The Who, Mellencamp, Seger, Skynyrd: 2015 looks fine for old-school rock in Vancouver

So, I hear One Direction is coming to Vancouver for a big stadium show next year.

Whoopee-ding.

They may be cute, as my teenage daughter won't stop saying, but do they whip their arms around in a circular frenzy to create "windmill" power chords?

Do they swing microphones over their heads, around and around, in an ever-widening circle, before skilfully reeling them in?

Do they suffer from tinnitus and have a ringing in their ears because they refused to turn down their guitar amps back in the '70s?

No they don't.

But the Who does—and that's why I'll patiently wait another nine months from now to see them play Rogers Arena on September 29, 2015.

And before that date finally arrives, there's a bunch of other gigs that'll be keeping me stoked throughout the coming year.

First up is Bob Seger, the Motor City Madman—or maybe that's the Nuge I'm thinking of. Anyway, Seger's from Detroit too, and I've loved him since I bought that Back in '72 album back in '73. You know, that's the one with "Turn the Page" and "Rosalie", a song so good even Thin Lizzy covered it. I saw Seger at Rogers Arena back in '13 , and he returns March 7. Saxman Alto Reed will also be in the house, no doubt, to turn it up on "Page".

Two weeks later, over at the Hard Rock Casino Vancouver, Lynyrd Skynyrd is in town, and while they've got even less original members than the Who—unless you count both original picker Gary Rossington and current guitarist Rickey Medlocke, who played drums in the early days—they've been known to kick up quite the southern-rock storm. From what I've seen on YouTube, newish guitarist Mark "Sparky" Matejka—who replaced the late, great Hughie Thomasson in 2006—is pretty adept at those shit-kicker Ed King fills and solos.

And if that ain't shitkicker enough for ya, the "Little Bastard" himself, John Mellencamp, will mosey his way onto the Queen Elizabeth Theatre stage for some summer fun on July 18. Last time I saw him he was on a coheadlining bill with John Fogerty, and I'd say he's one of the few who deserves to.

Vancouver guitar freaks with a penchant for the blues will have already scored their tickets to one of the two (or even both) Joe Bonamassa shows at the Q.E. May 11 and 12. And if for some bizarre reason you don't appreciate the sound of a cranked Les Paul, searing Stratmasters Robert Cray and Jonny Lang play the Hard Rock on February 21 and March 12, respectively.

Still don't have enough concerts to choose from to get your old-school rock jollies? How about the Church, February 21 at the Rio. They might do "Under the Milky Way". And you've already seen Robert Cray anyway, right?

And just to top things off with something for the kids out there: Foo Fighters play Rogers Arena on September 11.