I wonder what John Lennon would think if he knew that his fellow Beatle, Paul McCartney, was still rocking and filling stadiums at the age of sixty-nine? Yes, Sir Paul McCartney turned 69 this Saturday! (I also wonder what John would think of Paul being knighted. Somehow, I don’t think he would impressed).
So many old rockers are still touring. Many of them, like Paul, could be home collecting old age pensions and living off the millions of dollars they have earned over their lifetime. Yet they continue to thrill audiences and perform at sell-out concerts all over the world. They strut their stuff in front of kids who were not even born when their bands were formed! What is about the Paul McCartneys, the Mick Jaggers or the Gene Simmons that makes people forget that rock is supposed to be for the young? Why do their songs resonate with generation after generation? When the Stones played in Regina in 2005, both their concerts sold out in 15 minutes! ACDC tickets sold out in Regina in the same amount of time in 2009. The Eagles, Kiss and Elton John all played to sold-out audiences in Saskatoon over the last couple years. Steven Tyler and Areosmith are just as popular now as they were twenty years ago.
How can men and women in their fifties and sixties seem cool to teen-agers and young adults? How is it that their thirty- year-old songs are still relevant to the children and yes, even the grand-children of their peers? I think the secret is that they so love doing what they do, they just haven't taken the time to grow old. I believe that the love they have for their music and for their industry is so strong that it is contagious - and every new generation wants to be a part of that magic. They have written and sang songs that are so unique and so inspiring that everyone wants to hear the songs in a live performance by the original singers. These men and women of rock and roll have shown the world that age really is just a number and that if you love your life, you'll live it to the fullest and you will keep doing what you love. So, as well as giving us music that will be forever enjoyed, these musicians have shown generations behind them how to grow old without growing old. So, Sir Paul, Elton, Steven and all the other old rockers, keep doing what you love because the world loves what you are doing! Old rockers who keep rocking . . . it’s a good thing!
So many old rockers are still touring. Many of them, like Paul, could be home collecting old age pensions and living off the millions of dollars they have earned over their lifetime. Yet they continue to thrill audiences and perform at sell-out concerts all over the world. They strut their stuff in front of kids who were not even born when their bands were formed! What is about the Paul McCartneys, the Mick Jaggers or the Gene Simmons that makes people forget that rock is supposed to be for the young? Why do their songs resonate with generation after generation? When the Stones played in Regina in 2005, both their concerts sold out in 15 minutes! ACDC tickets sold out in Regina in the same amount of time in 2009. The Eagles, Kiss and Elton John all played to sold-out audiences in Saskatoon over the last couple years. Steven Tyler and Areosmith are just as popular now as they were twenty years ago.
How can men and women in their fifties and sixties seem cool to teen-agers and young adults? How is it that their thirty- year-old songs are still relevant to the children and yes, even the grand-children of their peers? I think the secret is that they so love doing what they do, they just haven't taken the time to grow old. I believe that the love they have for their music and for their industry is so strong that it is contagious - and every new generation wants to be a part of that magic. They have written and sang songs that are so unique and so inspiring that everyone wants to hear the songs in a live performance by the original singers. These men and women of rock and roll have shown the world that age really is just a number and that if you love your life, you'll live it to the fullest and you will keep doing what you love. So, as well as giving us music that will be forever enjoyed, these musicians have shown generations behind them how to grow old without growing old. So, Sir Paul, Elton, Steven and all the other old rockers, keep doing what you love because the world loves what you are doing! Old rockers who keep rocking . . . it’s a good thing!
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