Name one great rock and roll band of today that has recently arrived on the scene that is a true rock band of great talent.
Audioslave, Tool, Foo Fighters, Muse, Nine Inch Nails, Seether, Creed, Alice in Chains (even with the new guy).
A lot of these bands don't have the depth that the earlier bands did, so they end up making only one great album, but that one album is really great!
Bands are nice, but so are singers. Lucie Silvas gives me goosebumps. Scott Stapp (when he's sober) is a dynamite solo act. Jann Arden, Rob Thomas, Natasha Bedingfield, John Mayer, Lissie, Chris Daughtry, Kate Voegele: I've seen most of them live (not Arden because for some bizarre reason she has no audience here, even though she sells out hockey stadiums at home and Sarah McLachlan is happy to sing
backup for her).
Oh and don't forget the new wave of Latin American music. I was the only
Gabacho at the Jesse & Joy concert and they blew me away.
So although there are a very few rock bands that really play rock I'll just enjoy the Cream of the crop and listen to the oldies but goldies from the 50's, 60's and 70's to while away the hours.
How sad to live in the past. I know most of those songs by heart and have played many of them in my own bands, so I get bored with "classic rock" rather quickly.
Last live show I saw was World Party. If you're into nostalgia, you should check out his first CD, "Goodbye Jumbo." The songs are barely 15 years old, but they sound like 1967, especially with his Bob-Dylan-meets-Mick Jagger voice. "Put the Message in the Box" brought the house down.
U2 was the last great rock band I enjoy listening to and it came out over 20 years ago!
28, to be exact. I hope you've seen Zappa plays Zappa! Renaissance just came through town a couple of months ago. It's actually just Annie Haslam with an entire new band, but they're as good as the originals--which I saw about eight times 30-35 years ago.
I also hope you got to see "The Doors of the 21st Century." They couldn't call themselves "The Doors" because Dinsmore refused to be part of it, so unfortunately they were playing clubs instead of arenas. But with Ian Astbury in front... well I guess you wouldn't actually mistake him for Morrison, but you could see Morrison's face up in a dark corner, saying, "Yeah, he's got it!" He always said it was Morrison who inspired him to become a rock singer.
Don't be like my parents, desperately hanging onto Lawrence Welk. Ya gotta grow or die!