Aging Gracefully

Marisa posed an interesting question to me today. The question of how I feel about Duran Duran performing now that they are older (and all the good and the bad stuff that goes with that)

Rock musicians are just like the rest of us, they age, some better than others. The Moody Blues are all nearing or in their early sixties. Perhaps they aren't as energetic as they once were, (Excuse me while I laugh...I made a funny...the Moody Blues energetic!) but they still perform just as well as they did 20, 30 or 40 years ago. I've only seen them in the last 4 years, but I can say they put on a decent show, albeit a short one.

Duran Duran is another kettle of fish altogether. They've been together only half as long and they are a very visual band. So, sure, how they aged might affect their popularity. I know one thing, age didn't affect their perfoming. I've seen them twice; once when they had their comeback in 1993 with the Wedding Album and again when Pop Trash was released in 2000. Both times I saw them, they were fantastic in concert.

Simon Lebon looks better up close (and I've seen him from the 3rd row) than any photograph can capture.

Personally, I think Simon looks pretty good now. His weight has gone up and down over the years, including the years when the band was exceedingly popular, so any change there goes unnoticed by me. As for the rest of the band, I have to say they still look pretty good too. John Taylor particularly is still hot as hell and Nick Rhodes is prettily platinum as always, though he's looking more manly in his aging. (That's a good thing in my book)

I don't think how a band looks should be the driving force in a band's popularity. It's the quality of the performance that counts and Duran Duran is still delivering. Which says to me that they are more than just a bunch of pretty faces.

With the Moody Blues things are a bit different. They came from a time when the music mattered more. In which case, I go to a show expecting a bit more than just seeing a few pretty faces. Mind you, in my book, I still see some pretty faces. Justin, John and yes, even Graeme look well for their ages, plus we have the added beauty of Paul Bliss and Gordon Marshall, who are resident stud buckets in my book.

The thing that determines how well a performer is aging is how you feel at a concert. Do you leave the show giddy with excitement or do you feel sorry for the band, because they seem to be embarrassing themselves on stage? In the case of the Moodies and Duran, both bands still put on rocking shows and as for the image part, I think they've settled into their ages well. Neither band is anywhere near the first blush of youth, but both bands still look good on stage. Plus with their added experience in the industry both bands know that looks don't always matter. Being labeled "pretty boys" can be quite a hinderence. (Almost as much as being called pompous and bombastic) Duran has moved away from that label while still looking fashionable and the Moodies look comfortable and downright sexy in their casual concert attire. But again, it's not what's on or not on their backs that matter, it's how they sound, and both bands still sound great.