“The old rocker wore his hair too long
Wore his trouser cuffs too tight
Unfashionable to the end
Drank his ale too light
Death’s head belt buckle, yesterday’s dreams
The transport caf’, prophet of doom
Ringing no change in his double-sewn seams
In his post-war-babe gloom
Now he’s too old to rock and roll
But he’s too young to die”
- Jethro Tull (Ian Anderson)- 1976
This past week I had the opportunity to attend two shows by some legendary musicians- Martin Barre (Jethro Tull), and Jim Messina (Poco and Loggins & Messina). They are both about 10 years older than me (Barre is 77, and Messina is 76), but they are still going at it. Given how much I have enjoyed life after retiring from Merck at the age of 55, I can’t imagine having a grueling tour schedule in my 70s- driving to Sellersville PA (in the middle of nowhere), staying at a cheap hotel, playing in front of 300 people, and then back on the road. But aging rock stars are surprisingly common nowadays, with even octogenarians Mick Jagger (80), Roger Daltry (80), and Ringo Starr (84) still performing in front of live audiences. Now if you’d asked me 50 years ago if any of them would still be playing at this age I would have laughed and said they would be “too old to rock and roll”. I understood, back in 1965, when a 21-year-old Roger Daltry famously sang “hope I die before I get old”. But now that I’m in my “golden years” myself, my perspective has clearly changed. You’re never too old to rock ‘n roll!
Martin Barre
Martin Barre is best known for his longtime role as lead guitarist of British rock band Jethro Tull, with whom he recorded and toured from 1968 until the band’s initial dissolution in 2011. In the early 1990s he began a solo career, and he has recorded several albums as well as touring with his own live band. His signature solo on the 1971 Jethro Tull standard “Aqualung” was voted by the readers of Guitar Player magazine as one of the top rock guitar solos of all time. I was only 15 in 1972, but I still remember loving their hit “Living in the Past” and recording it on my little cassette recorder when I heard it on the radio. While I can’t say I was a huge Tull fan when I was young (I never saw them live), I did really like their songs that were getting airplay on FM radio. It wasn’t until after the break-up of the band many years later that I finally got to see Ian Anderson perform live, and then Martin Barre, whom I’ve had the pleasure of seeing at Sellersville Theater a few times now.
Barre and his band put on an incredible show- he hasn’t lost a step as one of rock’s leading guitarists. It was a great retrospective of Jethro Tull’s career. Dan Crisp’s vocals are eerily similar to Ian Anderson. They had eye-catching videos playing in the background throughout the show. The show was rich on deep cuts from their vast catalog, and although they didn’t play many of the hits, they still worked in “Thick as a Brick”, “Hymn 43”, and of course “Aqualung”. Barre joked that they were working on becoming a Beatles tribute band, as they also performed Tull-influenced versions of “Eleanor Rigby” and “She’s So Heavy”. They played 20 songs over 2 hours without an intermission. (Didn’t he need a pee break?) It was a fun night.
Jim Messina
Like so many people my age, I became a big fan of Loggins and Messina in 1972, when their song “Your Momma Don’t Dance” was getting nonstop airplay on the radio. I remember seeing them perform several times on The Midnight Special, my favorite TV show as a teenager. I became a big fan and bought several of their albums. They went on to sell over 16 million records, with 5 top 40 hits on the adult contemporary charts, making them one of the most popular musical duos of the 70s. It wasn’t until much later that I realized Jim Messina was also a founding member of Poco, and also spent some time in Buffalo Springfield prior to that. Quite a resume!
This is where I wish I saved my ticket stubs over the years- I think I may have seen Loggins and Messina live at the Spectrum in Philadelphia in the 70s, but I saw them on TV so much maybe that’s what I’m remembering. And I’m pretty sure I’ve seen Kenny Loggins solo in the 80s, but I’m not sure of that either. (There goes my memory…) Getting into more recent decades which haven’t left my brain cells yet, I do know this was my second time seeing Jim Messina solo at the Sellersville Theater. He’s still sounding great and had an awesome band. He played all of my Loggins and Messina favorites (“Thinking of You”, “Angry Eyes”, Danny’s Song”, “House At Pooh Corner”, “Be Free”, “Holiday Hotel”, “Your Mama Don’t Dance”, etc.), along with “Follow Your Dreams” and “You Better Think Twice” from his days with Poco, plus some solo material. He’s yet another senior who still has a lot of good years left- see him if you get a chance!
I have seen countless musicians continuing to perform well into their “golden years”. Many, like Jim Messina and Martin Barre, are still at the top of their game, while others may now be past their prime (Paul McCartney comes to mind). But I admire them all for staying active and doing what they love. Seeing my favorite performers playing the songs from my youth will always be priceless. You’re never too old to rock ‘n roll!
Enter your email below to get notified of future blog posts:
Leave a Reply