You only live once – time waits for no man – choose any cliché you want, but it's inevitable that we all lose our sparkle as the years march on, most of us go through the process without much fanfare, but for the rock star there's no hiding place, the show must go on, and for many, it goes on a bit too long.
Watching Paul McCartney rather shakily perform Lady Madonna the other day brought into sharp focus for me the rather sad fact that quite a few of my “rock idols” are beginning to show their age, particularly with regards to their singing.
Most musicians can continue to play their instruments well into old age, apart from many drummers (hello, Phil Collins), but when it comes to the vocal chords, many struggle to maintain their high standards once the pension funds start being doled out.
I took no pleasure in watching Macca's underwhelming performance, and he's not the only singer to show signs of wear and tear – I am a huge admirer of Paul Simon, but for at least the last 10 years he has sounded frail.
Another hero of mine, the fantastic Elton John, has for many years failed to vocally reach the heights of his 1970's heyday.
These are the idols of mine that have started to show their age, I am sure you will have a few more examples that I have not mentioned.
Some manage to hold out and sing into old age with verve and energy, hardly diminishing at all, two that spring to mind are Van Morrison and Mick Jagger, both of whom can still belt out a full set of songs without too much effort.The end awaits us all, but in the meantime we can spin records by all these superstars and dream that their talents will never grow old.