rock

Very occasionally, I feel like the responsible adult that I should be, and offer advice to younger people on a variety of different matters. Not that I know anything about anything, but I would like to think my age counts for something.

Well, as you can imagine, the subject of what's right and wrong with Rock is very close to my heart. Aaron constantly asks me would I go and see so-and-so? Nine times out of ten I answer the negative, and the other night I got on my soap box and delivered an oration more aimed at reinforcing my own view, rather than dumbfound a 12 year old. Which I probably did.

Here's the craic........

If a person, or persons, go and see a"rock concert" and spend the night cheering, singing, whistling or filming the proceedings on their mobile phone, and then come out of venue saying to each other, "that was really good, I was really impressed by them. Where did we leave the car/where do we get a taxi/Has the last bus gone, etc," then they deserve to have their remaining brain cells removed, to be replaced by a rotting cabbage, because that's all they're fit for. Rant, rant, rant.......

The idea of going to see an artist perform is come away from the show spiritually and emotionally uplifted. Not just for that night, but as a life-changing experience.

Too many people go to gigs just as an escape from their problems for a couple of hours. And before I'm accused of being hard on them, let's spare a major thought for the artist performing. Because all they care about is getting paid, and accruing more money than is humanly needed to live comfortably on.

The last proper gig I went to was in Manchester back in 2003, where Def Leppard played. They were dreadful. They were going through the motions - there was no heart or soul to anything they did. Even the sound was muddy and bass heavy, seemingly they cared not a jot for anything other than their already inflated bank balances.

The fact that I was going through some major personal problems at that time didn't help matters, but I came away from there utterly dispirited and dejected. What had happened to the joy? Leppard had the world at their feet not long before and blew it. They had the chance to change the world with Rock. But no. Nowadays, the band while away their time in America playing at State fairs - so utterly pathetic.

Off the top of my head, I can only think of U2 as a band with the necessary ambition and the songs to bring life-altering experiences to the masses. But as long as these deadhead "fans" continue to demand this temporary solace from their daily lives, what chance have any of us got at attaining any kind of spiritual enhancement?