On Aug. 5, I sat on the field at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati and watched one of the greatest spectacles in the music world perform.

Paul McCartney.

That name might not mean much to you, but do you remember that one band from England that was kind of a big deal, The Beatles? He was one of them.

I consider myself lucky enough to be a pretty experienced concertgoer, having seen almost 20, but the McCartney concert is probably the second best concert I have ever seen (second only to Bruce Springsteen in Milwaukee, but that’s another story). The way that McCartney performed was unbelievable. The power and electricity he gave off during “Back in the U.S.S.R,” and the energy and emotion in “Live and Let Die” are unmatched in any performance I have ever seen. Wait, did I mention he’s almost 70? That’s right, 70.

And he played for almost three hours. Is it actually possible that a senior citizen could put on a longer and better show than the pop divas and hip hop stars that are popular today? I challenge you to find a moment more awe-inspiring than 40,000 people singing “Hey Jude” together, or that of hearing McCartney alone with his guitar playing the timeless “Blackbird.”

Now here’s my point. These legendary artists who have changed the world are still around, but if you haven’t seen them yet you’re running out of time. Chuck Berry may still be performing at age 84, and B.B. King is still touring at 85, but the Beatles broke up over 40 years ago, and McCartney is really the only opportunity for us to see and hear their music the way it was intended to be heard.

Take, for example, Clarence “Big Man” Clemons, legendary saxophonist for Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street Band who passed away on June 18 at age 69. The loss of the Big Man sent shock waves throughout the entire music community. Never again will anyone be able to hear his prophetic playing on “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out,” but his fans will forever immortalize him and his sound. You could argue that today’s music completely surpasses the classic artists and songs from the sixties, seventies and eighties, but if you actually think that you must not be paying attention to the music you listen to. The classic music is hiding inside.

On Lady Gaga’s single “Edge of Glory,” the lyrics reflect those of her inspiration, Springsteen, and Clemons even plays a saxophone solo. He also plays on her track “Hair” and his last live performance was with Gaga on “American Idol.” Take, for example, Rolling Stone’s newest craze SuperHeavy, a supergroup formed by Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones. Also please take note that a large part of the music on the hit show “Glee” was originally performed by these artists.

I’m not saying that you need to pay outrageous sums of money to go see these musicians, but why not take advantage of an opportunity to see them before it’s too late? Already this year Indy has hosted Def Leppard, Pat Benatar, and Earth, Wind & Fire play.

So this year, be sure to make an effort to go see these artists. Believe it or not, they’re the musicians that inspired popular artists today.