In between chapters of whatever book I’m reading on Kindle, I like to peruse Reddit. My feed is full of cars, guitars, birds and lots of user-created questions like this one…
“Which rock bands should just retire”?
As you might imagine, the answers people post are focused on the bands that peaked in the 1970s or 1980s. Most of these acts are still touring despite having no original members, a lead singer who has lost their voice or, in some cases, the entire band is dead.
Like most music fans of a certain age, I could make my own list of rockers who I think should be in rocking chairs. But who am I to suggest that someone hang up their spurs when they still love to jam or their fans still want to see them play their hits? Plus, these guys have to pay their bills
I have another idea, one that will probably never happen as long as fans are willing to pay to see these dinosaurs continue to walk the earth. I would like to see these old troubadours downshift. Instead of looking to fill big arenas, I’d like to see them go back to playing the smaller venues where most of them cut their teeth. I’m not saying that they have to play coffee bars and house concerts (though that would be awesome). Instead, I’d just like to have them play multiple nights at mid-size halls instead of single nights at huge stadiums.
Quite by accident, I saw Springsteen play for 100 people. I watched Yes do a show for 500 and I saw Tony Bennet do a gig for under 200 lucky souls. All of these count as some of my favorite musical memories because they were small gigs where the artists and their fans were close to one another.
The Allman Brothers, one of the best bands ever, played 12-15 shows at the Beacon Theater in NYC every March for decades. That venue has fewer than 3000 seats.
I’m betting that many of us have enjoyed the heck out of an arena show in our youth. But now? I don’t like big crowds or watching artists on jumbotrons. I like the intimacy of small to mid-size halls.
How about you?
P.S. Prices under $100 a ticket would be much more likely if an artist isn’t touring with 22 trailers and a crew of 75. Just sayin’.