Live Music

The one thing about Facebook is that I generally receive some interesting quizzes or notes, usually consisting of one's personal list of favorites. One I received this weekend was to list 50 concerts you have attended, not necessarily in any order, just as they came to mind.

Considering that I have a scrapbook and a small box full of concert ticket stubs, I figured this was a cinch. And it was. I hit #50 and realized I had still a number of performers to list. When I reread the list, I was amazed and awash in memories. Then I realized how much I missed going to concerts. When I was twenty-something through early thirties concerts where a priority, right after family and in between food and gas. There was no ticket price too high. If I wanted to see the band, I saw the band.

I reached into the recesses of my walk-in closet to find the scrapbook and box, thumbed through the yellowed pages, sifted through the loose stubs yet to find a place in my keepsake of music miles, and after pondering how I could have built the house of my dreams with the money I spent on these concerts (let's not go there), I decided that those moments were worth every penny. From the performers themselves who brought me to tears or complete euphoria, to the event itself complete with sideshow sod tossing, beer throwing, and being trampled under foot.

I can't remember my first concert, although I'm embarrassed to admit it might have been the Osmonds. My mother and aunt's took me to that show, all the brothers dressed in white, fringe jumpsuits. Or it might have been Foreigner, my Dad dropped off a friend and I at Henry Levitt Arena. But in between those firsts and my recent free concert last weekend to see the Neville Brothers, each concert has  been...well...memorable:

In 1988, my brother and a few friends came to visit me in Illinois. I took them to the Monsters of Rock concert at Alpine Valley Wisconsin. The show was Dokken, Metallica, the Scorpions and Van Halen. These boys were freshly graduated from Kapaun and were not prepared for what awaited them. First, one of the young men wore an argyle sweater vest to the concert. Did I mention it was called the Monsters of Rock? Alpine Valley is an excellent outdoor venue with a huge general admission lawn. However, we took our seats in the reserved section, beers in hand. I forgot to warn the boys that sometimes the lawn crowd got a little crazy, liked to throw things at the reserved seaters. We spent a good 30 minutes hiding under our chairs, except for the occasional brave beer/sod throw back, when the lawn crowd decided to rip up pieces of sod and throw them at us. When they cleared the lawn of sod, they threw beer. This was the same show that Sammy Hagar fell off a riser and broke his tail bone. Also, after the show the hotel got our reservations screwed up and we all shared a room with one double bed and a roll-away that to this day we still swear someone was murdered due to the brownish-red stains. We took curtains down for extra blankets, used phonebooks and bibles for pillows. Oh yeah, and someone threw up. Like I said, memorable.

I was able to get two last minute tickets to see U2 at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago, the Joshua Tree Tour. To this day I can only describe the concert as a religious experience. Goose bumps. Tears. We, the crowd of 20,000, sang "40" as we walked out into the cold Chicago night and to our cars. I would see U2 five years later, this time at Arrowhead with my brother, my cousins and friends. Arm and arm we stood on our chairs and sang "One." This was also the show where the temp dropped twenty degrees and we ended up layering our bodies with our dirty clothes from our suitcases to keep warm (we had made an entire weekend of the show).

The Pearl Jam concert at Century II when one of our crew lost their ticket in the cold November wind and actually found it ("If I were a ticket, where would I blow"). Same concert that one of my female cousins fell down five bleacher stairs and never spilled her beer. Same cousin who took off her shirt to put on her new PJ tee. Completely took off her shirt. Completely. Pearl Jam rocked.

My sister and I saw John (Cougar) Mellencamp every time he came through Chicago, which was many. Such incredible showmanship. Most memorable show was in 1986. She and I had floor seats and we ended up standing on our chairs all night, drinking lukewarm Genuine Draft, singing and dancing. Me, my sis, and JCM. Good times.

I could go on and on...the Slayer concert at the Aragon Ballroom in Chi-town where the crowd got so wild they threw beer in plastic goblets along with their seat cushions at the stage and each other. The Ratt/Bon Jovi concert when I was standing on the floor and the barricade gave way and we all fell like dominoes. I came home that night with a shoe print on my shirt. Meeting the bass player from Living Color outside the Hurricane in Westport the night before the Rolling Stones concert at Arrowhead. I had him sign a page in my datebook. Taking my Mom to see Kenny G and later, Pavarotti where we sipped wine and cried. Ah, Luciano. The Grateful Dead at Soldier Field with Brad and my niece, Andi, including Jerry Garcia's final show complete with fireworks over the lake in time to Jimi's Star Spangled Banner. Duran Duran with one of my best friend's mom who screamed "I love you Simon" every five minutes. Every Dave Matthews Band show (3xs), every Journey show (5x), the Counting Crows, the Black Crowes, The Cult, Pat Benatar...

Then there are the two icons, James Brown and Ray Charles. Enough said.

The memories go on and on. Like I said, I could have had a comfy nest egg with the money I spent on the tickets, the travel. But I believe those memories will keep me warm, make me smile. And I think it's time to create a few more.

Comments

[Fairy Convent]

I hear you! I don't go to many concerts anymore but the one concert ticket I spent $100 bucks on was David Bowie. Yes, $100 dollars and he was worth every penny. Many fond memories swirl around the time of going to concerts, rocking out, being moved by the bands or both. So here is to all of the fond memories and the ones that have yet to be created!

[Moe]

I really enjoyed that read.
Jennie said I would.
And I did.
Thanks!