Old rockers - time to go?

Fido

Fido

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New Forest, England.
I grew up with Elvis, the Beatles, the Stones and that generation.There were unforgettable times.

But just how long are they going to go on? In the past few weeks I've seen Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton and others still performing . None of them are anywhere near as good as they used to be. Am I alone in wishing they would just fade away, leave us with our memories and let people still at their best have centre stage?
 
Fido said:
I grew up with Elvis, the Beatles, the Stones and that generation.There were unforgettable times.

But just how long are they going to go on? In the past few weeks I've seen Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton and others still performing . None of them are anywhere near as good as they used to be. Am I alone in wishing they would just fade away, leave us with our memories and let people still at their best have centre stage?
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No Fido, you're not alone.

Queen died with Freddy Mercury. Led Zeppelin died with John Bonham. The Who died with Keith Moon, etc.

I see these old bands go out on tour, and in the majority of cases, to me it just reeks of them trying to coin it in while they can.

Probably the best band I have seen do this are Cream.

You can't turn back the clock, but you can increase your bank balance.

Ian
 
My wife was a big Duran Duran fan in her youth, when they did their slot at the Party at the Palace she wished that they had just left her with the teenage memories rather than the disappointment.

As Ian says its about the money, but its a shame.
 
It is a bit strange really as I doubt they really need the money and I can imagine that most of them are performing now at a significant discount to their peak periods.

Surely they must realise this?

Maybe they are just plain old bored?
 
Hey Fido, did you not bother with Cliff? Some (older) friends went to see him the other week with a brass band as backing... :?

I saw the Animals a couple of years ago, or rather, the band with the legal right to call themselves 'the Animals'. No original members, although the drummer used to play in the fledgling Animals before they became the Animals... confused? Hmmm. As a 40 something I reckon I was the youngest in the audience, but everyone else was swaying in their seats in rock 'n' roll appreciation. All a bit too weird tbh.

Anyone going to see Take That?? :lol:
 
slowblade said:
As a 40 something I reckon I was the youngest in the audience, but everyone else was swaying in their seats in rock 'n' roll appreciation. All a bit too weird tbh.
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I bet you looked at whoever you went with and thought "We gotta get outa this place....."
 
Some pals saw Neil Diamond at a live concert recently and loved it.

I just find it rather sad to see people going well beyond their sell by date. But if the fans still want them and they want to continue I know there's absolutely nothing wrong with it.
 
Some of the best acts I have seen in the past 10 years were the same as I watched from afar in my youth...Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, Colosseum and the standard was still exceptionaly high. Al Stewart, however, was a big letdown.

I have to admit that sometimes you need to close your eyes and remember the look then (of them and me :lol: ).

For my part, I would have love to have been at Doug Weston's Troubador in LA in the late sixties / early seventies. Alas I never did - and probably never will - so provincial UK venues will have to do me but that's what dreams are made of.

You're never too old to rock, just not in public.
;)
 
Arrowhead said:
I was fortunate enough to see Bo Diddley when he was about the age that McCartney's at now. He was most definitely still on form; I imagine he only passed his sell by date when he died.
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Saw John Lee Hooker in LA a month before he died (it was a ridiculous turn of events that saw him cancel a gig and then reschedule it when I was over there on business). Even though he was clearly frail, the man had more than enough mojo in him (and the rest of the audience, for that matter) – I consider myself very lucky to have seen him, likewise Buddy Guy and BB King.

My only issue with so-called "old rockers" is when they try to make contemporary music for an audience that reaches beyond their fan base. Clapton, for example, records Riding With the King and it's a blinder, but some of his solo work over the last few years (post From The Cradle) has been disappointing…

When I saw Chuck Berry I got what I asked for: the man playing the music he was famous for – he didn't muck around with new songs, and it was all the better for it. I don't see any problem with that, as such.

Lipsy
 
I heard a story about JLH, this is going back a bit so he was probably only about 140 or something at the time. I really, really hope this is true. A youngish fella who absolutely idolised Hooker camped out at the stage door after one of his gigs, and eventually the great man appeared, with a young lady hanging on each arm (or possibly propping him up). The fan accosted him burbling something about him being such a hero and always dreaming of meeting him, and Hooker just says "Later man, can't you see I'm busy"?
 
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