Rockin' Geezers

Update: August 13 - Mr. Jazz told me I should definitely not have included Rush in the list. Because although I did say that Rush had never stopped, I didn't note that, unlike the Stones, they never went on hiatus, and have always been putting out new albums - over 25 without counting lives and retrospectives and compliations. Rush does, indeed, rock. Are not geezers and will never be geezers. I humbly apologize for the error of my ways. Mea culpa.


San Francisco had it's "Summer of Love". Montreal is in the middle of its "Baby Boomer Summer of Nostalgia".

I don't know who had the brilliant idea of pulling old 80s bands out of the mothballs, but Boomers are lapping it up.

I can just imagine the scene: "Hmmm, how about we pull all these old bands out of retirement and charge $200-$300 a ticket to see them. They can afford it now. We'll make whacks of money and so will the retired geezers! Let's do it!!"

In no particular order, some of the bands that Montreal hosted or that are still to come:

- The ubiquitous Stones (but that was before the summer)
- Def Leppard with Styx as an opening band
- The Police
- Genesis
- Deep Purple
- Meatloaf
- Rush

OK in the Stones' and Rush's defense, they never retired and how glad am I that Geddy Lee is still . And Meatloaf? I have no clue, I only know he hasn't been to Montreal in forever.

And what about Pink Floyd? Or did they already pass through and I didn't even notice because I was in bed snoring at 9:30?

The boomers rule. We are, without a doubt the most powerful, moneyed, market around. And Boomers don't want to get older, refuse to get older. They seem to have decided, in a lot of cases to streeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetch adolsecence out forever.

Now, I'm not saying that's wrong. Hell I'm on the tail end of the boom myself, so who am I to talk. I like rock shows so long as I don't have to spend $200 on a ticket.

Somehow though, I can't imagine my parent's generation going to a rock show at 55.

Imagine the scene: 2020. Bell Centre in Montreal. Grey heads lining up for a show, walkers and canes galore. Adult diapers en masse (cause there's such a long wait for the loos dontcha know).

Eventually, you'll have a Futurama like scene with live heads preserved in a jar after the rockers' bodies finally give up. They'll set up the jars on stage and the talking heads will give their show.