Ok, Boomer!

The beauty of intergenerational harmony, commitment, and loyalty

“Why don’t you come with us? Double date!” Amy’s text popped up on my phone. She invited my husband and me to an Eagles concert in Seattle. I was intrigued by her invitation as we thoroughly enjoyed a Coldplay concert at the same place a few weeks prior. I knew very little about the Eagles band, so I did some research.

“We were babies!” shouted I to Doug. The Eagles formed in Los Angeles in the 1970s. I wasn’t too enthused about a show with band members of my parents’ age. “Would they be dynamic enough to be entertaining?” I wondered.

When we walked into the concert, I was surprised at the large size of the audience. At first, the band played their iconic song “Hotel California” which I was familiar with. I found myself humming along with the music. The audience whistled and applauded in response. Immersed in their rocking performance, I completely forget my initial apprehension. I had as much fun as I did at the Coldplay concert.

“Deacon! Deacon! Deacon!” chanted the crowd when the spotlight was put on Deacon Frey, a son of Glen Frey, a deceased member of the band. Invited to join the band by Don Henley, his father’s friend, Deacon is the youngest member by a number of decades. Speaking on the decision to have Deacon fill in for his father’s absence, “The only way it felt justified to me was to have family blood in the band. And I have to hand it to Deacon,” Henley told Rolling Stone in 2017. National Review said Deacon’s performance “sounded remarkably like his departed dad,” both vocally and through his guitar work. Reflecting on the unusual situation to have band members spanning multiple decades and the commitment of a man to carry on his father’s legacy, it struck me as so highly rare in today’s world.

“How did you like the concert?” asked Amy while we are briskly walking together along the corridor into the exit. “It was great. Actually AMAZING!” I exclaimed. That evening I witnessed the beauty of intergenerational harmony between passionate baby boomers and a GenZ, the band’s ability to transcend their age and electrify the audience, and their commitment and loyalty to each other. Most of all, their performance inspired me to pledge to myself that I strive to remain passionate, persevere with my craft, and have fun as I approach retirement and consider the adventures that follow. Thanks to the Eagles! Thanks to Baby Boomers!