Have you gone to see an old relic of a band (Stones, Aerosmith, etc), lately and were suprised at how good they still sounded?

I’ve seen the Rolling Stones recently (a couple of years ago). I wasn’t surprised how good they were I knew how good they were before I went that’s why I paid £300+ for the tickets.

I saw Ozzy about a year ago in Denver, and compared to how decrepit he is on television (you know, cant hardly talk or WALK), i was truly amazed at his performance. The man can still sing & he can even move around stage without any problem.

I saw Van Halen last year, and was very suprised to hear David Lee Roth Hit all those high notes, and see Eddie Van Halen still play guitar like a god.

I went to see the Moody Blues last autmn, and tho the songs and tunes were awsome, their skills didn’t impress me all that much.
But they had with them a set of young musicians who were GREAT!

A norwegian proverb says that ‘The old are most often the senior’ meaning that the old are best and more experienced. But this time I’m not sure…

But a great experience! And I was the youngest in the audience, with about 20 years :P

I saw Aerosmith for the first time about two years ago in Vegas. They pretty much rocked the house.

I also saw Bad Company at a horse track in Ruidoso, NM a couple of years ago. That was pathetically amusing (super cheap production value), but they still were decent musicians.

We have four Indian casinos within a 20 mile radius of Albuquerque, so we get lots of old acts passing through. My sis and bro-in-law saw Foreigner a few years back and found that to be highly amusing.

I saw kiss a few years ago, and yes I was quite shocked how awesome it was (:

David Byrne. ‘nuf said.

@theladebug – I worked on a TV show that had James Brown on after he got out of prison. Offstage, he was a shambling, shuffling, Bob-forsaken mess who needed his then-wife to lead him by the arm (and she was a bitch of monumental proportions).

The moment he got onstage and the music started up, that sick-looking guy melted away and in his place was a DYNAMO! The Godfather of Soul slithered and shimmied. He growled. He shook everything what his mama gave him, and his backbone did not slip. He was utterly amazing. I think he was in his mid-60s at the time. I don’t know how the hell that happened. It was like Michigan J. Frog in reverse. May Mr Brown rest in peace.

I went to see Wire (who I think are in their mid-50s now) last year and they were great! Their musicianship, if anything, is better than in their heyday, though they look like high school history teachers.

I saw Fleetwood Mac for their Say You Will tour in 2003 and I was highly impressed with their show. They didn’t have an opening band and played for what seemed like 3 hours. They had high energy and still sounded great. I’m going to see them again in May and I’m really excited.

I’ve heard Genesis still sounds remarkably amazing.

As for Fleetwood Mac, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Stevie Nicks can’t hit the higher range anymore, but she still sounds great and works the hell out of all the notes in the lower range that she can hit. She’s also still very emotionally connected to her songs, and Lindsay Buckingham is too – which makes a big difference in the performance. There’s still a lot of passion in that band, so I think you may be in for a good time.

@figbash You’re so right about the passion. They have a great chemistry on the stage and it really conveys to the audience.

I was the Stones in ‘06, and they were BRILLIANT. I’m too young to have seen them way back when, but they sounded (and moved and looked!) AMAZING.

@figbash They were great. Stevie still belted it out (at a lower range (as you had said), but, it was all good), Lindsey Buckingham is an excellent guitarist, Mick was rather entertaining, as well, as was John McVie. They did the same; no opening band and played for three hours (Stevie with her numerous costume changes in the gypsy-like costumes that only Stevie Nicks can get away with ;-)). It was awesome. =) They did an old Fleetwood Mac song “OhWell” (originally sung by Peter Green)..a pleasant surprise. =)

Probably my favorite video of Stevie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPEhIoKeTg0&feature=related

@jmah : I’m glad you had a great time!! Thanks for the link- I remember seeing that a while back and I was was really struck by it. She’s really easy to connect with. The whole band definitely still has a lot of charisma and intensity, and they still really believe in their music. I appreciate that they just don’t ‘call it in’ like many other bands do.

how old is old?
i saw the misfits recently, and i hadn’t seen them before so i have nothing to compare them to, but i thought they kicked ass haha. i wish i’d have been able to see them when they first started out.
and this isn’t first hand, but i know someone who went to see the new york dolls, and he said they were incredible.