There are very few things in this world that bug me. I am a generally good natured man that means well. I do have some pet peeves though and lately over enthusiastic Baby Boomers have been on the top of that list.
This rant deserves some explanation. Last night I was sent by magazine to cover the Roger Daltrey concert at the House of Blues. It was a fantastic show by a legendary musician. That wasn't the problem. The audience, comprised of those mostly in their late 40s to early 60s, were so judgmental of the opening act I actually felt embarrassed to be among them. Just because they are new does not mean that they don't deserve respect.
From the moment they walked on stage they were judged far too harshly. No one moved or reacted at all during their first two songs. It seemed to take a tremendous amount of effort on the part of anyone over forty to even clap until they were at least halfway through their set. For a generation so hell-bent on peace, love and acceptance they have a strange way of following through. The low point came when a group near the bar starting yelling "Roger! Roger! Roger!" in the MIDDLE of a song.
The ironic and truly mean part of the ordeal is that the moment the house music kicked back in they suddenly loved the music. This might be because it consisted of artists such as the Rolling Stones, Sugarloaf, Ten Years After and other Boomer favorites. All of a sudden they were dancing and singing something unseen during the opening act.
As a music critic I have been to many concerts and seem to only see this behavior at classic rock shows. For all the punk rock and death metal shows i've attended I have never run into anyone that rude or mean. By having strength in numbers Baby Boomers seem to have let their egos get the best of them.
Many reading this may accuse me of ageism and they wouldn't be totally wrong. This is the second show this year i've noticed this trend and I don't like it. What are your thoughts?
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