Over the years, I've seen a number of performers and groups who I had once seen in their original incarnations. Some get better over the years, simply from acquiring more stage presence and musicianship. Some soldier on, moving down from television and big stages to Las Vegas and Reno and then to county fairs and casino showrooms. Some morph into entirely different entities, with new members and different sounds. The "nostalgia market" keeps them going.

Bob Shane, a founding member of the Kingston Trio, was once asked why he continued to perform after so many years. He answered, "Why not? It's a nice middle class income and I'm doing something I like." If that wasn't the exact quote, it was close. I was OK with it.

On the whole, though, I would rather remember them as they once were, when they were at their peak, with original people, and when they first captured my attention. I would not pay to go and see a group advertised as "The Kingston Trio" or "The Limeliters" which was made up of entirely different people, but many apparently are willing to do just that. I saw Frank Sinatra when he was so old he had trouble singing from a giant teleprompter. It was sad.