Life Soundtracks
Elton John recently completed what he referred to as his farewell tour. The Eagles just announced that their upcoming tour would be their last. As more and more of these aging rock acts say goodbye to their fans, we’re also saying goodbye to the end of a notable era in popular music and revisiting memories of our youth.
Radio was a significant part of the success of all the most influential rock acts of the past 50 years. Popular music from the radio was the constant background soundtrack when I was growing up. It played from the dashboards of cars, in the grocery store, on construction sites, warehouses, elevators and offices. The songs of the era formed the backing tracks to some of your fondest memories.
A much-loved song holds a powerful connection to the past for most people. Music is most often played whenever people are having fun. Most people remember the popular tunes of the era during their first love affair, their years attending university, their wedding, or the birth of their first child. Hearing those songs today often stirs fond memories of people and places they may not have thought about for many years.
Saying Goodbye
This explains the popularity of these farewell tours. Concerts have become outlandishly expensive during the past few years. But fans of artists don’t seem to mind paying the prices to say goodbye to the artists who created the soundtracks of their lives. They just want to hear their idols step up to the mic and transport them back to happier days once again. They might buy a T-shirt, snap a couple of pictures and the concert, like so many other things, will become a memory by the end of the evening. But it’ll be a memory with a great soundtrack.
