16 MAR 2017:  WARNING: This column has really got very little if anything to do with travel – well except maybe for Las Vegas and Florida – but I thought I’d do some “talking ‘bout my g-g-generation” – one that I share with a lot of you.

For years, when people asked how old I was, I liked to respond with a flip, “Younger than Mick Jagger.” However when the Stones’ front man hit seventy a few years ago, I decided it wasn’t really that funny any more. Besides, I thought, in this millennial-driven world, how much longer can any rocker over the age of 70 still possibly hope to pull them in? Boy was I wrong!

The Stones are still rolling and have continued to tour to sell-out crowds – I think the last one was called, ‘The Final, Final, Final Tour’.  Then, this week, it was announced that Caesars Palace in Las Vegas had booked a band of senior citizens – The Who – for “a residency.” The so-called ‘residency’ is actually more of a ‘sleep-over’ – just six shows over a two-week period but, as Neil Young might say, “my my hey hey” those old dudes are getting it done. The band’s key members, singer Roger Daltrey is 73-years-old while songwriter/lead guitarist/guitar-smasher extraordinaire, Pete Townshend is a mere kid of 71.

Actually, when it comes to farewell tours, the Stones have nothing on The Who: Some bands don’t have careers that last three years but Townshend and crew have been on a ‘goodbye tour’ since 2014!  It is set to end next month in England but I’ll only believe it when they’ve stayed home for a couple of years and taken to playing dominoes in the pub instead of Stratocasters in stadiums.

You may be surprised to see the some of the septuagenarians that are still rocking in the free world (okay so I’m a big Neil Young fan). And look who heads the list – Orillia’s own Gordon Lightfoot, who is still on his carefree highway at 78 and showing zero signs of slowing down. For those of you on the Gulf Coast of Florida this month, you can catch him in concert in Clearwater on the 17th, Fort Pierce on the 18th, Fort Lauderdale on the 19th and Pensacola on the 20th. He’s back in Canada in July for another 20 plus shows – I only pray I can match that kind of stamina if and when I’m two years shy of 80!

The 70 plus runners up include:

Tina Turner – 77
Smokey Robinson – 76
Sir Cliff Richard – 76
Ringo Star – 75
Bob Dylan – 75
Neil Diamond – 75
Charlie Watts – 75
Brian Wilson – 74
Aretha Franklin – 74
Sir Paul McCartney – 74
Roger Waters – 74
Randy Bachman – 73
Pete Townshend – 73
Barry Manilow – 73
Sir Mick Jagger – 73
Keith Richards – 73
Jimmy Page – 73
Neil Young – 72
Rod Stewart – 72
Diana Ross – 72
Roger Daltrey – 71
John Fogerty – 71
Eric Clapton – 71
Pete Townshend – 71
Jimmy Buffett – 70

There are some on there, like Barry Manilow, who have to be cheating on their real ages. He claims to be the same age as Sir Mick but surely Manilow’s pushing 90 by now – or was it just his music that seemed older even when he recorded it? He’s still touring though and his loyal fans are packing some pretty big spaces all summer – I will not be one of them.

It is fair to say however that, while most of the seniors listed above are still out there, lured by the adulation of their equally senior long-time fans and the cash, some solo artists and bands do keep going well past their ‘sell by’ dates. But, if you’d rather remember your favorite bands the way they used to look and sound, there’s always the whole new booming business of Tribute Bands.

Unlike bands that just do the occasional cover of a major artist’s stuff, ‘Tribute Bands” are dedicated to replicating a single band or artist and, with improved audio technology, many almost seem to sound better than the under-amped, scratchy- microphoned real thing. Some of them, like those on the following list, occasionally draw crowds that rival those of the originals.

•    Dark Star Orchestra  – Grateful Dead
•    One Night of Queen – Queen
•    The Fab Four  – The Beatles
•    Cody Ray Slaughter and a million others – Elvis
•    Who’s Bad – Michael Jackson
•    Zoso – Led Zeppelin

But when it comes to tributes, nothing can beat Heart’s moving tribute to Led Zeppelin at the 2012 Kennedy Center Honors. Their version of ‘Stairway to Heaven’  is surely one of the greatest covers ever of one of the greatest songs ever. As they say, “Enjoy”.

It’s better to burn out than to fade away – My my, hey hey.