What is the appeal of geezers in concert?

Am I the only one who doesn't get particularly exciting when my favorite bands from the old days are touring? I saw pretty much all of them back then. I just can't excited about the same bands playing the same music now that all the members are in their 50s.

I saw the Rolling Stones in 1988. They were way past their prime then.

And college bands, still playing college band songs - you know, Widespread Panic, the Connells, Cowboy Mouth.

And the heavy metal bands. berkeley society and vote for Rick Santorum doesn't go together so well.

Some bands have music that ages well. Jimmy Buffet played old man easy listening his whole life. So it still works. I can see that. Other bands evolve and actually keep coming out with new music that doesn't suck. Some rockers become crooners. Those kinds of shows, I understand.

I think I saw the same Rolling Stones tour you did, but for some strange reason my memories are a bit "hazy".

I'm a huge Aerosmith fan, but I wouldn't want to see them in concert now.

It all depends on the band/artist for me. For the current price of concert tickets I'm real picky.

I'll keep going to see Rush every time they come around because they are still recording new material that is distinctly their style, and still put on a good show.

I saw Pink Floyd (Mk III) in '88. Loved the show. I don't care how incredible the effects might be, I have no interest in seeing Roger Waters performing The Wall.

I don't want to see a band that I loved become an oldies act. That's why I skipped any of the tours with the surviving members of The Doors.

And any hard rock acts that get a steady booking in Vegas is just weird to me.

I haven't been to a rock concert in decades - not to be confused with live music, which I enjoy regularly. I just prefer smaller venues.

I agree that there are too many acts humping the same schlock they did 30 years ago. I fully expect to see Mick performing 'Satisfaction' from a wheelchair before long.

Paul Simon is one example of the opposite - like him or not, he continues to try new things and be creative. I wish more would take chances, or simply quit rather than filling their pockets with cash by repetitively performing what amounts to live 'greatest hits' albums.

I think it depends on the person and the performer. Personally, I'd rather do just about anything than see Jimmy Buffet in concert. Aerosmith? I think the years have caught up with them. I'm also passing on Van Halen. Others, yeah, I'll go:

Maiden? They're still releasing new material, and I'd put their latest albums up there with their classics. I love the old stuff, but I'd be happy with a set list that's all post-2000. (Okay, add The Trooper to that list.) Plus Bruce Dickinson is still a heck of a performer.

I saw Judas Priest this fall. It's their last big tour. Halford has slowed down a bit, but he still has a set of pipes. Plus they played for 2 hours, 20 minutes.

Three weeks ago we saw Death Angel, Testament and Anthrax, three big thrash bands from back in the day. All are still releasing new material, and it was a kick-ass show. (In fact, I saw them twice on the same tour.)

GWAR live? Still insane.

Rush? Would you believe I have never seen them. It's on my list.

Dick Dale is not a young man, and we still see him when he passes through Central Florida. He still kills it. Plus he's nice and returns email.

Here's one that surprised the heck out of me. While in college my friend was a big fan of D.R.I.--a punk/metal crossover band. I saw they were still around, and last year they played Orlando. I bought a ticket. I still feel sorry for the opening acts, as these four "geezers" (figure late 40s, easily) blew away the opening acts. Killer, killer show--tons of energy, tight playing, etc. So I did the only rational thing: drove to Atlanta to see them again a few months later--this time with my brother and my friend who got me into them. Again, D.R.I. just killed all three opening acts. Well, they're on tour again....

My last concert was Pink Floyd in the early 90s at the Super Dome. I know Richard Wright is gone but I'd still go see them if they ever toured again. Very doubtful I'm sure. Not a Waters fan either. "The Delicate Sounds of Thunder" had a major affect on my life.

At what point does a reunion band become a cover band? On two nights in Vegas, I caught parts of a show with one of the Beach Boys (the one who sued the band for the rights to use the name) and another of BTO without the B. Hey, I was in town and they were playing at my hotel so I stopped in. In the non-Beach Boys case, the "headliner" was on complete automatic pilot. His son, however, was having the time of his life. The (B)TO show was a waste of time. Both shows were dramatic in their apathetic suckiness, and even the lamest cover band would have been better.

But Mick Jagger showed everyone at the Grammys last year that he's a Rock Star while all the kids are just pop singers. He wiped the floor with all the other acts. So just because they're old doesn't make them bad. The problem is when they give up.

There's one point that Steve Hackett made in a recent interview - he's a much better guitar player now than he was when he was a young dude playing with Genesis, and that goes for a lot of the bands that have been around for a while. Well, if they actually worked on their musicianship and not only on the hookers & blow parts of the career.

Don't forget that rock'n'roll got older as its audience also got older...

At a combined height and weight of 6'1" and 180 lbs., I'm pretty sure Bruce Dickinson and Steve Harris could still kick my ass...or at least outrun me. Either way, I wouldn't call any member of Maiden a "geezer" ...ozzy however 

I saw Def Leopard in concert a few years ago and they rocked it WAY better than 90% of the "new" bands I've seen. Not all of the old guys have gone limp.

(Although their opener, Poison, most certainly had. Or were they ever any good?)

I've seen lots of geezers... Two of them actually qualify as geezers: Willie Nelson and Doc Watson. However, with that type of music--as far from rock as you can get--it only helps. Although Doc did do an awesome rendition of Knights in White Satin.

I'd still go see AC/DC, and probably enjoy them just as much as I did in 1980

Javelin wrote: I saw Def Leopard in concert a few years ago and they rocked it WAY better than 90% of the "new" bands I've seen. Not *all* of the old guys have gone limp. (Although their opener, Poison, most certainly had. Or were they ever any good?)

*Leppard.

A few years ago, we saw Foghat at a free concert at FeatherFest. Actually, the band should have been called "The bass player from Foghat and 3 other guys playing Foghat songs." Still, I think it's a pretty good thing if your whole band can die on you and you can still get paid to play the free concert at a chicken festival in Springdale, Arkansas.

The question is whether or not they were any good in the first place. Jimmy Buffet for example was excellent live when he started playing music all those years ago, and he is still excellent live today. Hair bands like Iron Maiden, Poison and Cinderella sucked when they were new, and they still suck today. Nothing is going to change that.

Some performers do not age well...have you heard Bob Dylan lately? WTF? On the other hand, I saw the Rolling Stones about 10 years ago and Mick Jagger had not lost one ounce of energy from when he was 23. (Keith Richards died in 1987, so his performance is mostly animatronics)

What I can't stand is when there is only original person left, but they still tour as a famous band. "I saw the Beatles live last summer! They had a new singer, drummer, bass player and guitarist, but it was the original Beatles sound engineer!"

Man, I saw Paul McCartney with my son last year. I've been a life long Beatles fan and made sure my kids were familiar with their stuff. They both love them. Not only was it just cool to finally see one of them perform live, the show was outstanding! If you saw the end of the Grammy's show, you got a taste of it.

Bob Dylan sucked from the old days to, he sounds like a dieing cow when he sings and hes a wacko socialist on top of that. I havent been to a concert since the 1985 RATT Invasion of your privacy tour, and the only one I have ever been to. I refuse to pay the prices to get into a concert now no matter what the band is. I paid 13 bucks for the concert I went to. Destroyed my hearing but had a blast. Always wanted to see AC/DC though.

poopshovel wrote: At a combined height and weight of 6'1" and 180 lbs., I'm pretty sure Bruce Dickinson and Steve Harris could still kick my ass...or at least outrun me. Either way, I wouldn't call any member of Maiden a "geezer" ...ozzy however 

I usually consider myself competitive until my opponent can run approximately 2800 feet per second.

MarkZ28 wrote: Bob Dylan sucked from the old days to, he sounds like a dieing cow when he sings and hes a wacko socialist on top of that. I havent been to a concert since the 1985 RATT Invasion of your privacy tour, and the only one I have ever been to. I refuse to pay the prices to get into a concert now no matter what the band is. I paid 13 bucks for the concert I went to. Destroyed my hearing but had a blast. Always wanted to see AC/DC though.

I saw a RATT show around that time also. Queensryche opened. The problem with lots of these bands is dead members, like Ratt for example.

pinchvalve wrote: On the other hand, I saw the Rolling Stones about 10 years ago and Mick Jagger had not lost one ounce of energy from when he was 23.

Cocaine is a helluva drug!

I was really a fan of this cover as a young teenager.

poopshovel wrote:

Javelin wrote: I saw Def Leopard in concert a few years ago and they rocked it WAY better than 90% of the "new" bands I've seen. Not *all* of the old guys have gone limp. (Although their opener, Poison, most certainly had. Or were they ever any good?)

*Leppard.

Sorry, up ALL damn night with a sick 6-week old. I'm surprised I can even get the internets to work right now, let alone (mis)spell band names.

Bartok never did a thing for me. Since his death he's just a decomposer...

Devo was awesome last time I saw them, as was X.

ransom wrote: Bartok never did a thing for me. Since his death he's just a decomposer... Devo was awesome last time I saw them, as was X.

^Exactly^.

Saw Devo 2 nights at 9:30 club in DC - "Are We Not Men" + the videos from that album first night, "Freedom of Choice + the videos second night. It's all the original members except Josh Freese on drums, which as both a Devo fan and a drummer most of my life is nothing but an improvement.

X came through a couple months ago doing "Los Angeles" in it's entirety + all the hits + the X documentary. A fantastic show.

Also in the "Artist does their breakout album in it's entirety" shows that were really good was Liz Phair doing "Exile from Guyville", Matthew Sweet doing "Girlfriend", and The Buzzcocks doing "Love Bites" and "A Different Kind of Tension"+ most of "Single Going Steady".

The last Damned show was 3 sets w/ their 70's, early 80's, late 80's material with the relevant outfit changes. Captain Sensible in the pink fake fur trousers doing "New Rose" and "Neat, neat neat" is worth $25 by itself.

Plus, most of the upper tier (non-Dischord) DC punk bands have gotten back together for one-offs or in the case of Scream, new material and tours. As mentioned, Scream, Government Issue, Marginal Man and Kingface, all back together.

Hell, even my DC hardcore outfit from '81-'84, Underground Soldier is re-releasing it's album.

Geezers want the old songs!

(And yes, we're going to see Van Halen - REAL Van Halen w/ Dave - w/ Kool and the Gang @ Verizon Center)

I am too young to have seen a lot of these bands when they were first around but I love the music so it is awesome to see some of them still around.

I enjoyed seeing Lynyrd Skynyrd in concert.