Based on last night's four-hour Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame concert on HBO, here are a few closing thoughts:It's not as easy, even for rock legends, to sing other people's songs. Billy Joel came up short on Bruce Springsteen tunes. Someone needed to take the microphone from Stevie Wonder when singing Roxanne with Sting. However, Springsteen did fairly well singing Fortunate Son with John Fogerty. And Fergie did a nice job on the bridge during Gimme Shelter with Mick Jagger and U2.
I switched over to the Ravens-Steelers football game during the Paul Simon segment.
Why is Aretha Franklin considered a rock performer?
Jerry Lee Lewis is done.
BB King is close to done.
Ozzie was don
e years ago.I don't make these comments to be mean. But we all hit a certain age where even nostalgia isn't a good reason to take to the stage. For some, that's 50. For others, maybe it's 80. David Crosby can still sing and Stephen Stills can still play guitar. That's cool. But a few performers were on the verge of embarrassing themselves like Willie Mays in a Mets uniform. Fortunately, musicians have a longer shelf life than athletes.
I think one key to longevity is in altering one's game as Johnny Cash did in his final years. I mean I don't need to see Jerry Lee Lewis throwing his piano stool anymore or BB singing about the thrill being gone. Heck, the thrill was gone about two or three decades ago, I am guessing. Cash went to the dark side in the twilight of his career, singing edgier songs that tweaked his image and played to his aging vocal cords, and it worked. He won Grammys for his efforts and gained the respect of a new generation of rock musicians while maintaining his long-time, country-based fans.
Overall, though, the concert was good. Nice to hear real music in prime time. Too bad it wasn't on one of the major broadcast networks where all we seem to get are hip-hop award shows.
