The first concerts I went to were not by choice. My family was into music, rock music, and they thought it would be good to expose me to the music they loved. So by the time I was a teenager, I had been to more Bruce Springsteen concerts than most and had covered my ears during a good number of what are now classic rock legends. Then, like a lot of teenagers, I started seeing acts that I wanted to see. This pattern continued into my early twenties. After that, I would still go see live music, but the frequency dropped.
Nowadays, the idea of going to a live show feels like a challenge. But I am trying to overcome that momentum and make more of an effort to see live music, especially the music of my youth. I am doing this for a few reasons.
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While some of these acts might be going through the motions, most are still passionate musicians who put on a strong show.
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There is something about hearing a song you’ve known for decades played live that connects you to a younger version of yourself in a way nothing else quite does.
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It might not rival the high-budget, top-tier acts that have dominated recent summers in terms of spectacle, but with smaller and more accessible venues, these shows can be more rewarding in other ways. For example, smaller shows also often attract longtime fans, which creates a shared sense of connection that you don’t always find in huge venues.
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The price is right, at least for some. While ticket prices for mega-acts are soaring, small venues around the world still host musicians you can see for tens of dollars instead of hundreds.
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Support what you love. At some point in the eighties, I got my own copy of DEVO’s first album. I probably paid between five and seven dollars for it and have listened to it hundreds of times. The joy they have brought me makes me want to support them, and going to a concert is a great way to do that directly.
I am sure other people can come up with a dozen more reasons, but this is enough for me. Yes, you should continue to discover and appreciate new music and go see those artists. But if you’re not finding new music you like, go to a concert anyway. Live music has changed, but so have we. What matters most isn’t always the biggest show or the newest act. Sometimes it’s about reconnecting with something that still matters to you. If you haven’t been to a show in a while, give it a shot. You might leave with more than you expected.
Share Your Retro Finds
(If you have retro finds you would like for me to share, I want to hear them. What old useful website are still lurking on the web? Some old TV show streaming online? Old tech being brought back? Let me know.)
ONE COOL VIDEO
I wrote this post after seeing a beloved band of mine, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, play a live show in Seattle. They sounded great and put on an amazing show. Someone uploaded them performing their song, “Electricity” (one of my favorite). It was the final song of the evening and a great way to end the show. If they are coming to you area, don’t hesitate to see them. Next month, D-E-V-O!
TEN THINGS RETRO
🧸 Toys – In 1960, Mattel decided to promote their newly-released Barbie doll fashions, using another one of their toys, View-Masters. The reels for these in store only display items are hard to find and a fun part of toy history.
📺 TV – King of the Hill premiered in 1997 and ran for 259 episodes. While we lost way too many of the talented actors who voiced the characters on the show over the years, we will are finally getting a brand new season of this beloved show on Hulu starting August 4th.
💿 MiniDisc – While its revival hasn’t caught fire in the way vinyl or even cassettes have, interest in the MiniDisc format is out there. It was a format that was ahead of its time, but how did it work? Obsolete Sony has the skinny on this remarkable, but sadly defunct format.
🌧️ Weather – I have mentioned WeatherStar 4000+ before, but it still continues to amaze me. Just plug in your zip code or location and get a retro Weather Channel experience complete with relaxing jazzy music. I would love an app version of it for the Roku or Android TV.
🖖 Star Trek – Jean-Luc Picard was a well-rounded and very well-read starship captain. In his ready room you can clearly see in a glass case, a copy of The Annotated Shakespeare, Vol. 1 that is open to pages 354-355. Why is this a big deal? Well on that that page is a photo of some random actor named Patrick Stewart. Which means the actor and the character exist in the same universe!
👀 Dungeons & Dragons – Have you ever looked at your Mr. Potato Head and thought he would make a great Beholder? I didn’t either, but WizKids has done a great job of turning a mini spud into a potentially sorta friendly-looking eye tyrant. Pre-order your own today.
🐺 Video Games – Could Altered Beast finally be getting the sequel it deserves? A fan of the game is working on it and has released some test footage of the game running on the Scorpion Engine.
🚗 Movies – OutRun was a great SEGA video game from 1986, but will it make a great movie 40 years later? Michael Bay is set to produce and direct an adaptation of the it at Universal Pictures.
🕹️ Digital Photos – The Atari 2600 (VCS) might not be the perfect format for displaying photos, but the images it can display are certainly charming. That is why its really fun that Nick Bild has made an Atari 2600 picture frame powered by a Raspberry Pi Pico in a custom cartridge.
📺 TV – We lost George Wendt recently. After his passing, people began sharing videos of his work. One that really caught my attentions was his appearance on the very first episode of Late Night with Conan O’Brian where he leg-wrestled John Goodman. The results were inconclusive, but it made for good television.
FEATURED RETRO COUPON
Pop-Tarts were just four-years-old when this coupon was printed in 1968. I love the color, the font choices, and of course, the image of the Pop-Tart packaging. Not only do we see a lack of frosting, but we also see some flavors that no longer exist, including Concord Grape. Which I would have loved to try. My favorite flavor is pictured here, Blueberry.
SUBSTACK RECOMMENDATION
Video game books are genre of books tied to another media and while some of them might get wide release, they are often viewed as ephemera. Once the game is gone, the books published around them are easily forgotten. The Video Game Library is an incredible website that is saving, archiving and sharing books related to video games. To keep everyone interested in their work updated, they have added a Substack and everything they send out is packed with great information.
FROM THE RETROIST ARCHIVE
Let’s take a moment to look back at four posts from the Retroist’s past. I have been at this a long time.
One Year Ago…
🐲 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: First Quest – The Music
Five Years Ago…
🍔 McDonald’s Happy Meal Playmobil Toys
Ten Years Ago…
♟️ Mattel Electronics Computer Chess
Fifteen Years Ago…
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