Don Mclean.....

[DanR]

Originally Posted by taylorgtr

With Brian Wilson, they didn't quite wheel him out, but decades of psychiatric medication have taken their toll. He sat at a keyboard, which may or may not have been plugged in, sang his lines from a teleprompter, rarely talked between songs....and when he did, he sounded like Bill Murray in Caddyshack.

I saw Brian with the Beach Boys in 2012. Your above description matches how he seemed that night. However in 2013, I saw him on the Brian Wilson/Jeff Beck tour and he was quite animated. His vocals weren't great but before one of the more harmonically complex songs, he explained and then asked the audience to listen for certain things.

He also led the audience in a sing along of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." After that he said, "Wasn't that fun?" Kinda cool in a strange way.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by michaelnel

The singer who seems immune to age to me is Mick Jagger. The guy amazes me, the way he struts around the stage and still belts 'em out with the best of them.

ol' Mick (75) has a fairly strict health, exercise and diet regime.

I think that most of the following is fairly true although there may have been some questionable photoshopping on the images :

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbi...o-filter-tour/

[Nyghthawk]

Originally Posted by lowrider

The only thing I know from Don McClean is ''American Pie'' and I've always liked it. What songs should I look for on my Amazon prime Music app?

He covered Carol King's Tapestry. Other songs are: Babylon, Castles in the Air, Winterwood, The Grave, and the hilariously funny Everybody Loves Me.

[rokdog49]

Some artists seem to defy their age and can still hit "those notes". Living in a time where there are extremely talented tribute singers and bands, it is hard for me to listen to an aged performer(s) who can't do it anymore. I would rather hear those songs performed live by a great copycat or copycats.
Having said that, if a person just wants to experience the real deal no matter what, I can appreciate that. I wouldn't care to see a guy like Paul Simon in his decline. That would depress me.
Not that I'm any good but I hope some one tells me when it's time to stop.

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

ol' Mick (75) has a fairly strict health, exercise and diet regime.

I think that most of the following is fairly true although there may have been some questionable photoshopping on the images :

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbi...o-filter-tour/

I'm not buying any of those photos.
I'm 68 and am often taken for ten years younger. I take care of myself, eat right, no alcohol, drugs or smoking. I lift free weights and still retain decent muscle mass and firmness. My skin is healthy but it doesn't look like that and I never abused my body like Mick did all those years.

[JerrysGuitarBar]

Originally Posted by Nyghthawk

He covered Carol King's Tapestry.

No big deal but his Tapestry is his own song with the same name. And very lovely too.

[Slothead56]

Originally Posted by Nyghthawk

He covered Carol King's Tapestry. Other songs are: Babylon, Castles in the Air, Winterwood, The Grave, and the hilariously funny Everybody Loves Me.

Actually, his first album was called Tapestry and the title song (of the same name) is his, not a Carol King cover.

For anyone looking to truly understand him as a writer, singer and performer the only album to listen to is Solo. It contains his hits and then some and, as described, is he alone with guitar and banjo.

I saw him several times in the 70s. He was a major influence on my playing and writing at the time.

In ‘78 or ‘77 I saw him at an outside amphitheater outside Philadelphia. For an encore he walked to the end of the stage and with no mic or amplification sang It Won’t Matter Anymore. His voice filled the venue. You could hear a pin drop. It was a wonderful concert moment.

I moved in to other singers as I evolved as a player but he always will have a very special place in my musical memory.

[Nyghthawk]

Thanks for the correction on that. I wish I could have seen him once. Enjoy his music even now. The show the OP is talking about sounds like a ball.

[Earl49]

I saw Don McLean play a solo show in a medium sized venue in Ann Arbor, MI in 1977. Great show, but his several albums were still fresh in my mind then, and current in playing rotation. I still play American Pie, Vincent, and occasionally Castles in the Air. Appropo of nothing in particular, American Pie was the song playing on the bus back from a school field trip when I first held a girl's hand. Fond memories. As I get older myself, I prefer to sing "Vincent" with the guitar tuned down one whole step. I can still hit it all in standard tuning if warmed up, but being down a step sure helps me.

As for past their prime, I haven't heard Don McLean sing anything recorded or on video in the past 15 years. I hope his voice is still holding out. One of my musical heroes is Gordon Lightfoot. We saw him perform locally last fall, and have seen him live on several occasions over the years. His voice is just about shot now.

[Pura Vida]

Originally Posted by Steadfastly

Do you know if he has lost his vocal range yet? That is so often the case of older ones like him. Paul McCartney and Neil Young are two examples that come to mind that I would like to see but are, unfortunately, past it in the vocal ranges.

Neil and Sir Paul are still well worth seeing.

[jfq722]

Originally Posted by Steadfastly

Do you know if he has lost his vocal range yet? That is so often the case of older ones like him. Paul McCartney and Neil Young are two examples that come to mind that I would like to see but are, unfortunately, past it in the vocal ranges.

He has lost if not the range at least some flexibility in his voice. But he's such a skilled singer that he is still better than most his age.

[jfq722]

Originally Posted by lowrider

The only thing I know from Don McClean is ''American Pie'' and I've always liked it. What songs should I look for on my Amazon prime Music app?

Castles in the air, Crying, Crossroads, And I love you so...

[jfq722]

Originally Posted by Slothead56

Actually, his first album was called Tapestry and the title song (of the same name) is his, not a Carol King cover.

For anyone looking to truly understand him as a writer, singer and performer the only album to listen to is Solo. It contains his hits and then some and, as described, is he alone with guitar and banjo.

I saw him several times in the 70s. He was a major influence on my playing and writing at the time.

In ‘78 or ‘77 I saw him at an outside amphitheater outside Philadelphia. For an encore he walked to the end of the stage and with no mic or amplification sang It Won’t Matter Anymore. His voice filled the venue. You could hear a pin drop. It was a wonderful concert moment.

I moved in to other singers as I evolved as a player but he always will have a very special place in my musical memory.

That sounds like the Temple University music festival in Ambler Pa...A great place to have seen him!

[jfq722]

My favorite fairly recent Don interview...

I can't express how much this man and his music has meant to me starting at age 14. I was myself a lonely teenager with a guitar. I just put 12 instrumentals together on my first CD - not for sale just for close friends - and named it "Solo" in honor of Don's 1976 live album.
https://youtu.be/NJG6xo0-6P0

[Steadfastly]

Originally Posted by Pura Vida

Neil and Sir Paul are still well worth seeing.

Some think so as thousands go to see them. I am not one as them. I have heard them at their best and they are well beyond that now even though they are good entertainers.