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I saw that recently, where Glenn Tipton is either no longer playing at all with Priest live or just doing a few tunes a night depending on how his health is doing at any given show. By saying I saw that recently, that is to say I read the news of it recently. I loved Priest back in the day, through to Painkiller. After that, in all honesty I really didn't care much about the band re: post-Painkiller albums, or who was in the band. So, I'm supposing the band is now down to Halford and...Ian Hill? So, at this point, it's basically a Rob Halford solo band and Judas Priest in name only.
I guess a few years back (or perhaps more than a few now) with AC/DC after Malcolm passed on the band at one point had Brian Johnson, Angus, Cliff, Phil Rudd and Steve Young. Which I suppose was as close as one could get to the Back In Black lineup. So, now it's down to Johnson and Angus? Much like Priest, with AC/DC I haven't followed any of their studio releases since the late 1980's/early 1990's. Not since The Razor's Edge.
I suppose rock fans are just so starved for the older stuff that they'll accept whatever facsimile can be trotted out these days. Me, I was lucky to see a shitload of these bands from 1983-1989 back when they were all in or near their primes. I saw AC/DC in 1985 with Yngwie Malmsteen opening (now THERE was a contrast in rock guitar playing!). My then-15-year-old self thought the show was great even if I didn't really care much then for the Fly On The Wall album or the Who Made Who single. My now 54-year-old self recently saw a current picture of Angus playing live, and the sight of the man still plodding around onstage in that schoolboy uniform made me derisively chortle out loud, but as you say, they're still packing them in and getting paid.
I think maybe I'm just becoming frugal in addition to grumpy as I age but fuck me if I'm gonna shell out premium prices to see these name brand bands that have varying fractions of original/definitive members and hear a bunch of geezers who have to tune down a whole step or more from the original recorded versions of their hits because their lead singers can't cut it live anymore. By that logic, if these creaky geezer rockers are only half as good as they once were, I should be paying $50 or less a ticket. However, no shortage of punters willing to empty their pockets, thus the diminished standard will remain.
I guess a few years back (or perhaps more than a few now) with AC/DC after Malcolm passed on the band at one point had Brian Johnson, Angus, Cliff, Phil Rudd and Steve Young. Which I suppose was as close as one could get to the Back In Black lineup. So, now it's down to Johnson and Angus? Much like Priest, with AC/DC I haven't followed any of their studio releases since the late 1980's/early 1990's. Not since The Razor's Edge.
I suppose rock fans are just so starved for the older stuff that they'll accept whatever facsimile can be trotted out these days. Me, I was lucky to see a shitload of these bands from 1983-1989 back when they were all in or near their primes. I saw AC/DC in 1985 with Yngwie Malmsteen opening (now THERE was a contrast in rock guitar playing!). My then-15-year-old self thought the show was great even if I didn't really care much then for the Fly On The Wall album or the Who Made Who single. My now 54-year-old self recently saw a current picture of Angus playing live, and the sight of the man still plodding around onstage in that schoolboy uniform made me derisively chortle out loud, but as you say, they're still packing them in and getting paid.
I think maybe I'm just becoming frugal in addition to grumpy as I age but fuck me if I'm gonna shell out premium prices to see these name brand bands that have varying fractions of original/definitive members and hear a bunch of geezers who have to tune down a whole step or more from the original recorded versions of their hits because their lead singers can't cut it live anymore. By that logic, if these creaky geezer rockers are only half as good as they once were, I should be paying $50 or less a ticket. However, no shortage of punters willing to empty their pockets, thus the diminished standard will remain.
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