Some musicians and singers don't age gracefully...

[Archae]

While they might still love performing, they can sound terrible.

Tonight, the Rolling Stones will be in Milwaukee, to start off Summerfest.

And they sound terrible.
Granted, I never really liked them in the first place, but Mick Jagger really sounds bad.

Paul McCartney is getting too old also.

Neil Young really sounds bad.

Willie Nelson still sounds good.

[antiquie]

1. Wow, can't wait for your review of the Dead.

Did you like any of the above when they were young?

?t=90

[rurallib]

18. Jerry Garcia just doesn't have it anymore

[antiquie]

20. Agreed.

At least not on this plane.

[Trajan]

2. I noticed some serious wrinklage there on your face

Omg! ... How did you get so old and decrepit?.

How disgusting! ... Why don't you just hide your ugly old face, and never show it to the world ever again!

[Archae]

6. You saw my latest Facebook picture of myself!

Well, I was born cute, but got ugly soon after and STAYED ugly.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. The Stones (the best rock band ever) performed in Minneapolis recently.

I didn't go, but based on the reviews and a few video clips, they sounded pretty good. Keith Richards has looked dead for years, but that's just him. I agree that McCartney's voice isn't what it used to be, but Willie Nelson sounds like he always did - he had a creaky voice 30 years ago. These guys will keep performing as long as audiences come, and apparently the audiences still like them because they keep coming.

[ProfessorGAC]

8. Keith Richards

You forgot to mention that he has never even been the best guitar player in his own band.

[SaranchaIsWaiting]

17. And he is the only man to look old at the age of 12.

[opiate69]

25. ....

"For every cigarette you smoke, God takes an hour from your life and gives it to Keith Richards."

[femmocrat]

4. I saw Paul McCartney last year.

He still puts on a great show. He's 73 years old! It's amazing he can still belt out those songs and rock and roll. The venue was sold out and there were people there of all ages, not just geezers. LOL

I can add one to your list though: Kenny Rogers. I saw him last fall and he can barely sing anymore. But the songs are still wonderful and he was very entertaining.

[Archae]

5. I noticed that about Kenny Rogers too.

There are others, while Diamond David Lee Roth is still pretty good, Axhole Rose sounds terrible.

[Throd]

12. I saw Kenny Rogers perform on TV a few months ago and frankly it was sad.

[Wolverine23]

7. wisdom

There's wisdom in knowing when to hang up your boots. The next stage of their lives needs to be mentoring the next generation and to let them have the spotlight. It's hard letting go but it's the graceful way to do it.

[lame54]

9. Never liked the Stones?...

Your opinion is irrelevant

[clarice]

10. Recently saw Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull singer)....

At an acoustic performance. Yes, he looks MUCH older, but he still has the pipes.

[CBGLuthier]

29. Which is amazing considering he blew out his vocal cords years ago

and had to learn a different technique to sing. I think he sounds good but you can tell it is not as easy for him as when he was younger.

BTW, I envy you. Last time we tried to see Tull it got rained out.

[Arugula Latte]

11. I have no desire to see most of the big acts that peaked 35 or 45 years ago,

but there are a few bands from the 80s I wouldn't mind seeing in concert. The Jesus & Mary Chain is touring. I'd love to see them, but they're not coming to my town (not that they were ever on par with the Stones or McCartney in terms of hugeness). I saw a recent video and the lead singer doesn't have that "I'm reaching Joan Rivers level of pathetic-ness trying to hang on to my youth" look about him. He just looks pretty good for a guy his age (mid-50s).

Other than that, though, I prefer to see younger acts on the way up, in smallish venues. Those huge "dinosaurs of rock" shows in 50,000-seat stadiums don't appeal to me at all.

[cyberswede]

13. Neil Young is supposed to sound like that.

[LoveMyCali]

22. I always used to say

The one good thing about Neil Young's singing is no matter how bad you sound when you sing along, you sound better than he does.

[arcane1]

14. I learned not to waste my money hearing Bob Dylan "sing". He always sucked, but now it's sad.

You can't even call it singing, it's all just growling and gurgling phlegm sounds. If his name was John Smith and he went onstage sounding like that, people would walk out. But since he's famous, people still pay outrageous prices jut for the name, not the performance.

It was kind of depressing. Imagine seeing Keith Richards with such bad arthritis that he simply cannot play, but going onstage top play anyway.

[Enthusiast]

15. Growing old is just a fact of life. As a matter of fact, life's a bitch and then you die.

Those artists produced a rich legacy of wonderful music we can appreciate. And I appreciate the shit out of it. Just look at the prominent musicians that have passed.

[WinkyDink]

16. You know who sang like a dream when 70? Johnny Mathis and Ben E. King. Privileged to see them then.

[HeiressofBickworth]

21. Leonard Cohen

His voice has deepened and mellowed over the many years he has been performing. In fact, I prefer his current voice over his earlier one which I found lacking in depth. He's 80 and still performing.

[The empressof all]

28. I saw him last year

He not only sounded great he was spry and witty and all Leonard Coheney....Still sexy after all these years.

He made my heart flutter!

[HeiressofBickworth]

31. Color me pea-green with envy!!

I'm not aware that he has been or will be in the Seattle area. I've never seen him in person but I'm wearing out the CD I have of the 2009 London concert.

[The empressof all]

33. Yes he was at Key Arena

Maybe it was a few years ago but it still seems like yesterday. If I see any shows coming up I will post it. I know he was in Vancouver last year but we couldn't afford to go at the time. Even my SO who is not much of a fan said it was the best concert ever

[HeiressofBickworth]

34. I looked at his website

and there are no tours listed -- at all! Considering his age, I wouldn't be surprised if he retires from performing.

[The empressof all]

35. Goes to show you...Time flies...He was here in 2012

SO got me second row seats....

Enjoy...One of my favorite songs.

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=leonard+cohen+seattle&FORM=VIRE6#view=detail&mid=F991AE57044BBDF82A89F991AE57044BBDF82A89

[HeiressofBickworth]

36. Thanks!

My favorite is the video of Dance Me to the End of Love. You can find it on YouTube. He sings it against a background of a series of wedding pictures followed by pictures of the people later in life. The one that brings tears is the one wedding picture followed by the person sitting alone. Right now I'm listening to Boggie Street.

[seveneyes]

23. Till the fingers are to the bone

[Coventina]

24. Well, some people have an inner need to perform, and will until they drop.

If they are past their prime, but folks still want to go see them, then that's groovy with me.

I'm old enough now that many of the bands of my youth are on the nostalgia circuit.
I have to say that I've never been disappointed yet, as far as the quality of their work goes.

And, some of them have just been continually producing new work for decades.
(They Might Be Giants, the Cure, and U2 are some examples)

I don't think telling people in the fine and performing arts that they have to retire is a good thing.
Their work will be judged on its merits, and if it is truly terrible, then they will eventually lose their audience.

[fizzgig]

27. i thought of the cure when i saw this thread

they still put on one helluva show.

[Paulie]

26. Some do fine

[Manifestor_of_Light]

30. You better not go see The Who!

They are on their 50th Anniversary Tour.

Roger and Pete can still rock. You better not go see any of the bands and acts I've seen in the last few years, because most of them are old. The guy in my avatar is sixty seven, I think. Still plays the guitar and sings, the nervy barstid.

In fact, Chick Corea is SEVENTY-THREE!!! And still plays the piano! The noive!

I wanted to go see the Stones in Arlington, but didn't get off my butt in time to get tickets.


Oh, and the oldest guy I've ever seen put on a recital was Arthur Rubinstein. He was EIGHTY-THREE!! Put on a full piano recital with three encores. Why, why, why didn't he just crawl off and retire, instead of playing the piano LIVE and bringing joy to thousands....... I mean, after all, he was born in 1887.



I doubt if anyone can beat that age of a still performing world-class musician.

[alarimer]

32. Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard sound really good on their new album.

A collaboration called Django and Jimmie.

There are moments when their age shows in their voices, but mostly they sound as good as ever.

[BarbaRosa]

37. I saw Bo Diddley a few years before he passed.

He had trouble getting around and on stage, but once there he played and sang as good as ever. He sang a slow love song and his voice was strong and pure, blew me away.

[LongTomH]

38. A friend of mine said: "The Stones look like unwrapped mummies!!!!!"

Then, there's Keith Richards: