By Neil Coupe
Perusing the Sunday papers can sometimes be a dispiriting experience, for all sorts of obvious reasons, but how reassuring to see a page of concert listings, and more or less recognising every single performer.
Reading album reviews these days is generally a source of mystery, when even the genre of music being described can entail a 10 minute google search. Similarly, listening to music on any radio station which is not suffixed with 70’s, 80’s or ‘Gold’ is like a step into an unknown and unfathomable world. Which of course for someone of middle age is exactly how it should be.
When rock ‘n’ roll started in the 1950s, it was for young people – definitely not for the parents’ generation and absolutely not for their grandparents’ generation.
The choice today for concerts seems to be between artists of my youth, such as Adam Ant, The Cure or New Order, who are in their sixties, acts who were already well-established even then such as Elton John or Rod Stewart, who are now in their 70s or bands whose heyday was before most people still in paid employment were even born, such as the octogenarian Rolling Stones or Manfred Mann.
It is revealing that a performer such as Roxy Music, once the epitome of the avant-garde, is now advertising a 50th Anniversary tour. It is difficult to imagine any musicians from the 1920s on a 50th Anniversary Tour back in 1972.
Yes, somehow this does not appear at all strange.
Are we all still pining for our youth, when life was so much simpler, with the music evocative of a better time?
Is this a combination of older people being most likely to have the disposable income to spend on an expensive evening out, and facilities tailored to their needs?
If we consider one local venue, G Live in Guildford, for example, it certainly has comfortable seats, plenty of ‘comfort break’ facilities, decent parking facilities, and a tendency to close at a sensible hour. For people with the necessary energy levels, it is still possible to stand, and even dance, just in front of the stage.
For the most successful musicians, with top class and honest advisors, there has always been a chance of making large amounts of money, especially for songwriters, but in the past having a career potentially spanning decades was never really considered a possibility.
Leaving aside the financial incentive, there must be something amazingly gratifying to be able to perform your greatest hits to a large, supportive crowd, and knowing that you ‘still have it’, and that the crowd will no doubt be there again for a repeat in 12 months’ time.
Not a bad way to top up a pension.
I once attended a gig of 1980s artists, and after his first song, one of the performers said ‘right, next up is something from my new album…’ he then paused for dramatic effect, before continuing ‘I love seeing people’s faces when I say that. Don’t worry, only joking, I will now play my No 3 single from 1984’ – to audible cheers or relief and happiness from the assembled throng.
Maybe we just like what we like.
Looking ahead, it is totally conceivable that the highest profile performers with nationwide resonance, such as an Ed Sheeran or Adele will also still be filling stadiums with rapturous audiences in their dotage.
My advice to them would be – ‘make sure it’s your old stuff’.
