If you think that you are too old to Rock’n’Roll…
I don’t and I’m happy to say this has been probably the luckiest week of my life, at least as far as concerts go. Exactly one week ago we were In Glasgow making our way to the Roger Waters show. I lack the words to even try to describe such an experience. On Thursday, we saw Alice Cooper and his Hollywood Vampires here in Bucharest. Not bad, is it? Two legends in one week….
The good part about this type of concert is that you definitely don’t feel out of place. You’re definitely not too old when the guy on stage is in his 70s. Actually, Roger Waters is turning 80 this year and he certainly doesn’t show it… It’s sort of fun to be surrounded by plenty of people with silver in their hair, not to mention beer bellies or bald spots. It’s the music we all grew up with and some of them probably saw many great concerts when they were young. I didn’t because back then we did not have this kind of show in my country, which sort of explains how grateful I am to see these people live on stage. Better late than never…
What I love most is open-air concerts. There’s nothing better than being in the crowd, late at night under the stars. It feels like a family reunion. We don’t know each other, but we all love the guy on stage and the music so we’re like brothers and sisters for the night.
One of the (many) things that fascinate me about all the rockers of the old generation is how they redefine the notion of age. Sadly, many of the great ones did not make it to old age, many never got to be middle-aged even, but those that did…. Think about your regular 70 or 80 years old. A grandma that took forever to stand up from her chair, your father who only talked about doctor’s appointments? What’s more, the few greats that are still around spent their best decades doing drugs and whatnot. But they’re still there… and they rock! When I grow old this is definitely how I want to be. Full of life and energy. Rock’n’roll happens to be my passion, but I guess whatever music you like works. Age should never be a reason to stop doing what you like! Dance, belt away the lyrics, be free! It’s cheaper than therapy and it certainly doesn’t have side effects like the meds many people my age are already on….
This may not be the only post about music this summer as I have other concerts to look forward to. Personally, I’m quite excited to see Amon Amarth on July 1. To be honest, my children are tagging along just to keep an eye on their crazy Mom. It’s not that I listen frequently to that sort of very heavy metal, but I like the vibe. I’m not going to battle any giants and I won’t probably go to Walhalla, but life is hard and you need that sort of determination to make it. I’ve seen them a few years ago and they have a great show so I’m looking forward to a Viking night.
Judging by the number of great concerts even here in Bucharest, it’s obvious that most bands are trying to make up for the pandemic year. It’s come to the point where you have to decide which concerts you’re going to skip. Guns’n’Roses are playing here in a few weeks, but I don’t care that much for them and it’s too expensive. I’d love to see Scorpions again, but again too much money for a show I’ve seen a few times… At least they made it through the pandemic and they’re still fit to tour, which is quite a feat when we’re talking about people pushing 80. I had very high hopes that Ozzy might still do those shows that got postponed in 2020, but I guess that won’t happen, which is soo sad. The only consolation is that we did go and see him. The last one was a concert in Prague, on a miserably cold day, in the rain, in the mud…. It was perfect!
I always imagined I'd be a hip old bird still going to gigs in my dotage but alas I no longer find the idea of crowds and noise (no disrespect to Alice Cooper) so attractive and I'd rather stay at home with my cocoa and the record player:)
LOL
God. We're old.
I am the definition of hip :) You should see me with my shopping trolley (gotta take care of my spine, you know), full of potatoes, bits of onion poking out, cursing myself I forgot the milk again (I always check the drinks aisle but for some reason they never put a carton of milk there.)... and, of course, I have my headphones on and I'm generally mouthing things involving lots of fighting and devils.
I envy you for your record player, though :)
Awesome!
One of the greatest concerts I've ever seen. I saw the Scorps with a couple other groups, one of which was Pablo Cruise, and I expected Pablo Cruise to really excel in vocals compared to the Scorpions. I was there for Ulrich Roth's guitar, and didn't really care about the vocals.
Klaus Meine slaughtered Pablo Cruise. An incredible vocalist. That's when I began to care about other instruments in metal bands, and there are few vocalists that rise to the incredible skill and range Klaus Meine has attained. Dio, Tony Martin, Robert Plant, David Coverdale, but very, very few can hold a candle to the Scorpions vocalist.
Glad you got to enjoy the show.
Thanks!
Why did you have to mention Klaus Meine? I like him very much and I know he's great... I just checked again the tickets for their concert and, no, it's not doable. I don't think the band is to blame, but the local organizers, and they kinda suck. I wasn't happy at all at the Hollywood Vampires show as they didn't put up a screen so people can at least get a glimpse of the guys...
Ahahah, I saw a couple of those bands... More than 2 decades ago.
Nowadays I prefer to go to concerts from younger bands. They're new, vibrant... and also a lot cheaper and with a smaller crowd. Sometimes. Watching Louna in Moscow was as insane as Metallica, who would have guessed they have so many fans? Still, it was only 12€ or something like that. 😆
I'm so glad you're getting out to see live music! From the energy I felt in this post you enjoyed it to the max. I couldn't help but smile while reading it. This is what life is all about and what was robbed from us during the pandemic.
During the lockdowns I used to just sit and think of all the nice things we used to do before. Just thinking back at that horrible time makes me mad. Plus, the feeling we might lose our freedom at any time. It's a feeling I cannot shake.