Too Long at the Party

Being “Too long at the party” is a term that is tossed around in different contexts. The context of which I will be referring to is when a band has been around so long that they are tarnishing their legacy. An example of this situation would be when a band can’t perform as well as they used to. In a band’s career, especially one that spans a long period of time, it often incorporates a deep history that has evolved over several decades which often includes lineup changes, musical directions, to break ups and reformations. One might conclude that some bands may be staying “Too long at the party.”

My intention is not to bash any artists, I’m here to be objective and pose the question “Is [insert band name here] not as good as they used to be?” Of course people are going to have their favorite eras of different bands, what I’m asking is does that drummer hit as hard, can the singer still hit those notes, etc.? I’ve looked at many different bands and in my opinion the best artist that is older and still records and performs live to this day would have to be Alice Cooper. In the case of Alice Cooper, what it comes down to is that his live performance is a show. Alice himself was never known for his singing abilities, but rather as a performer, a showman. So now that he is nearing his 70’s, he still gives a great live performance. For him, he still performs as well as or better than he did in the past, but now he just has to put on less makeup.

  

Being “Too long at the party” is a question that has to be answered on a case by case basis for each band, because the lifespan maybe 40, 50, or 60 years. It may not be a matter of making new music, although some bands seem to have creative burn out, but rather a contemplation of whether performing live is still appropriate. Some artists are hanging up the towel by going out with a bang. We call these farewell tours. Ozzy did it, although that really didn’t work out because he continued to record and tour years later. Lately, the two best examples of this are Twisted Sister and Mötley Crüe. Those two bands are retiring, although for different reasons while still at the top of their game.

A band may just stagnate and need some new blood to inject some energy into it. When people are deciding whether to go see a band’s live performance, they have to ask themselves if they are going just for the sake of nostalgia or whether they are going because they are expecting to see a great show. You have to ask yourself and the bands should ask themselves this question, Have they been around too long?

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