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Liner Notes

A weekly column by Tampa Tribune pop music critic Curtis Ross

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By CURTIS ROSS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 31, 2008

Mick Jagger turned 65 last month.

I point this out not to mock him, or make fun of his age or to suggest that he and the rest of the Rolling Stones are too old to rock. I'll save that for the next time they tour.

Actually, it got me thinking about the double standard rock under which rock operates.

Think about it this way. Itzhak Perlman turns 63 at the end of the month and no one makes Geritol jokes when he performs.

But any movement in the Stones camp will prompt a barrage of witticisms revolving around wheelchairs, Metamucil and Medic Alert tags.

The Stones certainly brought some of this on themselves. The band began its career as callow youngsters aping the virile boasting of bluesmen. Once they reached adulthood, they regressed into horny schoolboys. No matter how much action Jagger may still get, it's still a little gruesome to parade it in song or on stage.

This, of course, does not bode well for Poison or Motley Crue. But so little does.

The Stones notwithstanding, though, it does appear possible to age gracefully in rock.

It would be great to be able to say I saw Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers back in the day – you know, at a pre-stardom club gig or a small theater or maybe on the "Damn the Torpedoes" tour.

But it's hard to imagine the band was actually better back then than they were a few weeks ago at the Forum. There was nothing magic about it. The years didn't melt away when they played "Breakdown." It was just a great song played by a great band whose members make no bones about the fact that they're not kids anymore.

Precious little of Petty's catalog focuses on youth or his libido. That might explain why he's as believable approaching 60 as he was in his 20s.

Because "The Waiting" can still be the hardest part, even long after you've resigned yourself to whatever level of "Satisfaction" you're going to get.

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