Rock-n-Roll vs Classical?

One of my symphony orchestras just finished doing a Led Zeppelin tribute show last weekend. In my opinion, it was a fabulous show, and a real buzz to play for. The audience seemed to be made up of a combination of regular symphony patrons and some hard core rock fans, with a good time had by all. Got several enthusiastic "great show!" comments from well-dressed baby boomers on my way out the stage door afterwards, proving that the generation that invented rock has not forgotten how to.
I have found that popular music genres, while mostly simplistic in their structure, can reach as deeply into my soul as the most wrenching performance of the Elgar Cello Concerto. When I was a college student I used to be a classical snob, turning my nose up at any other forms of music and wishing to physically flee any sensation of subwoofers......... until the day I got to play with the Moody Blues. Yep, "Nights in White Satin" resonating through my instrument made me a convert.
The feel of a throbbing bass line has alot more effect on you when you are the one producing the soundwaves. Suddenly, those bouncing, undulating masses of bodies in front of the stage became more than just hormone laden teens full of angst (okay, more like middle-aged bank tellers full of mid-life crises). They were acolytes of the "live for today" attitude, and they had hypnotized me. The primal rhythms and repeating refrains had surrounded my uptight ego and flayed it, exposing everything.
Subsequent shows with entertainers like Tony Bennett, George Benson and Doc Severinsen drew me into the jazz mentality, while performances with world-class mariachis such as Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan proved to me that there is beauty beyond words behind those conchos.
Still and all, I can't wait for my orchestra's first classical concert of this season. We have a brand new conductor at the helm who has already bewitched the crew with his handling of "The Stick". We'll be shredding Tchaikovsky in about three weeks, and I am ready to rock.