I thought it would be a fun cranial exercise to list all the bands/artists I’ve seen live over the years. I’ve tried to list them in order of attendance. I invite you to list yours in the comment section below if you care to. Perhaps a few of your favorites? Don’t expect linguistic creativity below, it’s merely intended as a therapeutic walk through memory lane. Do take note of the progression of musical styles. Here we go:
Captain and Tennille I must start at the beginning. Many of you will have to look them up. I saw them with my parents and siblings as a child (early 1970s) at the Eastern States Exposition. If you enjoy New England culture, this annual event is a must see.
Santana This is one of the first artists I saw with my high school friends at the Hartford Civic Center (HCC), a few years before the roof collapsed during a snow storm. You should Google it.
Rush From the photo above at the HCC. I great show at which I was able to get closer than I thought possible. Lucky me! Search my Substack if you wish to delve deeper into my adventures with Rush.
Molly Hatchett A southern rock band I enjoyed seeing with friends. Their drummer was particularly creative.
Stevie Nicks w/ Billy Joel’s drummer Liberty Devito. She was amazing of course. A third of the way into the show she introduced the band and drummer. At that point my eyes became glued on him. Listen to some of Joel’s earlier albums and you’ll hear how creative of a drummer he is.
Steve Winwood Winwood is another unique artist and simply brilliant live. We performed one or two of his songs in our childhood rock band so I felt a special bond to his music.
The Cars and Huey Lewis There was a local amusement park in Connecticut who brought in national artists one year, sort of a mini-Woodstock. They were among the line up.
The Who We saw them with friends at Shea Stadium in New York. Keith Moon, their original drummer, had already passed away however their music had a tremendous influence on my playing in my early years. There was that special bond thing again.
Tom Petty I must say that the late Tom Petty was one of the best live entertainers I had ever seen and they duplicated their music flawlessly.
Boston We saw Boston in Connecticut, lol. If you are familiar with their music you may recall a grandiose organ in many of their songs. I was disappointed (as were they) that their organ would not work that particular night. I felt jipped.
The Police Another show where somehow I was able to get very close, stage right. Their drummer, Stewart Copeland, is still active today, doing orchestral scores and what not.
Genesis The only thing I remember about this show was that my eyes were fixed on their two drummer at the same time. A few years later, I would be fortunate to see one of them at a local drum clinic, up close and personal. I asked him to play the opening full to Anita Baker’s “Sweet Love” and he was kind neigh to indulge me.
The Bangles and Go Go’s I think we saw them at the same show but can’t quite recall. Either way, more power to the women. They did a great job. The lead singer for the Bangles, Susanna Hoffs, just published her own book. A woman after my own heart.
Aretha Franklin The legend herself. This show was in Seattle if I recall correctly.
Elton John This performance was unreal. I don’t think I appreciated as much as I should have at the time, Elton being slicing musical legend and all. He performed many of his classics, my fav being “Someone Saved My Life Tonight”.
George Winston You may not know him but he’s a brilliant pianist. Among many pieces, he performed “Linus And Lucy” flawlessly. Did you know that it’s extremely difficult to play two time signatures simultaneously?
4Him Four guys with incredible voices singing about their Lord, Jesus Christ. A few members are presently leading in music ministry. Duh? Would love to attend those churches.
Point Of Grace Four ladies with angelic harmonies. They were popular during the 4Him era.
Mercy Me Everybody has heard “I Can Only Imagine”. I remember the lead singer Bart Millard sharing his testimony about his grandmother and how the bands name came about.
Crystal Lewis and Bryan Duncan My wife and I saw them at the same concert in Seattle in 1991 as they toured together for a season. True story: Both my wife and I gave our lives to the Lord that night. And I am still in email correspondence with Bryan on occasion. Check out Bryan’s website. He’s a riot: https://nutshellsermons.com/
Annie Moses Band This is a Christian family whose members were Juilliard trained. Look them up when you get the chance. You will be amazed at all the instruments they play flawlessly.
Toto I end with Toto because I’ve probably been listening to them the longest, since 1978. It’s 2022 and they are still recording and touring. In 2016 we saw them at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, a venue they had great reverence for. I managed to obtain second row seats from which I took many photos, including this one:
I forget the rest of the artists I’ve seen as I’m sure there were a few others. If you were with me please remind me, lol.
As an addendum (mainly for me) here a few famous drummers I’ve seen up close and personal at various drum clinics:
Bill Bruford of Yes
Steve Smith of Journey
Chester Thompson of Genesis
Terry Bozzio of Frank Zappa and Missing Persons
Sonny Emory of Earth, Wind & Fire
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Thank you for indulging me if you’ve made it this far. Merry Christmas if our paths don’t cross before then.
Jim
Just after high school, in the late 1970's to early 1980's, friends and I attended Kiss concerts, in Asheville, NC, and Johnson City, TN. In April 2000, friends, two brothers, and I saw Kiss in concert in Knoxville, TN. (My 17th article, of 6/3/2006, mentions Kiss concerts, in the context of our niece's graduation.) When my wife and I were in Russia (1994-1999), we saw the Rolling Stones in concert, in August 1998. I've never written an article about that great concert. Even though it rained, the soccer stadium was domed. Thanks for the walk through memory lane!
Jim, I like music and have seen a few bands/artists live, but you have me way outnumbered. I've seen Don Francisco, Helmut Lotti, and Josh Groban—all when we were in Connecticut. If there were others, I can't remember (so much for lasting impressions, or bad memory!).
Thanks for the memories. Merry Christmas and best wishes for 2023.