I’ve never been one to say that anyone is “too old for this” or “too old for that”.  In fact, I’ve always lived my life by the expression that “age is nothing but a state of mind”.  But the fact is, I’m almost forty years old.  I haven’t worked out for months, I don’t party like I used to and I’m getting any younger.

The Auteur and I went to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. in Lansing last night.  During the show, I had a shocking revelation:

I’m getting a little old for the whole “concert going” thing.

I got sore standing in one spot for extended periods of time.  It was really hot standing around, completely surrounded by other heavy breathing, sweaty, alcohol-fueled concert goers.  It was really creepy when The Auteur and I realized that the only people in attendance older than us were probably the various band members’ parents.  And even they were watching the show through their smartphones.  The whole smartphones-at-concerts thing was something I missed out on during the concert drought I went through for most of my 30’s.  I tried.  The last concert I went to in Charleston was Public Enemy.  I snapped a few pics there with my Droid, but I couldn’t bring myself to snap dozens or hundreds of pictures the way that some people seem to do now.  Another thing that shocked me was how affected I was by drinking a single beer.  The fact is, I almost never drink anymore.  I wasn’t sloshed or anything but the beer and the temperature in the bar really made me drowsy. 

Sadly, this isn’t the first concert I’ve noticed this at.  I felt much same way at Depeche Mode this past summer. The only differences there are the fact that it was a much bigger, outdoor venue and it was an older and much more mellow crowd.  Of course, at that show, I didn’t have any alcohol.

The worst part of all this is, as I mentioned earlier, I’m not getting any younger.  This isn’t going to get any easier.  I mean, I could start working out again.  That may help me feel more energetic, but I’m still getting going to get older.