Should A Band Continue Performing Once A Member Has Left?

Queen

Some bands break up, and some carry on, but should bands continue to perform after a member has left?

It may simply be a matter of the artist's bank balance, or it may be for the fans.. but some do indeed decide to go on performing without certain members of the band (Some only to fulfill touring commitments). Others however decide to call it a day once a member leaves the band.

One of the most obvious is Queen without Freddie Mercury. Queen decided to reunite to play Sonisphere Festival, Knebworth in 2012 (without the deceased Mercury), however the festival was cancelled. Queen were set to perform with Adam Lambert, the runner up of American Idol.. but it was clearly not meant to be.

Freddie Mercury was such an influential member of Queen, and one of the best frontmen ever to have lived, and so it would have been an injustice for them to perform without the superstar.

Peter Doherty

Other bands, such as The Libertines, have carried on performing without a member.. until touring commitments were completed. Peter Doherty was 'kicked out' of The Libertines due to a combination of drug use and breaking into Carl Barat's flat. Carl then took The Libertines to Japan without their lyricist and rhythm guitarist and then played Reading Festival without him. 

There are many examples of bands bringing in new members to replace the old, and the acceptability of this comes down to the importance of the member.. did they make the band what it was? With Queen, yes, Freddie Mercury made the band as special as it was.. but in some bands, replacing a guitarist or a bassist may not make a huge difference to the fans, or the members of the band.

For example.. Arctic Monkeys replaced their bassist Andy Nicholson with Nick O'Malley in 2006. This does not make a huge difference for most people, but if Alex Turner was replaced, this would be a different story.

Alex Turner

Can you imagine The Beatles without John Lennon, or The Rolling Stones without Mick Jagger? I doubt it. This is because the charisma and the charm that a band holds lies on their shoulders. A frontman is important to a band's image and sings a bands song precisely how it should be. 

Have you ever tried to sing an Arctic Monkeys song without putting on the infamous Turner Sheffield accent? You can't.. 

The imagery on stage lies with a frontman, so if he/she leaves.. a band should not continue.. however, other members of a band could be replaced, if a band are prepared to go on without them.