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Is creating existential? When do content creators call it quits?
When my son was a kid, I took him to a Rolling Stones concert. After all, he was an aspiring musician and so he had to see the greatest band in the world.
Now a man, my son returned the favor by taking me to a packed Rolling Stones stadium show in Atlanta. Mick Jagger put on a death-defying — or at least age-defying — performance, strutting around the stage for more than two hours.
It was a wonderful time but I could not shake this question from my head: “Why are they doing this?
- Mick Jagger is 78 years old.
- They have been performing as a band since 1962.
- Their only drummer, Charlie Watts, died a few months ago.
- Their net worth is $950 million. They don’t need the money.
So why are they still touring?
Perhaps at some point, creating and engaging with an audience became part of their DNA. Something happened organically and they became something more than individuals playing a role in a band. They became a creative force called The Rolling Stones. Playing music and performing became part of their very existence. To be fully who they are, they must play.
