It's been nearly a year since four fans sued the band Creed for putting on a lousy show. The concert was held in Chicago last December. That in itself is reason to sue. No one should have to leave his house to do anything during a Chicago winter. I'm not a lawyer, but booking a rock band during the winter strikes me as liable on the basis of inducement.

I should note that I have no idea what that means. But doesn't inducing somebody to do something sound like something litigious?

The Creed fans claimed the band's performance stunk up the joint because its members were intoxicated. Suing a rock band for being intoxicated is a little like suing a cat for having whiskers.

Personally, I think the fans should have sued themselves for going to a Creed concert in the first place. I mean, how can you tell when those guys are bad?

Apparently, Creed can tell. They apologized on their Web site.

In the '70s, a rollicking, free-falling, accident-waiting-to-happen band like Rod Stewart and the Faces, widely known for its sloppy shows, would A) be celebrated, not sued, for its party-hearty bonhomie; and B) never, ever apologize for it.

Oh, how times have changed.

And I'm adapting.

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I went with my 13-year-old son to a rock concert this summer. It was general admission, which meant we had to arrive early if we had any chance of securing a spot within a zip code of the stage. After defending our seven inches of space for what seemed like weeks, the lights dimmed and a roar went up from the crowd as the band strode onstage. Exactly at that moment, a wall was erected directly in front of us. The Great Wall of Tall Guys. We spent the entire concert on tiptoe, craning our necks around the tilt of the Tall Guys' heads, hoping to catch a glimpse of the band we came not only to hear but to see!