concert mania.

I'm having a quiet morning, thinking about alot of things. I haven't posted in awhile, but I've always got blog ideas rolling around in my head. I have at least 3 a day, but somehow cannot find the time to flesh them out and get them posted. I've even got one that's about half finished still sitting in "draft" mode. Life seems full lately.

Even though I could never retrieve those old blog thoughts and write them the way I had intended to then, I thought I would at least try to hit some of the high points, so I can get them out of my head to make room for more. :)

Hubby and I went to the Aerosmith/ZZ Top concert a couple of weekends ago. It was SO great. We've been in this mode of hitting up every "rock legend" concert we can get tickets to since this may be the only opportunity to do so. (With them aging and retiring, etc.) ZZ Top is from Houston like us, so it's always fun to see them come back home and play for the people they know. Billy Gibbons lives in a hotel not far from our old house. haha! They are showmen, and it is VERY evident that they love their fans! I've seen them a few times over the years - it never gets old, and they never seem to waver.

Aerosmith on the other hand, I have never seen live. I have been listening to their music since I was like 7... which means 20 years plus everything from the 70's and 80's. That's quite a career, and I've always been totally smitten with Steven Tyler (well, what girl hasn't been, eh?) Needless to say, he's definitely showing his age, but he still has the "it" thing that makes women swoon, and can dance his ass off too! One of the things you can never be sure of when attending a "legend" concert is which songs they will play. We've been to a few where someone is trying to re-ignite their career and plays mostly stuff we've never heard. In those instances, I can't help but be like, "yeah... that's not what made you a legend... give us the good stuff!!" Well, Aerosmith delivered anything and everything I would have expected them to, which made it all the better! They were wonderful, and I'm glad we got the opportunity to go, and with such great seats thanks to my in-laws. :)

Not two days later I went with a friend to see Coldplay in concert. Their show was well orchestrated visually and effects-wise, but I have to say that I think Coldplay might just be one of those bands that sounds best in hi-def dolby surround stereo. I've heard bands like that before- that just aren't as inspiring and moving live as they are on CD. But it was still a great experience. We were on the outskirts of a thunderstorm, and at this outdoor venue, the breeze was swirling all around and the lighting was giving quite a show of its own... Needless to say, the synchronous interlacing of music and nature was quite an ethereal experience.

Tonight, we are going back to this same outdoor pavilion venue to see Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and John Mellencamp. THIS is a show to get excited about. I've seen Willie many many times, and even got to meet him once at a college function (just happened to be in the right place at the right time). While I can't say I've ever head the pleasure of smoking with him on his tour bus, I hope to magically find myself presented with that opportunity someday. haha!

Bob Dylan has been around forever. He's written volumes of music for himself, and just as much for other huge musicians also. He's compiled with the greatest of the great, and is a genius in his own right. Now, I will happily qualify that statement by recognizing that, in many cases, it's nearly impossible to understand what the heck he is saying. Hubby loves the underground Dylan stuff, but when I can't understand music, I lose interest quickly. However, in spite of that small misgiving, I can certainly appreciate him for what he's done and in such magnitude. I mean, here's the guy that people can't understand most of the time, and when questioned about it, basically says,

"F@$% you- I write for me, I sing for me, and if you don't like it or don't want to hear it, then don't listen. Don't presume to read meanings into my music, because you don't know me, and you don't know what I was thinking or what I meant."

I love that. Because it's real and it's honest.

And then there's John Mellencamp, (or John Cougar, or John Cougar Mellencamp, haha!). Who doesn't love "Jack & Diane"?? He's like the pop guy of the three... and has more hits than I can even remember, but I am super-stoked about seeing him too.

I guess I've always loved concerts- and when it's people who have truly shaped the direction music has gone in the last few decades, it's even more special to me. So, we keep adding to the list, and maybe someday we can really feel like we got to experience even a sliver of the magic our parents did in the 60's and 70's... the true birthplace of rock.

What concerts have inspired you, or were really special for you??