A number of years ago, I went to the mall to purchase a CD. I only had the songs I wanted on cassette and wanted to upgrade my collection.

After I handed the disc to the clerk at the register, he sighed. Now this was no sullen teenager bothered by some older guy’s nostalgic purchase. This guy was at least my age, maybe older. This will sound mean, but he looked like the guy they would cast in a movie about a 35-year-old guy who worked at a music store in the mall.

While he finished the transaction, he looked down at the CD and said, “Well, I guess some things never come into style.” Yes, this was someone I was willingly giving money to telling me that my taste stunk.

I don’t think I said anything. Maybe I was stunned. Maybe I was in a hurry. But most likely, I really didn’t care what Record Store Guy thought about my purchase of the Go-Go’s Greatest  Hits. I knew the songs were awesome without his input.

I thought of this instance as I drove from a Memorial Day weekend event in Dillsburg up to Hershey to see the the famous girl group open their new tour. They are celebrating the 30th anniversary of their debut album.

I had known about the concert for a while, but didn’t really sense that anyone I knew wanted to go. I hemmed and hawed over whether I wanted to attend the show on my own. I knew we would be just half an hour from the Hershey Theatre that night so left my options open.

When I jumped in the car and headed for the show, I plugged my iPod into the car stereo and started playing all the Go-Go’s songs I had loaded. Within a few minutes, I knew I made the right decision.

The Go-Go’s were the first band I saw in concert, serving as the opening act for The Police in 1982. I treasure seeing their set way more than my memories of Sting and his buddies.

You have to remember that I was 13 at the time. I didn’t need much coercion to warm up to the thought of five women in their 20s playing rock music and dancing. But it was the songs – and the way they performed them – that hooked me. I have always thought rock and roll should be fun, and the Go-Go’s epitomize that.

They didn’t disappoint on that front in Hershey. They may have started the show earlier than a lot of other bands – a possible nod to the fact that they and much of their audience is around AARP status – but they ran through a powerful and fun 75-minute set.

I didn’t need anyone there with me. I lucked into a third-row seat and got a great view of the women who so greatly discouraged the guy in that record store. I wish he could have seen them dancing around the stage while I bounced up and down and sang along.

That kind of fun never goes out of style.