Concert season at Pine Knob Music Theatre usually ends in early to mid-October, so if you want to catch a show there this year, you are running out of time. Or should I say, “you already ran out of time?” And I don’t just mean for the year; I mean for life.
I know that sounds a bit dramatic, but I am just coming off a big reality check after my last show there. My husband and I went to see The Black Crowes. They sounded just like they did when I was 22. I felt like I was back there, rocking out on my futon in my college apartment.
About 15 minutes into the show, I looked at lead singer Chris Robinson and thought, “Wow, he got old.” Then I wondered how old he was, so I Googled it. The internet says he’s 59. A sudden wave of panic hit when I remembered that I was 58. Sweet Lord, that means I got old, too.
If, even for an instant, I entertained the thought that The Black Crowes were kind of old to be rocking out, maybe I was kind of old to be there watching.
I started looking around at the crowd and realized a lot of these people were old, too. When I woke up the next day, even though I didn’t drink, I felt hungover. I had an emotional hangover.
Thoughts kept turning over in my mind. One question shook me to my core: “Am I old? Am I too old for concerts?” All the mail I get from AARP should be my first clue, but I just don’t feel old. I guess Chris Robinson and the rest of The Black Crowes don’t either, or they wouldn’t keep touring.
Come to think of it, neither would The Rolling Stones, AC/DC or Lynyrd Skynyrd, and they are even older than Chris and me. The truth is, when I am listening to my favorite tunes from back in the day, I feel young, and the knee pain and hot flashes seem to disappear.
When I am at a concert, my mind always drifts back to 1982 and my first live show: Cheap Trick and Aldo Nova. My sister said I was too young and didn’t want me to tag along. She still goes to shows.
It turns out none of us will ever be too old for live music. I searched the internet to find out if there is some magic age when we should hang up our clear plastic 8-by-4-inch purses and red lipstick. According to Google’s AI bot, there isn’t one. Whew.
They say you’re only as old as you feel. If I’m really honest, that changes every day. It’s just like The Black Crowes’ “Wiser Time” says:
“On a good day, well,
I know it ain’t every day
We can part the sea
And on a bad day, well,
I know it ain’t every day
Glory beyond our reach”
If you find people standing up and jamming in front of you at a show annoying, you may be too uptight, but you’ll never be too old.
So keep on rockin’ like nobody’s watching!
An Emmy-nominated anchor/meteorologist/reporter at FOX66 and NBC25, Leslie Toldo recently retired from TV news after a career of over 30 years, nearly 20 in Flint. She is a blogger, writer, wedding and funeral officiant. Born and raised in Baton Rouge, LA, she graduated from the University of Wyoming. An avid kayaker, boater and runner, Leslie lives in Linden with her husband, Ellie the cat and three dogs: Henry, Gus and Lucy.
