As an avid follower of classic rock, I still see what is considered the top groups of classic rock whenever a concert is being shown in the locality of New York City. In the last several weeks I have seen Steely Dan, Rod Stewart and the Doobie Bros. After seeing these groups I started to wonder how long will Classic Rock survive?
Steely Dan instrumentally is as good as they ever were. The vocals were assisted by the Danettes. This helps the group be able to perform the tough vocals that the older members of Steely cannot produce any longer. Being a rocker boomer I am just thrilled to still rock out with the semi original bands. Yes there are younger band members, yes songs have to be tweaked to accommodate some shortcomings of the aging band members, but the songs are still.well done and resonate with my rocker soul.
Rod Stewart, who I waited two years to see due to pandemic cancellation, was a notably less energetic performance, than when I saw him pre–pandemic. Rod is now 77 years old, and since his talent is his vocals and performance., Being a solo vocalist is harder to compensate for without changing what the audience is expecting. I have seen Rod many times and it may have been an off night. With the aging classic rock groups what will happen in the future? I am at the younger end of the boomers, but many 80 year olds still go to rock concerts just to feel that flickering light of their youth.
How Old are These Rockers ?
Ringo Starr is one of the oldest classic rockers, he is 82 years old. His Beatles band mate Paul McCartney, recently celebrated his 80th. Both of these idols do not experience age discrimination. They both are touring and selling out concerts. Michael McDonald with the Doobie Bros just celebrated their 50th anniversary. At age 70, McDonald still has his velvet voice, which I just witnessed at a sold out Radio City Music Hall in NYC. He is one of the youngest of the aging classic rockers.
Rockers by Age
Name | Birthdates | Age |
Rings Starr | July 7, 1940 | 82 |
Paul McCartney | June 18,1942 | 80 |
Mick Jagger | July 26,1943 | 79 |
Keith Richards | December 18, 1943 | 79 |
Roger Daltry | March 1, 1944 | 78 |
Eric Clapton | Mar 30, 1945 | 77 |
John Fogerty | May 28, 1945 | 77 |
Bob Seger | May 6, 1945 | 77 |
Rod Stewart | January 10, 1945 | 77 |
Stephen Stills | January 3, 1945 | 77 |
Pete Townsend | May 19, 1945 | 77 |
Edgar Winter | December 28, 1946 | 76 |
Elton John | March 25, 1947 | 75 |
Carlos Santana | July 20, 1947 | 75 |
Joe Walsh | November 20, 1947 | 74 |
Stevie Nicks | May 12, 1948 | 74 |
Steve Winwood | May 26, 1948 | 74 |
Michael McDonald | February 12, 1952 | 70 |
Commercial Success
Although the future of classic rock performances seem to be in question, as these musicians grow older. Their music catalogs will provide financial security for their families. The companies that have made these catalog purchases, paid big money for them. Sting got $300 million dollars from Universal. Springsteen is receiving $500 million from Sony for his recordings and publishing rights. The Red Hot Chili Peppers sold their song catalog to Hipgnosis Song Management for $150 million, Stevie Nicks sold her catalog for $100 million to Primary Wave.
Even though performances by original bands will slow down and eventually come to an end, there is no doubt that recorded music by these iconic bands will still be around. We are all familiar with tribute bands, and this may fill in for the aging classic rock performances, but the owners of the catalogs will be getting paid for the use of those songs. The owners will also get revenues from streaming companies like Apple and Spotify. With the artist permission, the owners can look for commercial placement and syncs in films and television.
The Atlantic stated that 70% of music being streamed is older music. In regards to radio airplay, older songs and fewer newer songs are what radio stations are playing. Between the lower royalties that newer musicians receive from streaming and less radio play it makes one wonder if the success that the classic rock groups achieved will happen for younger artists?
What do Rockers Think About Their Music’s Future?
Mick Jagger, when asked about his thoughts of the future of rock, he still has hopes. He feels that Machine Gun Kelly and Yungblud have what you need to lead the way. Mick thinks their energy is what is needed for rock. If anyone knows that, it is Mick. Gene Simmons, the frontman for Kiss, believes Rock is Dead. Gene believes that rock is dead, due to the lack of commercial success. The music industry supplies the consumer with what they want to listen to. Today that most likely will be pop and hip hop music. However, the reintroduction to vinyl albums has spurred more sales of classic rock.
Does Classic Rock Have a Future?
There seems to be conflicting evidence. The classic rockers themselves are aging and that does not bode well for the future of original performances. Can tribute bands fill this void ? it‘s possible! There are some tribute bands that have big followings. One that comes to mind is a Led Zeppelin tribute band named Get the Led Out. I believe that they. are popular, because Led Zeppelin hasn‘t toured in years. Since you can‘t see Led live, then people will go see a good imitation. This shows a path to the future as original bands stop touring. People are watching reboots of old shows, why not go see a reboot of your favorite band that is no longer touring.
One of the brightest signs for classic rock strongholds contrary to Gene Simmons beliefs is its commercial success. If big media companies are paying large amounts of money for classic rock catalogs, It is certain that they purchased this music to make back their investments. This means classic rock music will be used for concerts, commercials, films and television shows. Streaming music has done very well with classic rock music and has helped the reintroduction of vinyl albums.
Live original performances inevitably will end, however through recordings and video you can still reminisce about the past. Since many things are cyclical in this life, maybe there will be a future decade where classic rock finds a new audience. The classical music from hundreds of years ago still fills concert halls. Just like Tchaikovsky or Beethoven, future generations may admire and examine the genius of the Rolling Stones, Beatles, and The Who. If classic rock dies during my life I could only think WTH.
