Rock on, Grandpa

More Than Ever, Aging Bands Are Strapping on Guitars and Squeezing Into Leather Pants to Strut Back on Stage

On a balmy evening last month, I sat on a beach in Santa Cruz and watched the five black-clad members of Blue Öyster Cult stride onto a stage and launch into a raucously chugging rendition of “OD’d on Life Itself,” a hit from an album they recorded 42 years ago. When the song was over, front-man Eric Bloom started to describe how the lyrics for their next song, “Career of Evil,” were written by rock legend Patti Smith—then stopped himself mid-spiel when he realized “Career” wasn’t the next song planned. …