I read the “Today in History” column in my local paper pretty much every day. My favorite part are the celebrity birthdays. I always had a rule that once a musician turned 50, the could not be listed as a “rock” musician.

I decided to change that rule yesterday when Peter Buck celebrated his 51st birthday. Happy Birthday, Pete.

At first, I thought the listing had to be wrong. Peter couldn’t be 51. They started the band while in college in 1980. But Wikipedia set me straight. Even though I’m fairly obsessed with the band, I didn’t realize just how much older he was than the other guys. Bill Berry is 18 months younger and Michael Stipe is four years younger.

That doesn’t mean Peter doesn’t still rock. I remember seeing them in 1999 during their first tour since Bill left the band. Something seemed different. Peter didn’t really look like he wanted to be there that much. Granted, it was near the end of the tour, but his trademark jumps and leg kicks diminished. At the end, he literally picked up Stipe and carried him off the stage, like he couldn’t wait to finish the show.

Fast forward to 2003 when I saw them at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va. They had settled in a little without Bill. They faced their past and released a greatest hits album. They brought out some songs they hadn’t played since 1980. At the end of the show, during “End of the World,” Peter went over to the keyboard area and banged on them for a while near the end of the song. He looked like he could play all night.

That’s why 51 year olds can still be called rock musicians. It’s not the number, it’s the attitude. Enjoy this rare 1982 concert clip which just showed up on YouTube recently.