The band members walked onto the stage at the Clark County Fair’s grandstand without fanfare, introducing themselves as the Guess Who. Frontman Derek Sharp, born the year that the Canadian rock band recorded its first hit 50 years ago, joked about the gray-haired crowd in the grandstand. Then it was on to a 90-minute run of old hits including “American Woman” and “No Time” that had us old-timers on our feet, singing along to the still-familiar tunes. This was a band from my high school days of playing LPs in my bedroom. As if we weren’t all feeling plenty old, bassist Jim Kale told the crowd that he’d been performing for 53 years.
I wondered about the business side of signing vintage bands that once played concert halls and released hit records (remember those?) to play at hot dusty venues like the Clark County Fair’s grandstand. No one could have imagined decades ago that bands like this one, or others with far fewer hits, would draw crowds well into the 21st century. But the $25 seats in front of the stage were mostly filled. And others who’d paid the $11.25 fair admission enjoyed the show in the bleachers for free.
It turns out that technology has been a boon to the old bands, making their music easily accessible on streaming music services such as Spotify and Pandora. You can catch the Guess Who on YouTube, where a vintage performance of “Share the Land” has drawn 1.5 million views. The music of some faded bands has found new life in video games.
For band members who hung on to the right to use a popular band name, the road offers a money-making opportunity for the price of a few rehearsals and a stretch of summer away from home. Some bands can end up making more money than in their glory days.
