There comes a time...but not yet

So I was reading an article in today's Wall Street Journal (hey, some of the articles can be interesting!) and a major feature was the debate on rock stars rapidly approaching retirement age. The article focused mainly on Mr. Bob Dylan, an amazing writer and musician who has shared his talents for almost 50 years now. Dylan, along with the likes of The Rolling Stones, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis are all continuing to perform, but should they? Mr. Tamborine man himself is 69.

So what about ZZ Top? All of them are very close in age, each will be turning 62 years old in 2011. Should they call it a day and retire? I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say no, not yet.

There are some indicators however that have to be monitored. I would deem these to be energy, enthusiasm, ability and creativity. The energy to still play, the enthusiasm to still want to play, the physical ability to still play well, and the creativity to make new music (not just rehash the old stuff over and over). Out of these four factors, ZZ currently meets three. The physical ability is still there, all three members remain masters of their respective instruments and appear quite spry. The energy is there, with the possible exception of Frank, but I would argue he has appeared to be on the verge of falling asleep onstage since 1999 and keeps on going. Same for enthusiasm, Frank keeps on hitting the skins with his long time friends so he must still have a drive for being in a rock 'n roll band. It's the creativity that's a tough call. Do they still have the ambition, desire and need to create new music? Or do they wish to remain a caricature of themselves, which, having not released a new record since 2003, they are rapidly becoming. This most crucial element is likely to be answered very soon, with 2011 being a do or die year in terms of remaining relevant in today's music scene. I truly hope the band comes out with something great in the upcoming year, but let's face it, even an underwhelming effort similar to something like "El Loco" would be great to hear. And the band must absolutely support any new album that is released by playing some new songs live. I've said it before, AC/DC did it, therefore so can ZZ Top.

Here's hoping and looking forward to a still relevant, active, creative and enthusiastic ZZ Top in 2011!