Rated by a Mature Mom

Post updated on 8/27/25, to include a video from the Eagles concert. Check it out!

We go to A LOT of concerts. Like a lot. My husband and I both enjoy music so much, and even stop by bars in the neighborhood some nights to listen to some good local talent and live music. We’ve been to small venues, huge stadiums, and driven near and far. Many times just to hear someone play, have dinner and turn around and come home.

There’s something fun about hearing an artist or band in person with other people. Concerts make a great gift for my husband, since I can present tickets in a cute package for a birthday or holiday, and then have an experience to look forward to sharing together (see my post on Great Gifts for the Man in Your Life).

We started going to even more concerts in recent years, because as old as we are, some of our favorites are unfortunately starting to die off. We were supposed to see Tom Petty years ago, and we got into an argument and ended up selling the tickets. Within the year he passed away! ! Lesson learned-we should have gone.

With this many concerts under my belt, my husband thinks I am a bit of a snob- but I’d prefer to call it picky about what I consider a good or bad experience. I personally feel that since you’re usually paying pretty good money, these musicians should at least try to give the audience what they want.

I do think I speak for most people when I say that what the audience wants to hear is the hits. And they want them to sound the same, if not better, than on the radio or your old record player. I get that artists get tired of playing the same hits over and over again. But that’s why we pay them! When they go off and jam and do new music you’ve never heard, that’s fine for a song or two, but the whole time? Yuck.

In addition to the playlist, other things at concerts matter too: the venue comfort and acoustics, and how easy it is to find your seats, get your food and get around as an older adult. (See my post on tips for mature travelers.) Also, how personable the artists are really adds to or diminishes the experience. You don’t want to see someone act miserable and like they could care less about being there!

Anyway, these are ten 80s band concerts we have attended, and my very subjective but (I think) accurate reviews.  We have a much more eclectic taste than just 80s music, but I wanted to highlight these old timers since they’re around and still playing. If you’re a ‘mature mom’ like me, you likely grew up with these groups and are wondering whether they are, in fact, worth seeing.

Here are some details and my overall ratings. I’ve actually listed them from best to worst, so here we go.

1. The Eagles. We saw their “Long Goodbye” tour, and it was incredible. Madison Square Garden is huge, but fairly easy to navigate with so many escalators. There’s ample food and drink options conveniently located around the perimeter. You might have to be a little brave to drive around  New York City (my husband used to live there, so I’m lucky), but it was worth it.

This concert-wow. Hits just kept coming, and they sounded beautiful. Their characteristic harmonies were completely on pointe. There were replacements since some of the original members had passed away, but those replacements (Vince Gill and Glenn Frey’s son Deacon) worked beautifully. My only complaint was a set dedicated to Jimmy Buffet (who had recently passed away). It was a nice tribute, but one song would have been plenty. And a guitar solo by Joe Walsh that went on forever. I appreciate that he is very good, but is this an Eagles hit? Nope.

Even that did not diminish my review, since the overall stellar performance of the group outweighed some very small issues.

2. Hall and Oates. We saw them at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. I had sprained my ankle, and quite honestly could have been in a bad mood because we had to park a good distance away, but fortunately they had those great Boardwalk trams to get us there.

The beauty of going to these casinos is that there are some great restaurants- and I remember having an incredible dinner that night. We have been to the Hard Rock venue now several times, and really like the layout. It is easier than most places to find your seat, and honestly even if you didn’t pay the premium ticket cost, there’s not a bad seat in the house the way the theater is designed.

Similar to the Eagles, who have a TON of top hits, Hall and Oates do as well, and they not only played them, but played them well. Darryl Hall owns a small dinner club in upstate NY and we have see him play there. He sounds good alone, but with John Oates they just make for great harmony and the signature sound for which they’ve been known.

Top notch.

3. Chicago. We literally just saw them in July of this year! At the tried and true Hard Rock Live venue again, and this time we decided to get some Boardwalk junk food like hot dogs and funnel cake before the show. Fun!

What was interesting about this concert, is that we had low expectations. Seriously, I remembered some Chicago songs from back in the day, but couldn’t think of any I loved all that much. Well, they blew us away! Apparently the lead singer is like 80 years old, and it was smart to have an intermission to give him a needed break. His voice sounded so good; and the horns!! I totally forgot how much they were integral to their incredible jazzy sound. With several of the original members still going strong, they have their act together and sounded amazing.

4. Weird Al. You really just have to get a kick out of of this guy, his lyrics and take-offs on songs are so funny! “Eat It” (based on “Beat It” by Michael Jackson) made him famous in the 80s, but later he spoofed on some of my alternative bands like the Offspring- “Pretty Fly for a Rabbi”! He was just as funny and entertaining as you would expect.

5. The Who. Wow, Roger Daltrey still has it at 70+ years. What a powerful voice. They still have great energy and really fun banter between life-long friends, which is so nice to see. They seemed like decent people! Roger stepped away for a little (well- deserved after belting out some incredible songs), and said, “I just needed a little cup of tea” How cute! He is also still very good looking in my opinion!

6. Pat Benatar. If you liked her in the 80s, she is definitely worth seeing. One of those people who you realize had so many more hits than you remember. I think it’s so cool that her husband is her guitar player, and that they write songs together-they’ve been doing it for like 40 years! She still sounds great, and like I said, there are a lot of hits you will know if you’re my age!

7. Phil Collins. I loved Genesis so much as a teenager, and was excited to see Phil Collins. My kids also loved the movie Tarzan, and I have songs from that soundtrack that I listen to all the time. I thought he still sounded very good, and played a great selection of my favorites. He doesn’t have the energy in his voice that is kind of his hallmark, so some of the high notes were tricky. Most people are aware that he suffered an spinal cord accident years ago, so needs to sit for the concert, which is a little depressing to see.

But he still has the same beautiful voice, and his songwriting is beyond compare.

8. Steely Dan. This is a great band that has some hits, and lots of great sound and energy, given it is just the keyboard player and lead singer, Donald Fagen, with tons of musicians and backup singers. I was disappointed that they didn’t play all their hits, when there aren’t all that many of them. My Old School would have been nice. A lot of good sound- talented horns and other instruments, but also a lot of songs we did not know. And the backup singers (who no one knew) sang solos, which made no sense to me.

9. Rod Stewart. This is a hard one to rate, because to be honest,  I never liked his music even back in the day. He was actually playing in Florida and we were planning a vacation there so thought it would be fun. I guess he sounded ‘good’ as far as his raspy voice goes, but like Steely Dan, he had backup singers doing their own solos.

I think sometimes older artists do different things to save their energy- use backup singers, or do big drum or guitar rants so they get breaks. He did all these things, and I felt like it took away from the show. I’d rather, like Chicago, they just do an intermission. I’m not there to hear backup singers!

10. Todd Rundgren. Ugh is all I can say. First of all, the guy was completely rude to the audience. People were calling out for him to play his hits, (because he wasn’t), and he literally said, “the more you ask for those songs, the less likely I am to play them.” Seriously.

When he started playing “Muskrat Love” by the Captain and Tennille (this gives you an idea of the type of songs he was playing), it was too much for me. It was truly the first concert where I ever left early. My husband, who ‘respects’ musicians no matter what- wanted to stay. Thankfully we took separate cars that night, because I could not wait to get out of there! Apparently he did play some hits toward the end, but in no way would it have been worth waiting around for that.

So there you have it! I hope these reviews give you a little insight as to what to expect from some Eighties bands these days. As far as I know, most of these groups are still touring, so I hope you check out their schedules and see if they’ll be playing near you!