In October 2025, Angelenos marked the 50th anniversary of Elton John’s two-night stand at Dodger Stadium. Elton’s inspired performances mesmerized his fans, while newspapers splashed photos of his dazzling Dodger-blue-and-white sequined costume worldwide. As we head over the crest of another twenty-first century decade, it’s easy for us aging boomers to bemoan the swift passage of days, the lack of affordable entertainment, and the loss of radio stations and record stores, as well as long for the simplicity of earlier times. But we must also appreciate the present age. We live in an era where we can summon instant concert videos on demand, download thousands of songs on hand-held devices at a cheap price, and enjoy plush venues headlined by artists of every stripe.
For example, as I’m chomping on a banana at breakfast, I can view one of Paul McCartney’s shows as he wends his way across the USA on his Got Back tour. Who would’ve ever thought we could watch a concert from hundreds or thousands of miles away on our screens within hours, basically for free? I never dreamed I could sit comfortably at my kitchen table, rub the sleep out of my eyes, and watch 8,000 people singing “Hey Jude” from the night before, in high fidelity and HD. Honestly, it might be better than driving in traffic, fighting the crowds in and out, and paying a thousand bucks for a decent seat.
A couple of hours later, when I go out for a run, I can bring along 19,318 songs in 216.33 GB, which is what the Settings app says I’ve got loaded on my phone. It’s like having Tower Records in your back pocket, for ten dollars a month, without being forced to interact with the long-haired clerk with the bad attitude who always knew more than you. Yes, I miss the exciting excursions down lively aisles packed with albums. I lament that there’s no liner notes, that we can’t tell who’s playing on tracks, and that lyrics aren’t printed on sleeves. But those facts are a mere Google search away. Overall, it’s not a bad trade.
Likewise, I could write a book about the concerts at the Fabulous Forum back in what we older folks call “The Day.” Actually, I did. It’s called Welcome to Fabulous Angeles: The Rock ’n’ Roll Adventures of a Wayward Westside Teen and was released on October 21, 2025.
Reality Check: The user experience at the Forum was far less than fabulous. The sound was crackly, harsh, and distant, and if you sat too close to the stage your ears got blown to smithereens. Worse, tobacco smoke permeated the air, firecrackers threatened your safety, and there were no video screens. Concession lines were lengthy, and in the few bathrooms you found, the floors were always—at every show—flooded. From the time Staples Center opened in 1999 to the present day, we’ve been the beneficiary of major architectural upgrades. The prices may shoot through the hundred-million-dollar roof, but at least you can hear, see, and sit comfortably.
We now live in the luxury box age, where premium seating comes with in-house TV, food, and drinks. SoFi Stadium’s YouTube Theater may appear gray and plain, but this summer’s Counting Crows concert boasted clear sight lines and sparkling sonics. The best acoustics, however, belong to the Sphere in Las Vegas. The classic Eagles melodies felt tangible, close, and personal, like a warm embrace, and didn’t leak arena-type reverb or latency. It felt like I was wearing a large set of headphones with cushy padding.
I can’t deny that the decades fell fast and find it hard to believe we’re blazing through the ’20s. But in these strange days, instead of listening to DJs on staticky airwaves, I can dial in a hundred SiriusXM stations. I remember when I bought the mountable hardware for my car in 2005 and discovered the smorgasbord of tunes on satellite radio. I was excited beyond belief. All this content for ten bucks a month? You must be kidding. I found excuses to take long drives to listen to a service I couldn’t imagine would ever exist. Over the years they’ve added every live MLB, NFL, and NBA game played, as well as numerous national new channels. Is that such a terrible change? I’d call it a vast improvement in variety, range, and auditory quality.
So instead of glamorizing antediluvian rites, why not be grateful for the rapid development of technology that we’ve been lucky enough to witness in our lifetimes?
Thankfully, the man who sang “I’m Still Standing” stayed true to his word. Elton John may have concluded his goodbye tour in 2023, but in May 2025 he headlined another SoCal baseball stadium, Petco Park in San Diego. How do I know?
Because I watched it on YouTube the next day.
For free!