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We're in the middle of a grand musical experiment. While we all know the natural lifespan of athletes and dancers, no one has yet fully tested the endurance limits of rock and pop musicians. A quarterback is destined for car dealerships and the ESPN sports desk at 40, but when is it time for a heavy-metal guitarist to play his last power chord? Do rockers have something vital to offer once they get their AARP card?

I'm not talking about the Rolling Stones or some '50s package tour. Those acts have failed the test. Sleepwalking your way through "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" is not the test of rock longevity - or relevance. Any geezer can muddle his way through his songbook for a crowd that's too afraid or undiscerning to know any better.

I set the bar much higher. I'm talking about musicians who aren't afraid to fall down at age 60 ("I've fallen and I can't get up"). I'm talking about musicians who are getting old yet aren't relying on an oldies set list. Artists who still have something to offer, still bare their souls, and still challenge the status quo. Artists who will risk making a bad album if it's a fresh album.

Here are ten over 60 who still act like they're 30. These are musicians who are more active, creatively curious, and inspired than ever. They're teaching us how to grow old gracefully, loudly, and honestly.

GALLERY: View All of the Musicians Who Are Still Active Over 60

Bruce Springsteen (age 60)
The Boss turns 60 on September 23, 2009, which is close enough to make him eligible for our list. Yes, his concerts have their share of oldies, but Springsteen continues to be one of the most prolific and relevant songwriters in America. Since his 9/11-inspired "The Rising" (2002), Springsteen has been the Great American Griot, telling our tales, reminding us of our history, and willing to challenge our conscience. We'll even forgive him for that embarrassing Super Bowl performance.

Pete Townshend (age 64)
While The Who are inarguably a full-time oldies machine, Townshend continues to be an inspired, restless artist outside of his band. An early champion of the Internet, Townshend used his Web site for live-performance streams and direct communications with his audience long before anyone. He also used the Web to launch a variety of ambitious interactive projects, including 2007's "Method," which created 10,000 pieces of music for users who sat in front of specialized software to have their "portrait" taken. And this year Townshend launched a U.K. stage production of The Who's seminal rock opera "Quadrophenia."

Neil Young (age 63)
From his early days as a Canadian folkie to his role as the "Godfather of Grunge," Neil Young has never settled into a predictable career pattern. His 30-plus studio albums have bounced from folk-rock to experimental noise and have always confounded expectations. Young would rather fail miserably with a grand new experiment than succeed with an exercise in mediocrity. His recent "Fork in the Road" is a concept album about converting Young's '59 Lincoln Continental into an electric vehicle.

Leonard Cohen (age 74)
To anyone born after 1970, Leonard Cohen is probably best known as the dude who wrote "Hallelujah," which has been covered by Jeff Buckley, "American Idol's" Jason Castro, and Kate Voegele. For those who know better, Cohen is the songwriter's songwriter, a poet and artist. He spent five years at a Buddhist monastery, from 1994 to 1999, and has since emerged with two albums ("Ten New Songs" and "Dear Heather"); a book of poetry, prose, and drawing ("Book of Longing"); and a 2008 tour - his first in 15 years.

Robert Plant (age 60)
After Led Zeppelin's 2007 reunion for late Atlantic Records' late co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, the rumor mill went into overdrive predicting a new Zep tour. Robert Plant had no interest in hopping on the oldies circuit and opted instead to commit to an album and tour with bluegrass singer/fiddler Alison Krauss. Their "Raising Sand" collaboration was one of the most inspired records of 2008 (released in October 2007). It also reinvented Plant as a roots singer and brought him something Zep never could: an Album of the Year Grammy.

Bob Dylan (age 68)
It's easy to dismiss Dylan at this point or - worse - forget he's even still around. Bob has created so many seminal songs he's become part of the air we breathe. But, lest we forget, in his sixth decade Dylan's cranked out three critically acclaimed albums and the first volume of his autobiography. He also plays over 100 shows a year as part of his "Never Ending Tour," which he launched in 1988. And for anyone thinking it's just an oldies show, try and spot "Like a Rolling Stone" when he plays it at his electric piano. You won't. Dylan takes great joy in tearing apart his famous songs and rendering them unrecognizable. No room for nostalgia in Dylan's world.

Solomon Burke (age 69)
No, he's not as well known as his contemporaries, but the "King of Rock and Soul" (and author of "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love," immortalized by the Blues Brothers) has had a post-60 career resurgence the envy of artists half his age. His last four albums have been produced by Joe Henry, Don Was, Buddy Miller, and Steve Jordan, and have trafficked in country, old-school soul, and roots rock. He's recorded with everyone from Ben Harper to Junkie XL and has had Grammy nominations in the country, Americana, and blues fields. No one else his age can experiment so convincingly in so many genres.

Patti Smith (age 62)
The high priestess of New York punk has become an institution and inspiration for a generation of bands ranging from R.E.M. to The Smiths to KT Tunstall. But Patti has no interest in being an institution. Instead, she rails against the establishment, as she's done for over 30 years. In a world sorely lacking any convincing protest music, Smith performs searing indictments against the treatment of Palestinians ("Qana") and tributes to fallen activists ("Peaceable Kingdom"). She also bounces easily from punk rock stages to art galleries. She was the last performer on the CBGB stage in '06, and her work of visual art was exhibited at the Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain in Paris last year.

Willie Nelson (age 76)
Willie can hang with ANYONE. Here's just a sample of his itinerary over the past four years alone: a reggae album, a collaboration with Snoop Dogg, a Lincoln Center performance of blues standards with Wynton Marsalis, an hysterical appearance on Stephen Colbert's Christmas special ("Little Dealer Boy"), and stage time with Dave Matthews last month at Fenway Park. Maybe it's the weed.

Iggy Pop (age 62)
OK, Iggy hasn't changed his act in over 40 years, which by definition could make him an oldies act. I don't care. Any dude who can mosh around topless in his 60s singing "I Wanna Be Your Dog" is an inspiration and deserves all of our respect. Long live Iggy.

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