I saw The Rolling Stones in 1990 thinking that they were really old then and that Steel Wheels was the last hurrah.
Old bands comprised of old white dudes on stage wearing hair styles from their early 20s gives me a weird feeling. But old black blues men doing their thing well into their 80s hits differently. IDK. I saw BB King in 1989 and he blew my socks off.
If a band has something new and relevant to contribute to their art, all good I suppose. I guess “It depends”.
In my view REM did it right. They ended on a good note, they still like each other mostly, they share all the cash from their songs evenly, and they won’t get back together…with the exception of a private birthday party or two for old roadies and the recent Songwriters HOF performance. That’s going out with style and class…and not with a nostalgia cash grab.
I regularly think of the line from 2000’s Almost Famous: “If you think Mick Jagger will be out there trying to be a rock star at age 50, you are sadly, sadly mistaken.”
I’ve been absolutely delighted to watch one of my favorite artists, Nick Lowe, make some of the best music of his career at 75 (and look damn good doing it!). I think you make a good point that evolution is key to survival. When done right, being an aging rocker - or aging music fan- doesn’t have to carry the requisite embarrassing stigma it once did. (No comment for Billy Joel ).
Older artists are far more effective in smaller, intimate venues. In the last couple of years, I’ve seen Graham Nash, McCoy Tyner, Lucinda Williams post-stroke!), Graham Parker and other septuagenarians and octogenarians at venues like the Dakota in Minneapolis. These artists aren’t just replaying their hits. They don’t fight aging. Instead they adapt their art , offering nuances that, to my ear anyway, would not have been possible when they were young.
I read somewhere that a person’s music tastes develops between the ages of 14 and 24. For me that’s 1985-1995. What a golden era of college/alternative rock. The Replacements, REM, The Cure in high school and Pavement, Pixies, Wilco in college. U2 straggled both HS and College. That is still my go genre when I get in the car or while cooking dinner.
The Police reunited for a reunion tour in 2007-08. I missed seeing them in the 80s but saw them twice on the reunion tour (including second-row seats when they played Saratoga). Worth the $$$.
I saw Ride back in the day a number of times. They were good and I loved the noise in the vein of a pop act My Bloody Valentine (who were amazing live). I’ve just skipped Mercury Rev at my local Arts Centre in Norwich (UK). Not because I don’t love their music but because I was slightly afraid that they might not be quite as good as they once were. I’m sure they were.
Saw Weezer and Blink 182 this year, neither of whom I cared much for twenty years ago. Last year I too saw The Cure, and the year before that, a big Third Eye Blind show. I have tickets for Oasis next year.
I remember heading to the Beastie Boys in 1998 and hearing an older fellow - as in, he was maybe thirty - talk about the Depeche Mode concert he went to earlier in the week. I was embarrassed for him. Who would want to watch that dinosaur band?
(Never mind that Dave Gahan is like two years older than any of the Beasties. I was a dumb teenager)
But like you wrote, the bands are older now, and we are too. It’s nice to meet in the middle. It’s nice knowing that the people who put youthful experiences to music are still there as older and wiser adults.
A lot has been written about the various paths that performers and bands take as they age. Into the Black, the Neil Young classic, was a commentary on Johnny Rotten - It's better to burn out, than to fade away - out of the blue and into the black. As someone who enjoys music, and that includes many different types of music, my taste continues to evolve as I get close to closing out 7 decades on this rock. No band provides me with more pleasure than the music of the Grateful Dead. Jerry may be long gone, Phil has just left the station, but as long as Bobby, Billy and Mickey are still able to give of themselves, with a little help from John, Oteil & friends, I'm still listening. Weir's voice is shot, but he's still out there doing his best, and living his best life. These guys are still playing, not so much for the cash, they are doing it because it's what they've always done - it's the love of music that keeps them going. I respect that. It's inspiring to see old Deadheads, mingling with their children and grandchildren. It warms my heart to see high school and college kids, enjoying the music as much as we do. It's a beautiful scene.
I'll fully admit to being one of your cliches! I saw Billy Joel & Stevie Nicks this past Spring at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis...in a box nonetheless! I thought it was going to be not-so-great but I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. Billy singing Piano Man or Stevie singing Landslide live is still pretty special.
When Price died and the tributes came rolling in, I realized I never saw him live even though I had been living in a town where he performed often for 5+ years. I kind of took him & his time on earth for granted.
So, I've made a point of trying to go see some of these "final" tours even if its just for nostalgia. Last year I went to Bruce Springsteen for the first time in 20+ years, and likely for the final time. But it was good fun, they played for 3 hours, and the band sounded great. What else can you ask for? Of course, Bruce's last song touched hard on mortality...so it appears they have a bit of the same mentality of the audience to an extent.
Good morning. Admittedly biased Cure fan here. I watched the live show the other day and have rewatched it wondering if my sentimentality perhaps clouded my opinion the first go around. What shocks me most is how fast 40 years appears to have flown by. For me nostalgia wins and I greatly enjoyed both viewings and I’ll definitely be seeing them again. Robert’s latest work is quite good and not a half assed attempt to remain relevant so I tip my fishing hat to him. Have a great weekend.
Nice reflection. I’m conflicted.
I saw The Rolling Stones in 1990 thinking that they were really old then and that Steel Wheels was the last hurrah.
Old bands comprised of old white dudes on stage wearing hair styles from their early 20s gives me a weird feeling. But old black blues men doing their thing well into their 80s hits differently. IDK. I saw BB King in 1989 and he blew my socks off.
If a band has something new and relevant to contribute to their art, all good I suppose. I guess “It depends”.
In my view REM did it right. They ended on a good note, they still like each other mostly, they share all the cash from their songs evenly, and they won’t get back together…with the exception of a private birthday party or two for old roadies and the recent Songwriters HOF performance. That’s going out with style and class…and not with a nostalgia cash grab.
I regularly think of the line from 2000’s Almost Famous: “If you think Mick Jagger will be out there trying to be a rock star at age 50, you are sadly, sadly mistaken.”
Springsteen in Asbury Park. Still great.
I’ve been absolutely delighted to watch one of my favorite artists, Nick Lowe, make some of the best music of his career at 75 (and look damn good doing it!). I think you make a good point that evolution is key to survival. When done right, being an aging rocker - or aging music fan- doesn’t have to carry the requisite embarrassing stigma it once did. (No comment for Billy Joel ).
Older artists are far more effective in smaller, intimate venues. In the last couple of years, I’ve seen Graham Nash, McCoy Tyner, Lucinda Williams post-stroke!), Graham Parker and other septuagenarians and octogenarians at venues like the Dakota in Minneapolis. These artists aren’t just replaying their hits. They don’t fight aging. Instead they adapt their art , offering nuances that, to my ear anyway, would not have been possible when they were young.
Totally agree. Thanks for this!
I read somewhere that a person’s music tastes develops between the ages of 14 and 24. For me that’s 1985-1995. What a golden era of college/alternative rock. The Replacements, REM, The Cure in high school and Pavement, Pixies, Wilco in college. U2 straggled both HS and College. That is still my go genre when I get in the car or while cooking dinner.
Not only that. The vast majority of people stop listening/discovering new music after the age of 30. That’s a crazy statistic to me.
The Police reunited for a reunion tour in 2007-08. I missed seeing them in the 80s but saw them twice on the reunion tour (including second-row seats when they played Saratoga). Worth the $$$.
I saw Ride back in the day a number of times. They were good and I loved the noise in the vein of a pop act My Bloody Valentine (who were amazing live). I’ve just skipped Mercury Rev at my local Arts Centre in Norwich (UK). Not because I don’t love their music but because I was slightly afraid that they might not be quite as good as they once were. I’m sure they were.
Thank you for this.
Saw Weezer and Blink 182 this year, neither of whom I cared much for twenty years ago. Last year I too saw The Cure, and the year before that, a big Third Eye Blind show. I have tickets for Oasis next year.
I remember heading to the Beastie Boys in 1998 and hearing an older fellow - as in, he was maybe thirty - talk about the Depeche Mode concert he went to earlier in the week. I was embarrassed for him. Who would want to watch that dinosaur band?
(Never mind that Dave Gahan is like two years older than any of the Beasties. I was a dumb teenager)
But like you wrote, the bands are older now, and we are too. It’s nice to meet in the middle. It’s nice knowing that the people who put youthful experiences to music are still there as older and wiser adults.
A lot has been written about the various paths that performers and bands take as they age. Into the Black, the Neil Young classic, was a commentary on Johnny Rotten - It's better to burn out, than to fade away - out of the blue and into the black. As someone who enjoys music, and that includes many different types of music, my taste continues to evolve as I get close to closing out 7 decades on this rock. No band provides me with more pleasure than the music of the Grateful Dead. Jerry may be long gone, Phil has just left the station, but as long as Bobby, Billy and Mickey are still able to give of themselves, with a little help from John, Oteil & friends, I'm still listening. Weir's voice is shot, but he's still out there doing his best, and living his best life. These guys are still playing, not so much for the cash, they are doing it because it's what they've always done - it's the love of music that keeps them going. I respect that. It's inspiring to see old Deadheads, mingling with their children and grandchildren. It warms my heart to see high school and college kids, enjoying the music as much as we do. It's a beautiful scene.
Mid 90s is now IPACore:
https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a43994095/in-defense-mid-90s-rock/?utm_campaign=trueanthemFBESQ&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawGqyUlleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHdcOjFqm_T6dtYK1TmFXBwVYWwbi8QBDAkFxCCur41FuQcsSR_5cQ_BeRA_aem_UwlQ7CWTssHPmnmB2jbxlQ
I'll fully admit to being one of your cliches! I saw Billy Joel & Stevie Nicks this past Spring at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis...in a box nonetheless! I thought it was going to be not-so-great but I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. Billy singing Piano Man or Stevie singing Landslide live is still pretty special.
When Price died and the tributes came rolling in, I realized I never saw him live even though I had been living in a town where he performed often for 5+ years. I kind of took him & his time on earth for granted.
So, I've made a point of trying to go see some of these "final" tours even if its just for nostalgia. Last year I went to Bruce Springsteen for the first time in 20+ years, and likely for the final time. But it was good fun, they played for 3 hours, and the band sounded great. What else can you ask for? Of course, Bruce's last song touched hard on mortality...so it appears they have a bit of the same mentality of the audience to an extent.
Good morning. Admittedly biased Cure fan here. I watched the live show the other day and have rewatched it wondering if my sentimentality perhaps clouded my opinion the first go around. What shocks me most is how fast 40 years appears to have flown by. For me nostalgia wins and I greatly enjoyed both viewings and I’ll definitely be seeing them again. Robert’s latest work is quite good and not a half assed attempt to remain relevant so I tip my fishing hat to him. Have a great weekend.
He still sounds great! And I think the new songs really are good.
Completely agree. He’s clearly taken great care of his voice.