I love going to concerts!! Rock, blues, country, folk, jazz ... you name it!!
Why? For me, there is something special about being in the presence of an artist (and usually thousands of other fans) and watching him or her play music live. Not only can a live performance often take you to an emotionally higher level than can be achieved on many of today's heavily-produced and synthesized recordings, but you also get a glimpse of the artist as a real person, beyond the varnished images of publicity and public relations. Perhaps most important is the sense that the artist is there to create the music for you! It doesn't get any more personal than that.
Why? For me, there is something special about being in the presence of an artist (and usually thousands of other fans) and watching him or her play music live. Not only can a live performance often take you to an emotionally higher level than can be achieved on many of today's heavily-produced and synthesized recordings, but you also get a glimpse of the artist as a real person, beyond the varnished images of publicity and public relations. Perhaps most important is the sense that the artist is there to create the music for you! It doesn't get any more personal than that.
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| Kenny Chesney at Van Andel Arena Grand Rapids, Michigan 2007 (Photo by Michelle Olin) |
Yes, there were a few lost opportunities over the years. Tickets were still available at Cleveland Stadium the night of the Jacksons Victory Tour concert in 1984. My wife (Tam) and I were doting over our newborn first child when the Stones' Steel Wheels Tour rolled into Ames, Iowa in 1989. One night, while checking into the Bayerisherhof Hotel in Munich, I learned that Oscar Peterson was filming in the basement lounge, and like a doofus, I didn't check it out. Several years later, I was at the same hotel and could hear David Gilmour's free Konigsplatz concert around the corner from my window and I thought I was too busy to join the party. Dumb.
Once, while stopping in Nashville on business in July 2011, U2 performed at Vanderbilt Stadium, just across the street from my hotel, and I had no idea until the next morning. Sadly, I didn't make Stevie Ray Vaughan's gig at the Kalamazoo County Fair on August 25, 1990 (two days before he died). I could kick myself for not making it to those gigs.
Nevertheless, I have certainly seen my share of shows. The first major concert I remember attending was John Denver at Blossom Music Center on August 7, 1974, and since then I have attended roughly five hundred concerts ranging from Aerosmith to John Williams and almost everything in between. I sat in the nose-bleed section for many shows, and front-row center for others. I've been drenched in the rain and gotten sunburned many times. Still, I have enjoyed almost all of them.
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| Robert Lamm of Chicago at Ryman Auditorium Nashville, Tennessee 2014 (Photo by Tom Olin) |
In recent years, I have revisited many of my favorite bands, as well as checked a few new ones off my bucket list. Advances in sound and lighting production have definitively made contemporary concerts more entertaining and enjoyable.
For some time now, I have wanted to sit down to recollect every concert that I attended. One afternoon, I made a list that covered eight or nine pages, but I couldn't immediately recall specifics about many of the gigs. So I decided to take a more thorough approach and assemble a list of the 'most unforgettable concerts.' It would enable me to expound upon each of them and share the unique circumstances that made them so great. This process helped me appreciate how important each of these events were in my life. I had a blast reminiscing about them. It motivated me to pull out some of the old ticket stubs, newspaper reviews, tour posters, and setlists that I had stashed away. I have included many of them here.
Davey Johnstone guitar pick
thrown into my wife's blouse
from the stage ... Elton John concert,
The Palace of Auburn Hills, 1998.
Jimmy Buffett guitar pick
thrown from the stage
at Tweeter Center, 2002.
What were some of the big-name concerts that I attended and didn't make the list? Well ... off the top of my head ... Chubby Checker, Chuck Berry, The Lettermen, Foghat, Jethro Tull, KC and the Sunshine Band, Deep Purple, Lionel Richie, Lonestar, Rod Stewart, Kenny Rogers, Roberta Flack, Jefferson Airplane, Dire Straits, Phil Collins, The Temptations, The Spinners, The O'Jays, The Osmonds, The Grascals, Counting Crows, Black Crowes, Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, Survivor, The Bangles, The Go Gos, The Beach Boys, Santana, Men At Work, Tears For Fears, John Fogerty, Maynard Ferguson, Chuck Mangione, Kenny G, Hanson, Tony Bennett, Michael Stanley Band, Warren Haynes, Vic Damone, countless comedians, and a version of the Guess Who (that had none of the original members). Some of these shows were very good, but they just didn't make the cut for one reason or another.
So lets get started and see if you happened to be at one of these memorable concerts too ...
So lets get started and see if you happened to be at one of these memorable concerts too ...
Ted Nugent Setlist with Handwritten Stage Instructions
Opening Night 'Adios Mofo Farewell Tour'
Immokalee Seminole Casino
July 12, 2023