I know it's only rock 'n roll, but I like it. Gotta agree with Mick on that. I had another big dose of big time rock 'n roll about 3 weeks ago. Coldplay in concert. It's the second time I've seen them and I'd follow them around and go to all their concerts if I could. I love their music and the positive, joyful energy they bring to their work on stage. Hub was with me, and Son-Two and the daughter of one of my best friends. We are all absolutely CRAZY for Coldplay so the shared experience made it that much more fun.
I thought about the fact that Hub and I, in our early 60's, were there rockin' it with our son and friend, both in their early/mid 20's, and it felt perfectly normal ... more than normal ... "right". I cannot imagine a world in which I would have shared an experience like that with my parents. There was a 16 y/o girl in front of us with her mother too. My niece and her daughters go to concerts together frequently. It was so much fun to have Son-Two reach over and hug me numerous time, singing along together to our favorite songs, both joyful to be sharing something we'd been looking forward to for months. The divide between parents and children is not as wide as once was. That makes me happy.
But back to rock 'n roll.... I don't have what I consider to be sophisticated musical taste. As a "grown up" I feel a big self-imposed "should" about this -- as in, I "should" like jazz; I "should" like the symphony; I "should" like acapella choirs. (I know...I need to stop "shoulding" on myself!) Actually I like all of those genres just fine...occasionally...in small doses. But what really sends chills up my spine and fills me with excitement is rock, with a nice dose of blues. Hub and I made a list one time of all the concerts we've seen (as best we could recall, given the times then and our ages now)....
The Doors
Electric Light Orchestra (ELO)
Fleetwood Mac
Eagles (x2)
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY)
Jefferson Starship
Dire Straits
Elvis Costello
George Thorogood & the Destroyers
Blondie
Tina Turner
Eurythmics
Bonnie Raitt (x2)
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (x3)
Prince
Prince
Steve Earle
Keb Mo (x2)
Shawn Colvin
BB King
Etta James
Susan Tedesci
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
Santana
Motley Crew
Dave Matthews
Black Crows
Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
Police
Rolling Stones (x4)
Jackson Browne (x5-10)
Johnny Lang (x5)
Michael Franti (x2)
Coldplay (X2)
Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie
Paul Simon
U2
Hub
Eric Clapton
U2
Me
Annie Lennox
Shawn
Colvin
Sting
Mary
Chapin Carpenter
Kiss
Bob Dylan
Aerosmith
We've had some fun, for sure! But I am getting more choose-y about who I see and where. Crowds, traffic, seating options, acoustics...all are taken into consideration now. I think the famous concert venue at the regional winery nearby is about my style these days -- when we saw Jackson Browne there a couple summers ago, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, including Washington Governor Gregoire, was "of an age" close to mine. We were all enjoying very yummy cheese, bread and fruit picnics and delightful bottles of wine...so much more civilized than other concerts we've attended over the decades. Just look over the list...you can imagine there was no wine and cheese at some other of those. Other delights, perhaps, but no Brie or Chardonnay. :)
There is no heartfelt or wise point to this post. Just reminiscing on a warm, sunny, spring afternoon. And deciding my musical taste actually is just fine, thank you. At least, that's the view from here.
Your reminiscing brought back one of my all-time favorite concert moments (like you, I have attended many). The night I am recalling was Stevie Ray Vaughan at the Gorge (by George). It was almost a religious experience. Let me try to paint the picture for you...
ReplyDeleteA thunderstorm had come through shortly before the concert began and the sun was in the final stages of setting behind the receding storm clouds. I was sitting at the top of the "bowl" (having been working the T-shirt concession stand) and had an enviable view of the stage and the wall of the gorge behind it, across the river. For all intents and purposes it was fairly dark, aside from the remnants of the sunset peeking under the storm clouds and intermittent flashes of light within the clouds. When the spotlight hit Stevie Ray Vaughan, playing that amazing blues guitar, his 50-foot-shadow was cast onto the wall across the gorge. My girlfriend and I grabbed each other's hands as we simultaneously gasped in wonder. It was one of the most brilliant things, planned or unplanned, that I have ever seen on a stage. (I have never been completely sure of this, but I always like to think it was during the intro to Voodoo Child.)
The Gorge is a magical place! I've seen Jackson Browne, Tom Petty (twice) and Coldplay there and all were absolutely amazing. Your Stevie Ray Vaughn story is great!
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