Too Old to Rock and Roll?

In the case of Jethro Tull - Yes.

This has been the summer of nostalgia concerts (for me). They've been new for my spouse.

First saw REM at the Mann Music Center in June. REM is one of those groups I discovered late in (their) life, and enjoyed them. I debated long and hard about whether I really wanted to go. In the end, a decent deal on eBay convinced me. Concert night was a challenge. I had to stay late at work (7:45 for a 7 pm show), and had decided to skip it when we realized there were 2 opening acts, so figured we'd get there when we get there, and see what's left to see. despite horrendous traffic on the Surekill, we arrived in time to hear the 2nd act finish as we walked across the parking lot. Michael Stipe and guys took the stage around 9:30 pm. At this point, I regretted my tickets. We were in the balcony, which is much higher up than I recall. The sound was mushy, which was a grave disappointment to my "concert trained" ears. I also realized that I knew very little of their repertoire, so it was an evening given to wondering what I had been thinking. It was enjoyable nonetheless. When the encore started, we beat a hasty retreat to the car and to beat traffic. To our astonishment, the sound outside was much better than where we had been sitting. We enjoyed walking to the car as "Losing My Religion" played loud and clear.

The second show of the summer was the Eagles "Farewell Tour VII" at the Wachovia Center. I had seen the Eagles at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, NJ back in the mid-70s, so wondered how they would compare. The show started about 15 minutes past the announced start time of 8 pm, which was fine, as there was no opening act. They came out in dark suits with white shirts and ties, which surprised me. They played some 'new' stuff, then quite a few hits, including some things that went back to the first couple of albums. They were tight as a band, and the old feelings returned as I watched Glenn Frey and Don Henley go through their tunes, along with Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmitt (whom I remember as a member of Poco). They are obviously older, but they are also wiser, as they can still play. Joe Walsh is an old favorite of mine, and boy did he deliver when they played all of his big numbers (Rocky Mountain Way, Seems To Me, etc.). They played all night, except for a 20-minute intermission. We left our seats at 11:40 pm.

The third show was a return to the Mann to see Peter Frampton and Jethro Tull. The wife had somehow morphed the show into Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull. Try to wrap your head around that combination. Peter Frampton was surprisingly good. I figured he would be OK, and I would recognize a number of tunes. He has some excellent material from over the years, including some recent instrumental work which was really enjoyable. The funniest part of the evening was that they all seemed to change guitars after EVERY song. It became humorous to watch. To their credit, the stage hands were superb in managing the show.

The highlight that I anticipated - Jethro Tull, whom I have seen four times previously - was a big disappointment. The simple problem is that Ian Anderson can no longer sing. He has gotten old, and has not figured out how to pull off the runs that once were so amazing. The band remains strong, but gone are the lyrical runs and the stage show. I so wanted to see a zebra pass tennis balls again, as I had seen at Madison Square Garden in 197x. Alas, it was not to be.

Memo to Ian - drop 'Too Old to Rock and Roll' from the repertoire. It points out in gory detail how long it's been.

See you next time . . .