REO Speedwagon: I Can't Fight This Nostalgia

It's been awhile since the Hubs and I went out. Now that we are parents to our sweet Dear Bebe we tend to stay home a lot. It's actually okay with me so I don't mind. My days of going out every weekend are long gone.


But this weekend we had a night out. We went to see REO Speedwagon in concert.


I bought the tickets for my hubby because he was a huge fan of this band back in the 70's. He leaned over to me during the concert and said with a smile "I wish I had saved my 8 Tracks."

This brought a smile to my face because I then thought of Dear Hubs as a teenager riding around in his Gran Torino listening to "Take it on the Run" or "I Can't Fight this Feeling." The funny thing is, it was hard to fight the feeling of nostalgia. As soon as you hear the music of your youth the memories are so great. Almost like a drug. I also liked REO Speedwagon but I probably would not have gone to this concert if it hadn't been for him.

Here is the band back in the 70's. Not all of the original band members are still touring. The lead singer is the same and so is another member. The rest were added later...but they've all been playing together since the late 80's and early 90's. That's still a long time. And the years are starting to show.

When the band first came out to start the concert my first thought was "Oh my gosh, they are so old!" and "Got Geritol?" The lead singer looked like a thin, frail old man. But I have to hand it to to him. He started hopping around and singing like he was still in his twenties. Good for him, I say! By the end of the show he had a great many followers running up to the stage to grab his hand, take a photo, and sway to the music. I hope I have that much energy when I'm sixty.

That being said, I have to say the concert had me thinking. A lot. I looked around at all of the people. Many were older than me. I was in 7th grade when I first started listening to their songs so I must be on the tail end of their fan base. As I looked around I saw that the years had been hard on the fans. Some looked haggard, worn down, beaten down by time. But their youthful memories remained and for one evening, they weren't middle aged, they were back in their glory days reliving a time they once knew. And loved. But not forgotten.