Is there a future for aging rock stars besides bingo on Sunday? Who should hang it up? Who still has the moves?

Reunion tours are all the rage anymore – just ask the artists-formerly-known-as-bands raking in the cash each summer from fans willing to fork it over to relive the glory of days gone by. The Police, The Who, Van Halen, Stone Temple Pilots and New Kids on the Block are just some of the most recent groups to bury the hatchet and climb back into the old tour bus (or several personal tour buses, as the case may be).

The reason, of course, is the almighty dollar. However, I’ll concede that some of these acts have reportedly put on shows good enough to almost warrant the ticket prices, and some appear to have had fun with their old mates along the way.

But instead of questioning the motivation or integrity of such examples, I’m left wondering if there’s a shelf life on the ability to really rock and whether certain artists have long passed their freshness dates.

Though the Rolling Stones never called it quits, calling them the elder statesmen of rock ‘n’ roll might be considered generous, and they keep selling out stadiums worldwide. Neil Young and Elvis Costello seem to be enjoying long-lasting renaissances in the autumn of their careers. And a 2008 documentary called “Young@Heart [2]” convincingly shows that a New England chorus of senior citizens can breathe new life into hits by the likes of Ramones [3] and Coldplay [4].

So maybe there’s a future for senior screamers and aging ax players. What do you think?