The Golden Age Of Rock And Roll

Whiny baby boomers say all the good times are gone. But there’s never been a better time to find new music—and lots of it, too

- Hank Gilman

IT'S-A FRIDAY NIGHT IN BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN, and I’m here to see a show by the El Paso-based rock band Le Butcherettes. I’m not sure if I belong—I have no hair left to speak of, none of it dyed a bright color. And I’m pretty sure I’m the only guy here who fondly remembers catching Jethro Tull in Boston in 1970 on one of the band’s first U.S. tours.

But I do know that seeing a young band on the way up is just as cool now as seeing Tull, Roxy Music, Patti Smith or Elvis Costello before they were well known. Because if you’re a rock music fan—or any kind of music fan for that matter—there’s nothing like the thrill of discovery.

And rediscovery, it turns out, is a pretty good thing too. A few years back, thanks to an “I wonder what ever happened to them?” web search, I took a chance on a ticket to see the Zombies in a New York club. Though well into their 60s by then, they were better than ever.

To be sure, it has always kind of been this way. New music arrived while old music got rediscovered. But now, thanks in large part to technology, fans of both old and new are living in a golden age.

There are a few reasons why.

One: There’s a lot of inventory on the tour circuit. Bands from the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s are still active and still getting it done. The Cure, Fleetwood Mac, The Who, Deep Purple, and the Rolling Stones (with Mick fresh from heart surgery) are all on tour now or have plans.

But technology is the real reason there’s so much terrific music easily available now. When I discovered Roxy Music in 1972 it was through a weekly alternative newspaper. Then I had to go out and buy an LP to actually hear them. Today I would check them out first on YouTube or Spotify and then download or stream their music. According to Nielsen, about 900 billion songs were streamed in the U.S. in 2018.