On October 7th, legendary rockers Mick Jagger (73) with the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan (75) kicked off a three-day music festival, The Desert Trip, in California. Saturday featured Paul McCartney (74) and Neil Young (70). Roger Waters (73) from Pink Floyd and The Who (Roger Daltrey, 72 and Pete Townsend, 71) played on Sunday. Rolling Stone magazine writer Steve Appleford reported the “festival’s unprecedented musical summit…is a gathering of historic headliners with rich catalogs of hits and groundbreaking work that has influenced several generations of music-makers. All the players at Desert Trip remain among the top live acts, despite time and age that have left many of their contemporaries behind.” Read more
“‘Tonight we’re not going to do any age jokes or anything, OK? Welcome to the Palm Springs retirement home for gentle English musicians,’ Jagger joked early on of the fest that has been called ‘Oldchella’ and worse. He was prepared to prove otherwise.”
While these rockers may be getting older just like we are, they are not too old to contribute and make a difference in the world. For instance, Bob Dylan was recently awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. On October 29th, Edna Gundersen, from The Telegraph, wrote after a recent interview with Dylan that, “Yes, he is planning to turn up to the awards ceremony in Stockholm. ‘Absolutely,’ he says. ‘If it’s at all possible.’” In addition to winning this prestigious award his watercolours and acrylics will be newly exhibited at the opening at London’s Halcyon Gallery of The Beaten Path, – his fourth at the Mayfair venue since 2008. Read more
Paul McCartney debuted a new song, “In the Blink of An Eye,” on October 28th. The song is part of the forthcoming Ethel & Ernest animated movie.
According to The Who’s website, “Since (the year) 2000 (Roger Daltrey) has been a patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust, a charity that builds specialised wards for teenagers with cancer in the UK. Ever pursuing his mission to give something back to teenagers, ‘without whom,’ as he said, ‘we would have no career.’ In November 2010, Roger, with Pete Townshend at his side, launched Teen Cancer America.” Read more
As you can see, we are never too old to contribute and make a difference in the world. Keep on rockin’! And I don’t mean in your chair!