As a metaphor for the passage of time, The Simpsons’ episode “Homerpalooza” (season 7, episode 24) portrays Homer in an exercise in nostalgia: while reminiscing about his youth, he assures his father that despite his age, balding head, and growing belly, he’ll keep on rocking forever. Forever. Forever. The innocence and raw truth of that scene seem trifling for Concert Joe, a Brooklyn resident who dedicates his life to rocking out: at 72, he has been in the game for over 50 years and has attended a staggering 24,000 live concerts.
“I feel like a worn-out tire,” Concert Joe tells High Times, in a confessional tone, while lamenting the leg and foot pain that’s taken a toll on him. At his age and with his hectic lifestyle, he’s bound to deal with some ailments: “I need a dozen operations, have severe asthma, a bad heart and bad lungs from exposure by 9/11.” To deal with these ailments, he smokes weed, and to keep going, he attends concert after concert, nonstop. “My entire life is nothing but weed and music!” he confesses.
A quick calculation suggests that he has spent about eight full years of his life traveling on the subway. “I may have taken the NYC subways more than anyone in history, average 4 or 5 hours per day, around 300 days per year for 53 years.” And so far in 2025, Concert Joe has spent about 131 consecutive days and nights attending live music shows. Sometimes, he even sees up to three entire concerts a night. A truly insane feat and a genuine physical achievement. We’re talking about 196 concerts from July 8th to today, nonstop, for a total of 327 full shows during 2025.
But it’s not all sunshine and roses: noise, feedback, and distortion do take their toll. “My health is pathetic,” he insists. However, he’s …
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Author: Hernán Panessi / High Times
