (we think) year Brooks & Dunn will tour together. Many believe the duo was paired up for no other reason than for them to compete for duo of the year awards after the Judds' retired the first time. Brooks & Dunn, the most successful duo of any genre, released their first single in 1991, the same year the Judds stopped touring together. Wynonna began her solo career in 1992.

If the Judds think they can come back and take over the duo category once again in Brooks & Dunn's absence, they've must not have heard of this duo.