'Dinosaur bands' rock all the way to the bank, fuelled by fans' nostalgia and fear

What's old is well, it's actually still oldbut it's certainlypopular and profitable when it comes to rock 'n'roll.

A scan of Winnipeg's concert listings for the next few months might make thinkyou fell into a wormhole and re-emerged in a time when headbands, tube tops, snakeskin tights and big, back-combed hair werepopular.

"It's dusty," joked longtime concert promoter Kevin Donnellyabout some of the acts and their vintage.

Among them is70-year-old Vincent DamonFurnier, better known as Alice Cooper, playing at the Burton Cummings Theatre in August nearly 50 years after his band released its first album.

DennisDeYoung, the 71-year-oldformer lead singer of Styx,is touring in celebration of the40thanniversary of that band's breakout 1977 album, The Grand Illusion, which launched them to stardom with many songs he wrote. He'll also be at The Burt in August.

And Joe Jackson, 63, whosefirst hit, Is She Really Going Out with Him?, came out in 1979 ishere in July.

Another 20 bands or solo artists will also be performing in the city between June and December, all of whom have been performing at least 30 years, and some as long as 51.

That's not to mention tribute bands to Queen and the Beatles that are also passing through, or the acts that came throughearlier this spring, including 73-year-old Rod Stewart, 74-year-old Steve Miller, 68-year-old Peter Frampton, andSantana, which has been going since 1966.

"Classic rock is probably bigger now than when it was the new music of the '70s. It's huge," said John Einarson, a music historian from Winnipeg.

"Thesedinosaur bands really play a huge part in the live music market in North America. Their share or percentage of the live music gate that's out there is really quite massive."

Nostalgia, baby

So what's propelling it?

Two maindrivers are sentimentalism and apprehension.

The first is the same thing that makes people drag out old yearbooks or drive past their childhood homes, boring their kids with stories that begin with "When I was your age."

Songs arepowerfully linked with memories and many people "experiencedseminal moments andtheir formative yearslistening to certain music," said Donnelly, who heads up venues and entertainment for True North Sports & Entertainment, which owns and operates Bell MTSPlace andthe Burton Cummings Theatre.

As those memories slide further into the past, the desire to cling to them grows.

"Nostalgia is a powerful thing," said Einarson. "And the popularity of these bandsspeaks to this almost unquenchable thirst for one's youth andfor the music of one's youth."

As the baby boom generation aged, the '50s and '60s bands like the Searchers, Gerry and the Pacemakers, and Gary Lewis& thePlayboys experienced a renaissance, Einarson said.

"What you see now is that nostalgia moving away from just the baby boomers and intothe classic-rock era.We're talking about the '70sand into the '80s."

It happens whenever a generation hits middle age and finds itself withdisposable income to fuel that nostalgia. Whereas they scraped together money for a concert ticket when they were 19, theynow they have careers and spare cash.

"You want to go out and have a nice evening with your spouse where you canrelive the music of when you first got together or your shared experiences as teenagers," Einarson said.

"These acts cater to that."

Last chances

The other push behind the revival tours apprehensionstems from the concern that time is limited to see those aging acts.

"It may be the last time to see [blank],and you can fill in the blank with a long list of names," said Donnelly.

"People are really mourning the absence of Tom Petty and the Tragically Hip now, and bands that you thought you had an opportunity still to participate in a live setting with but are now gone forever."

The notion of a "farewelltour" has become the butt of jokes as bands routinely claimed they were done with the road, only to return a few years later.

Butit's becoming increasingly clear, with the recent deaths of some big-name stars, that "farewell" could truly mean "final."

"The growing number of artists on that 'this might be the last time' list is growing and it has created a resurgence of interest in them," Donnellysaid.

Who's that in the band?

The funny thing is, in many cases, it's not even the original band there might be a couple of original members, Einarsonsaid.

Butthe average person might not necessarily care, as long as whoever's on stage is able to reproduce those hits and tap into those memories.

"The lead singer from Styxis coming to Winnipeg, not even with the band Styx. He's coming and performing those songs because they still resonate with people of a certain generation," Einarson said.

DeYoungcan't call himself Styx, because other members of the band are still touring under that banner along with 59-year-old tourmate Joan Jettand her band the Blackheartsbut he can legally say he sings the songs of Styx.

That's the keygetting the band's name in somehow, said Einarson.

Another example Einarsongives is the Guess Who, Winnipeg's own legendary rockers. The band still tours all over the United States but just one original member is currently performing with the group drummer Garry Peterson.

"They keep really busy because they can do a reasonable facsimile of the Guess Who songs and whip the crowd up, and everybody goes home withAmerican WomanandNo Timein their heads and can claim they saw the Guess Who," said Einarson.

"Itisn't necessarily the authenticity of the members of the band. It's the name and the songs."

'Pension-fund tour'

While fans are driven by nostalgia, many of the bands are driven by need.

"Rock 'n'roll musicians aren't necessarily known for saving money. Some of these are known as the pension-fund tour," Einarsonsaid.

While that doesn't apply to enduring iconic rockers like the Rolling Stones or The Who,"for some, there's a financial need for sure," he said.

In an era of music streaming, records aren't much of a financialstream anymore. The way to earn those dollars is throughtouring and selling merchandise.

And for many veteran rockers, now is the time in their careers where they can actually make some decent money, said Einarson.

That'sbecause the bands aren't seeing their income siphoned away byagents, promoters, managers, producers, lawyers and recordlabels.

"There are plenty of acts that never made a penny from records that sold in the hundreds of thousands, even in the millions, because they owed everyone money," said Einarson.

"When you're an indentured servant to the record label, which advances you money to make the record and go on tour,you have to pay that loan back before you seeanything."

Vocalist GeorgeBelangerfrom Winnipeg band Harlequin makes more money now than he ever did in the group's heydayduring1980s, saidEinarson, who hasbeen a friend ofBelanger'ssince they were teens.

"Now he can go out asHarlequin and get top dollar because people recognize the name. Plus, he's the voice, so it doesn't reallymatterwho the other guys in theband are."

Just as Belanger,DeYoung, Jackson,Cheap Trick and Alice Cooper are doing now, Einarson expects to see retro tours eventually pay homage to the music and memories of the '90s and 2000s, and many of those overplayed songs you hear right now.

"If they're the songs you connect with at that coming-of-age time in your life, you're going to want to hear them in your later years because they bring back fond memories of a particular time," he said.

Tours hitting Winnipeg this year

• Social Distortion, thepunk rock band formed in 1978, playsthe Burton Cummings Theatre in June.
• MelissaEtheridge, recording since1988, is at the Club Regent Event Centre in July.
• Wang Chung and Cutting Crew, formed in 1980 and 1985, respectively, are atThe Garrick in June.
• Loverboy, formed in 1979, play Club Regent Event Centre in July.
• Joe Jackson, who's been recording since1979, is at theBurton Cummings Theatre in July.
• DennisDeYounga founding member of Styx in 1972 and the former lead vocalist, is at the Burton Cummings Theatre in August.
• Blue Oyster Cult, formed in 1967, is at the Burton Cummings Theatre in August.
• Trooper, formed in 1975, is at Club Regent EventCentre in August.
• Nazareth, formed in 1968, plays theBurton Cummings Theatre in August.
• Headstones, formed in 1987, play the Burton Cummings Theatre in August.
• Alice Cooper, 70, whose band put out its first release in 1969, is at the Burton Cummings Theatre in August.
• Cheap Trick, formed in 1974, is at the Burton Cummings Theatre in August.
• Chicago, formed in 1967, plays BellMTSPlace in September.
• Metallica, formed in 1981, hits the stage atBellMTSPlace in September.
• The Rewind Tour featuring Aqua and special guestsProzzakandWhigfield, is atBellMTSPlace in September.
• The Proclaimers, formed in 1983, play the Club Regent Events Centre in September.
• Winnipeg's own Crash Test Dummies, formed in1988, play the Club Regent Event Centre inOctober.
• Steve Earle, whohas been performing since 1974, plays the Club Regent EventCentre in September with his band, the Dukes.
• JohnMellencamp,who has recorded since 1976under different names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John CougarMellencamp is at BellMTSPlace in October.
• BoneyM., formed 1974, plays the Club Regent Event Centre in December.

And of course, there's the second annual Winnipeg ClassicRockFestin August with a lineup that includes Tom Cochranewith Red Rider (theystarted playing together in 1978),Kim Mitchell (active since 1973),Holly Woods & Toronto (whose first album came out in 1980), and former Guess Who member GregLeskiw(part of the band from 1970-1972), playing with his new band Monster Hollow.