I Might As Well Get Ready For Reunion Tours

As I've gotten older, one thing I've noticed is that nostalgia is not limited to those of us who are (defiantly so) older. I know you've seen this on TV with those informercials. Originally, they were aimed at folks like my parents. It was a music collection from some decade like the 60's or 70's. They'd be hosted by some old rocker with 50 facelifts and enough hair plugs to make Slash look like Kojak. He'll have a younger counterpart, who in no way had anything to do with that music except that maybe she was conceived in one of those vans with the heart-shaped windows on the side while her parents banged away to an 8 track of Jethro Tull. So they'd babble on and on about how your old records get scratchy and that if you bought each of the albums individually, the cost could go into the $1000's (What a deal!!! ... insert sarcasm here).

As someone who is desperately trying to stave off getting older, imagine my horror when I saw one of these commercials for an 80's boxed set. I nearly spit out my dinner as this infomercial rolled across the screen. There it was confirming that I am no longer a young man: A Flock Of Seagulls, Madness, Hall & Oates, Men Without Hats, Winger, Poison, Motley Crue, and the list goes on. Each song, each band was like a nail in my coffin signalling the death knell.

Actually I first detected this problem a few years back in law school along with my old roommate, Deeesguy. We decided to go to Ribfest in downtown Cincinnati. What better than beer and BBQ for a guy to enjoy on a warm summer night? It was the perfect combo even more so because The Gin Blossoms were playing that night. Once the band starts playing, Deeesguy and I have had a few beers .... we're feeling great. Then we notice the couple next to us singing along with all of the songs ..... holding their kids. The more I looked around, the more I saw it. Suburban couples desperately clinging to some remnant of their youth much like myself. The place was replete with "those" couples: the couple you see at Home Depot trying to emulate that afternoons episode of some random home improvement show; the couple that now shops exclusively at Gap and Baby Gap; the couple that watches American Idol and Will & Grace religiously; the couple that actually buys albums from American Idol "contestants". They were there with me at this concert in their Docker shorts, golf shirts, and raising bottles of beers on arms where Citizen watches resided!!

Rock stars from my generation are beginning to kick off: Layne Staley from Alice In Chains; Stuart Adamson from Big Country; Bradley Nowell from Sublime; Jam Master Jay from Run DMC; Jeff Buckley; Joe Strummer from the Clash; Eazy-E; Michael Hutchence from INXS; Kurt Cobain; Joey, DeeDee & Johnny Ramone from The Ramones; just to name a few!! And to top it off Blink 182 has broken up! What next? U2 calls it quits?

I might as well get ready for those reunion tours where Blink reunites 10 years from now hoping to cash in on our nostalgia when we're all finally established homeowners with 401K plans. Several bands will get together like these Motown reunion tours that are always on PBS. You'll see the Goo Goo Dolls, two of the guys from Dexy's Midnight Runners, Loverboy, and Ice Cube all on one ticket!! I'll be there with my thinning hair, comfortable slacks, and sensible shoes trying hard to being young again! And so will you!!!