Harvey, you are very insightful and accurate, but it's not just in music. Just to take modern music as an example though, you have a generation that has grown up with nothing but MTV and its clones. When I grew up (I was born in 19mumble,mumble) all we had was radio, and the occasional concert. Music was written and recorded more to be heard than experienced. Concerts were different, but still I think the music was the focus, not the theatrics. Now, with MTV and its clones, you come up with a great set of theatrics and the lyrics are secondary, if not tertiary. Younger afficiandos expect to have a tremendous visual experience, and the aural experience is just not as important (in my opinion, others would disagree I'm sure.) By the way, I would say the same thing about country music as well. Long gone are the days Johnny Cash or Loretta Lynn could hold court just standing in front of a microphone. Now its all about body baring black leather and guitar-smashing morons running all over the stage.

But, think of movies as well. Compare the first "Star Wars" to the last chapter. The latest has all the greatest computer driven light shows and whiz bang details, and the story was dreadful. Go back even further. Just think what Alfred Hitchcock could do with just shadows and camera angle compared to this generation's blood and gore and 8,000 gigawatt pyrotechnic show.

We have just come to expect flash and glitter, and substance and true artistry seems to have taken a back seat. There are still a lot of old pros out there, and it is so refreshing to see and hear them perform.

(By the way, we had an Eagles concert here in Alb. not too long ago with a review in the local paper that mirrored the review you mentioned almost word for word. The reviewer (a young woman) panned the whole evening because of the "lackluster" performance of the Eagles. I later talked to someone who actually attended. He said the crowd (aging baby boomers) went absolutely nuts the whole night. Go figure.)

Freightdawg