Are Concerts By Old Rockers Worth It?

not usually... McCartney is embarrassing

I enjoyed seeing the Stones this past summer.

I saw the Moody Blues and really enjoyed the show...but that was 20 years ago.

Mitch..I figured I best see them before the keel over.

Hello Vicky,

Did you catch their recently recorded concert that is shown every pledge drive on Channel Nine? Not very impressive.

A little while ago I saw the Dweezil Zappa tour - Zappa Does Zappa - and that's the way to see the old guys rock - - through their kids.

Namaste, Wayne

I am torn part of me would like to see the "old groups" touring now, as this may be the final tour. But part of me, does not want to spend 200.00 & up for tickets, knowing I'd need two tickets one for me one for my husband, wow I can't justify the money being spent. We need new flooring & well that is where the money will go.

Depends on how much you like their music and songs. You'll get to hear those memories for what may be one final time performed live. You see the age on stage as the musicians have grown old, but you have, too...all reliving that one magic moment again. Go for it...

Ohhhh..I'd love to see Skynard and ZZ Top again!! And Eric Clapton!!

I also would love to travel and see billy joel. I still enjoy his music.

Last summer I went to see Santana in concert. That guy can play!! There were all ages and types of people at the concert and everyone was rocking out!

I saw Eric Clapton a few years back and it wasn't expensive then. Also, BTO and they were great. Unfortunately, I could not afford the amounts any of them want now. Leon Russell is coming to one of our local places here. I may check that out. I loved him.

I saw Leon Russell about 26 or 27 years ago.....at a Disneyland concert. He was great!!

I have been to see Fleetwood Mac, Aerosmith, & Metallica live....Fleetwood Mac was the best of the three & Godsmack ruled over Metallica at that concert (they co-headlined)...I don't think I would go to that much effort to see The Moody Blues, but I would put forward a little bit of effort to see Billy Joel!! If you go to either, try to buy a shirt at least & try to take pics if at all possible!!

Some have aged better than others and can still rock. I've listened to but never seen the Moody Blues. Billy Joel can still sing. I'd pay 200 to see Eric Clapton provided I got a ringside seat.

I enjoyed our local oldies radio stations "oldies" concert a few years back, and even got to see Bowzer from Sha-na-na (and yes, this is before my time really) but I still enjoyed it. :D I also saw REO speedwagon at a Hometown Holidays and they were awesome. And I would so go to see Billy Joel if I could. That's more my generation.

Peter Noonan played here two years ago, and he was great. Dorky or not, he gave a good show. Chuck Negron (3 dog night) played here last summer. Good musician, but he was not especially "audience friendly", kinda mean to some peeps with a video camera. Several years ago I won free tickets to see a Doc Severinson show. He may be a bit long in the tooth, but he gave a roaring good show! If you can afford a live show of a musician you like, go. But don't mortgage the house to do it! No performer wants you to have "buyer's remorse"....just buy their CD!

I certainly wouldn't pay $200 to see any concert. But I have paid quite a bit to see the Stones back in '97. They still put on a great show. Tom Petty really knows how to play to the crowd and he tries to keep ticket prices down. The Who was another great one to see, but I wouldn't bother now that there are only two left... same goes for seeing The Allman Brothers.

Vicky, most of the old folks -- whoops, I mean classics! -- that I've seen have been terrific. I've seen Billy Joel 3 times (twice w/Elton John) and he puts on a great show. The Stones were great on the Steel Wheels and Voodoo Lounge tours, and I'd see them again if I could afford it. (In 1989 the tickets were $33 and I remember getting righteously indignant about how much I had to pay. Jeez, I had no idea!) Clapton has been amazing every time I've seen him and he also has wonderful opening acts -- Jimmie Vaughn and Tilt-a-Whirl last time -- and the Eagles were worth every penny of their exorbitant cost.
Other greats I've seen who still have it: Fleetwood Mac, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Petty (he's so good I see him every time he tours, and he has terrific openers too), Don Henley (just as good solo), Aerosmith, Steely Dan (who knew?), and Sting.

I saw the Moody Blues in Champaign-Urbana a few years ago. I loved every minute of the concert...but, there is no way I would pay $200 to see anyone. I cringe at the $85 I've paid for some tickets. We saw REO Speedwagon this summer and it was a great concert...they came to our town, and we paid $5 parking for a free concert sponsored by a local business. What a deal! I would pay the most to see The Eagles if they ever were close enough to go see. I love to see the old rockers...because I am one!

Billy Joel would be worth it. I saw he and Elton John together about 10 years ago and it was a fantastic show.

I could see Billy Joel, but that Moody Blues guy is pretty sad. He should get a new toupee.

you might want to go to find out about his beauty solutions and whether its clairol or schwarzkopf

Billy Joel is ALWAYS worth it!!!

I have to disagree on the McCartney comments above. Took my kids to see him about a year and a half ago and he was great.

Check out the Moody Blues DVD "Live at Red Rock" (or something like that) and then make up your mind. I bet you'll want to go.

I think it all depends on who the rocker is...I went to see David Bowie on his last world tour a few years ago and it was an awesome show!! He looked great and sounded great...can't quite hit those high notes as well, but his voice is still amazing. Same with Bruce Springsteen...saw him over the last few years on his Rising tour as well as his Devils & Dust tour...still ROCKS and sounds more and more like Bob Dylan as he gets older. Haha!!

I'm going to see Iggy and the Stooges later this month when they come to Seattle. This is a show that I am totally looking forward to. Yay!

I didn't go see The Rolling Stones because their ticket prices were ridiculous.

My last boyfried was REALLY into concerts- we saw Parliament Funkadelic, Santana, BBKing and Dr. John, Jefferson Starship and Allman Bros. I liked some, not all.
The definition of fossil - a person who goes to see dinosaur bands... LOL

I saw Billy Joel and Elton John in concert together and all I can say is....WOW! The two of them were full of energy and kept a sold out arena full of that same energy for the entire night. I wouldn't toss them in the 'rockers' category that's for sure but then my musical tastes are all over the board.

Hey Vicky, my answer is yes, if the tickets are cheap. There are a lot of old rockers I'd like to see that I couldn't when I was young because I couldn't afford the tickets. Now, they'll often appear in small venues, at very affordable prices, and I'm able to finally enjoy their live performance.

I saw Paul McCartney at the Garden in Boston in 2005 and I thought he put on a fantastic high energy show. I would definitely go see again him! I've seen The Rolling Stones twice in the past couple of years. The first time was at Fenway Park in 2005 and I saw them again at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro last year.Both were great shows. Mick Jagger continues to amaze me! Where does he get all his energy!? I saw John Fogerty at a small club last year. One of the best shows I have ever seen and one of the loudest! I love the Moody Blues but I'm debating whether or not to go see them this year. Listening to one of their recent live cds I noticed a change in Justin Hayward's voice for the worse that reminded me that he is definitely getting old. Still, I have never seen the Moodies in concert so I might decide to go.

Old Jeff Beck can show the youngsters a thing or two, as can 70 year-old John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. I went to a party a week or two ago with the "Alameda All Stars", Members of the Gregg Allman Band, and they tore down the house!

Working for Rock Medicine, I've gone to Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd concerts for free several times, and nobody has the nerve to say they don't still know how to tear it up!

I think that getting a chance to see any one of the"Oldies But Goodies" would be a blast from the past! Maybe not as hip as they were, but if you're really into a certain group; and can afford the tickets and so on, by all means go! I saw The Moody Blues in concert on channel 7 and they were sensational, really!!! Your gotta realize that the performances will not be the same as 20 yrs. back. If you're a real true fan of anyone of them, I say go and enjoy Vicky.

We saw a special on 'old' groups last summer. Moody Blues were on it and were great. I would love to see them in concert. I'd say go for it. Your floor can wait another year. LOL You may not get the chance to see them again. Think of the memories it'll dredge up. I'm jealous.

My favorites would be CCR, Moody Blues and Eric Clapton. Wish they'd all do a concert together. It'd save a lot of time and money. Ha!

Then come back on here and tell us all how they were.

If I had the money, and heard enough of a recent sample of them to know that they can still sing I would. For example the Police reunion is coming to Minneapolis in July. I'd love to go to that, but it's just out of my budget

I saw Billy Joel last year & he totally ROCKED!!! I've been a huge fan of his since before Glass Houses & he played a few songs off of every album! We also had great seats we were sitting behind Alec Baldwin & Pink, tons of fun!!

I keep hoping pink floyd will do it one more time for me...........

Vicky,
I saw the Moody Blues six years ago, and they were awesome. In comparison, I saw
Crosby, Stills and Nash(no Young) a few years back and they totally sucked..forgetting lyrics, etc..

I saw the Moody Blues a couple of years ago - and I first saw them in the 60s... they are still a good band.

In the past few years, I've seen The Who and the Rolling Stones.

The only show I've been to in recent years that was truly dreadful was when my husband bought tickets for us to see the Everly Bros at the Albert Hall in London (last year)... they should have retired YEARS ago....!

Well, I didn't care for this kind of music when they were "young" I sure as heck won't like it now.

I see many of the old rock stars around Santa Barbara - they seem so small - lol...I don't think I'd pay $200 or travel two and a half hours to see them...however, do what will make you happy! Salud.

VickyD
The Everlys were piss poor! They were just going through the motions. I first saw them about 30 years ago - and they were great. One of the bros (I'm useless at names) was almost totally speechless during the whole 1.5 hours of the show.....

Waste of money.

The Bloody Moos (as they were lovingly known here in the UK) - I remember seeing them in Edinburgh when I was about 15. Along with the Yardbirds.... another favourite band at the time.

Travis, they've already keeled.

Sounds like a lot and no band is worth (the expanded) slog anymore. But I do like my Moodies Blue.

I saw Rod Stewart at the Garden - twice. He was wonderful. A little under the weather the first time; it got me worried. But he seemed much better when I saw him the following week. He's still got it!

I'm so late to everything, lately!

We saw Michael McDonald and Steely Dan last summer. It was great. We're going to see the Police in July. We go to a lot of more current, country venues frequently.

We always plan to stay overnight when we do these kinds of things. We just make it a 2 day plan, but then we live an hour from Cleveland and it make for way too late of a night. So, tickets, gas, hotel, dinner, breakfast...always worth it. And a shopping trip on the way home is usually in order.

We took our daughter with us three years ago to go see Kiss (in full makeup) and Aerosmith. It was an awesome show. I think that the order should of been switched though. Aerosmith was anti-climatic after seeing Kiss with all their fireworks and special effects. I'm going to see Tom Petty this summer.

I think if you are trying to re-live the thrill of being a teenager and seeing your heroes on stage, be prepared to be disappointed. Not because of any other reason apart from that you are no longer a teenager (most of us anyway) and that your heroes are also getting on. I'm sure they will lack the energy and verve that brought them to stardom when they first began.

Having said that, if you've never seen them perform, or you are a fan of their music, musicians can get better with age. Especially the real musicians. Seeing Clapton and Billy Joel now would still be incredible. They did not rely on their youthful presence to sell their music. The Stones on the other hand, as much as I love their music are playing as much as they did when they were teens, and this might get weird. It's as though they never grew up. I saw Stevie Wonder recently, and his voice and playing has never sounded so good. I also saw QUEEN play with Paul Rogers last year, and their songs sounded fresh and as incredible as when I ever first played their music. The songs stand up for themselves.

What makes it great to see these legends play now, is that they have brought their new wisdom onto the stage and into their performance. Their lyrics have new profound depth, and their music speaks for itself with precision, that only expertise and experience can deliver. Musicians do get better at their craft as they age. Don't expect them to stage dive. Just marvel at their brilliance and that you are witnessing living legends doing what they do best...MUSIC.

One of the greatest musical moments I ever experienced was when Brian May played and sang LOVE OF MY LIFE solo on an acoustic guitar in Vegas last year. It brought shivers down my spine, body aching all the time...

I'd say if you are a big enough fan, go see the show. Don't expect the same as you would have in their hey-day, but be prepared to be moved and know that you are witnessing something very special.

I wish I had tickets to see THE POLICE...

I would love to see The Police as well! Oh, and to see GNR together again.....misssed that too growing up.
My sister saw Paul McCartney in a concert last year, and said it was the best she has ever seen!

I saw Billy Joel and Eric Clapton last year (separate concerts) and both shows were worth every penny. I've discovered that these older, classic artists have so many great songs to choose from that I'm usually not disappointed.

The only concerts that haven't been worth it were new album tours. If they have a new album out they need to focus on it and we usually don't know the songs.

I hope this is helpful ... enjoy the show!

For me, it would depend on who the rocker was. If it was someone I loved, I would shell out the money. However, there is so much to do in St. Louis, couldn't you just turn the whole thing into a mini vacation?

And if I have this right, Rod Stewart currently has the highest grossing tour. I didn't think he had the pipes to pull it off anymore, but apparantly I'm mistaken.

not really.

it depends on the person/band. if rockers haven't been doing drugs and aren't burned out then they usually get better with age.

It seems to me there is no general answer to this question, it's too case-by-case by nature. MiG covered most of what I would say. I do kind of wonder, though, how much the distance between one's own age and that of the "classic" rockers comes into play...
I think the saddest scenario is when it's all nostalgia--that there is no new material, no sense of where the years between have taken them.
I saw Crosby Stills Nash and Young at the Hollywood Bowl last year and it was pretty great. Part of it was that I always loved their music, part was that it was a reunion, and part was that it had an infusion of new energy because Neil Young had just released a new CD and there was a political statement being made.

One more thing: If I ever get a chance to see Eric Clapton or the Police I will run, not walk.

My son and I went to see the Moody Blues in February in San Jose, and they were first rate. They have a tightly scripted show...no run-on licks or jams...pure professional perfection. Norda Mullen is the multi-talented replacement for Ray Thomas (flute); she is fabulous. Unlike Ray, she plays wind and chorded instruments and is dynamic. The sound is as full and majestic as it was in 1972. I paid $50 for balcony seats and it was worth 10x that.

Summer of Love + 40 is Sunday (9/2) in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. I'm ripped with excitement over gathering under the sounds of my wonderfully turbulent era. I wouldnt miss this for the world.