Mingle With The Gods Mingle With Divinity: Blood Sugar Sex Magik

I remember thinking that nothing could be any better than the 1989 Chili Pepper's Album Mother's Milk. I could not have been more wrong. While George Clinton's funk was still prevalent, Blood Sugar Sex Magik brought us heavier sounds and some pretty heavy topics. The album also debuted at the height of MTV and actual videos. The silvery desert debut of Give It Away thrust us into a powerful era and gave us potentially the best album The Red Hot Chili Peppers will ever produce.

Recorded in Houdini's reportedly haunted Hollywood mansion, the non-studio produced album was full of originality and chances taken by the band. Hillel Slovak had passed not even five years earlier and John Frusciante would leave soon after this album hit full popularity. For those looking for songs like Higher Ground or Knock Me Down, there would be disappointment.

Blood Sugar Sex Magik is full of sex and drugs. Make no mistake, this album is a purge valve of hedonism, lust, drugs, regret, loss, and more sex. In the era of PMRC stickers, I was not able to get this one in at National Record Mart ... but go it a a yard sale! Way to circumvent the system. 

I quickly understood why it got the Parental Advisory sticker as there were more references than Darling Nikki that made me blush and run to turn down the cd player. 
This became my album (along with the Metallica Black album). Well not just mine. Mine and my best friend's album. So much so that we bought the shirts and also taped RHCP's on Pirate Radio - and listened to it over and over and so on. Anthony and Flea were like gods to us ... and Anthony seemingly knew his looks and fame were powerful. So much of this is evident in the album and it was also another reason why Frusciante would leave the band.


The Power Of Equality
The first few seconds are deceiving. It sounds like Anthoy is singing into a pillow and then boom ... Swing. It's quick and gets you really moving and ready for the album. It was hit hard politically as the song is very motivated by the discussion of race, bigotry, sexism, and hatred. 

If You Have To Ask
Very poetic and sing songy and with some Clockwork Orange language worked in. New vibe in the one for the Chili's and it worked. 

Breaking The Girl
Slowing it done and showing us what they are  really made of  in terms on content. It's the quintessential "our relationship was really rocky. This video though -- full of color and Anthony's Princess Leah manbuns. Low in Flea's bass but high on percussion.

Funky Monks
They're in a band. There are no monks in their band. There are no saints in the land ... no woman is able to escape their lure...because every man has certain needs.  Moving right along.  

Suck My Kiss
Fleas bass is heavy in this one ... like a big hug wrapping those strings around you. Anthony and those ladies. 

I Could Have Lied
Rumored to be about Anthony's very brief fling with Sinead O'Connor. It's a gorgeous acoutic guitar driven question about love and loss. 
Mellowship Slinky In B Major
Lots of B Major chords mixed throughout ... and a favorite of funk and James Brown. Lots of references to famous people ... including Anthony himself (Yo Swan).

The Righteous & The Wicked
Still such a relevant song about war, peace, and the state of the world. Lots of complexity in this song and has the build of Higher Ground.
Marvin Gaye my love, where did we go wrong?

Give It Away
Seriously crank this song. It's magic and alive and inspired by materialism. 
This video is the 1990's. 

Greedy little people in a sea of distress
Keep your more to receive your less
Unimpressed by material excess
Love is free love me say hell yes

Blood Sugar Sex Magik
A personal favorite. This song is lust about every aspect of a woman. The lyrics are like spoken word. I always wanted Anthony to sing this to me.  

Under The Bridge
The song that everyone knows as soon as you hear the first few notes. Such a therapeutic song for Anthony as it tells about his trials with drug addiction. 

Naked In The Rain
A fun song about loving life. 

Apache Rose Peacock
New Orleans. Women. Drag queens. Funk. Stop.

The Greeting Song
Driving song - pun intended. More women. More sex. And fun. Driving bass but not overpowering. 

My Lovely Man
Written for their guitarist Hilel Slovak. It's a letter of loss, respect, and love. 

Well I'm cryin' 

Now my lovely man 

Yes I'm cryin' 

Now and no one can 

Ever fill the 

The hole you left my man 

I'll see you later 

My lovely man if I can

In my room 

I'm all alone 

Waiting for you 

To get home

Sir Psycho Sexy
You have to love that Anthony makes fun of himself so much. Don't listen to this outloud if you've never listened to it before. Prepared to be shocked if you have delicate ears.

They're Red Hot
Ending of a completely different note. 
Fast, jazzy, and hot. Take with caffeine. 

Here We Are Now Entertain Us: Nevermind

If my eyes could show my soul,everyone would cry when they saw me smile ~ Kurt Cobain

The album that would  revolutionize the grunge movement was released on September 24, 1991. Not many of us rushed out to buy it ... until we say THAT video. 

While their first album Bleach was popular in the UK, in the US, the new grunge sound was just beginning to permeate the airwaves already thick with LA's hairbands. The previous week, Guns N Roses double albums Use Your Illusion I & II were released to phenomenal sales. Who was Nirvana? Flannel, heavy guitar sounds, and angst was ushered in by Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl: Nirvana. MTV and VH1 played music videos and Smells Like Teen Spirit propelled the band into the mainstream. Ironic when you set out to be against it. 

But why has the album been classified as the one to push grunge across the mainstream boundary? What about Pearl Jam's Ten or the Alice in Chain's Facelift? What about Soundgarden? To most, it sounded like noise. To a music lover, it was filled with layers of varying music styles, perfect pitch, and poetic lyrics. Nirvana's Nevermind was the gateway album to all of grunge and to those bands who inspired the grunge movement as well. (See Mother Love Bone, and Green River)

Aside from the music, this shift from LA glam to Seattle grunge was also how many of our generation felt. GENERATION. This album represents a generation and a shift in music trends.  We were in that middle and high school funk. We didn't want high bangs, we wanted docs and flannel and we were tired of everything having to be perfect. We wanted new music. Nevermind was like nothing we'd heard before. 
 

Smells Like Teen Spirit
Kurt Cobain's attempt at sounding like the Pixies and making fun of a 90's teen deodorant was the tipping point for grunge's birth into the mainstream. The video alone was novel, gone were the bikini clad models and welcomed were anarchist cheerleaders in black and dancing custodians at a dingy high school band assembly. The song is filled with chord progressions and nods to power chords of the 70's and 80's. Grohl's drumming and Novoselic's steady bass combine with Cobain's unique yet perfectly tuned voice.

 Our little group has always been
And always will until the end

Hello, hello, hello, how low?

 
In Bloom
If this song didn't convince you of the gifted mind of Kurt Cobain, nothing ever will.  The song is a message to the fans who have no clue what Nirvana were about. This song is driven by the progression of the harder chorus and softer vocals that would be a signature model for many of the band's songs.

The video is the first of many of the 90's to use the old is new again approach, making a parody of 60's music variety shows. 

 
Come As You Are
An eerie song and music video that drew inspiration from the Nevermind cover.It's lyrics are contradictory (take your time, hurry up, choice is yours, don't be late) and it is more subdued than the first two tracks.
 
Breed 
Grohl's machine gun drumming ten second into the song cement a hypnotizing beat along with Krist's bass and Kurt's repetitive lyrics. Repetitive to represent the mundane and ground hog day suburban life.

Lithium
Subdued and poetic, angry and desperate. The song is a telling look into Kurt's mind. 
 
I'm so happy 'cause today
I've found my friends ...
They're in my head
I'm so ugly, but that's okay, 'cause so are you ...
We've broken our mirrors [Alt: We broke our mirrors]
Sunday morning is everyday for all I care ...
And I'm not scared
Light my candles in a daze ...
'Cause I've found god

 The thoughts of a suicidal person and finding god to get you through it.

 
Polly 
A disturbing song that champions a woman who overcame her captor. Poetic again and not fitting fully into the grunge sound, however the soft and pop sound ironically detailed into the thoughts of the captor himself. 
 
Territorial Pissings
Talk about the perfect mosh pit song. While the lyrics seem nonsensical there is this...
Never met a wise man, if so it's a woman

Drain You
Again, gifted lyrics even though lyrics were usually second in the production for Nirvana. 

 
Lounge Act
This song builds: spoken, shouting, yelling. It's also inspired by the bass line, which Kurt felt sounded like something from a cheesy lounge act. The song is also about a messy break up.

Stay Away
The irony is painful: I'd rather be dead than cool. The stardom that this album propelled them into was the exact opposite of what Kurt wanted. 

On A Plain 
I can totally hear early Foo in the "ohh ohh" ... which is fine since Kurt was okay with Dave's side project. It's a band staple and has every one of their signature sounds. It also offers a great transition into the final song of the album.

Something In The Way
 This song is magic. It is simple. It mellows out the anger and angst. There is nothing but Kurts guitar and voice until the drums, bass, and cello are softly mixed in. 

We may never have a moment like this again in our lives. We witnessed a musical transition in our generation. A musical revolution that happened at the same time when we transitioned from cassettes to CDs. A time when we used to go buy physical copies of music and play it from start to finish. Personally, I can remember who I was with and where I was when we first played this album. It was bold, different, and emotional. Music up to this point had been pop, sap, and a pancake make-up false facade. 

Kurt, Krist, and Dave gave us a platform and a soundtrack for our generation. We could be ourselves, angry, frustrated, and confused. Nevermind gave us an outlet. Nirvana also opened a world of music to many that never would have heard of. Nirvana was put into our lexicon before the word grunge, so the two have become synonymous. 

September 10th, 2001

Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?
Teaching a class full of innocent children
Or driving down some cold interstate?

Did you feel guilty
'Cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone?
Did you call up your mother
And tell her you loved her?
Did you dust off that Bible at home?

Did you open your eyes, hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep?
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages
Or speak to some stranger on the street?

Alan Jackson - Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning

Twenty-two years ago today, life was simple for us. Terrorism was in Israel, Northern Ireland and Colombia. Twenty-two years ago today, we could look at an azure sky and enjoy it for what it was – pure, deep and inviting. People rode the subways, planes and buses without cause for concern. Washington D.C., Shanksville PA and New York City would never be mentioned in the same sentence on September 10, 2001.

Twenty-two years ago today, we saw and spoke to friends and family members for the final time. We watched as firefighters parked their cars at the firehouse for the night tour, hoping to watch the Giants-Broncos game between runs. Police officers stood at roll call for a quiet September night patrolling the city. Husbands, wives and flight attendants packed for their flights the next morning.

Twenty-two years ago today, we said goodbye to our innocence as we woke to a new world. In 102 Minutes, our lives would be forever changed.

Now, blue skies remind us of that day when they were blackened by smoke, when we heard the skies become silent and saw many act courageously in their final moments. Statements like, Let’s Roll and We're Three Truck and We’re Still Heading Up exemplify moments of bravery and final acts of humanity in a day filled with so much fear. Stories of the fire safety director who wouldn’t leave the Trade Center until he accounted for all of his employees, the equities trader with the red bandanna who saved 12 people, the final fight for their lives on board a hurdling plane, the firefighter running through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel in full gear to do his job, the police officer last seen as she helped victims to safety -- each one of these heroes gave their lives for others...this is what September 11th should be remembered as...selfless acts of courage. Our September 10th heroes looked up to our September 11th heroes in the following days. 

Twenty-two years ago on September 11th, our world changed, and it will never go back to the way it was. Something always reminds you of that day – a song, a fire truck, a plane, dust on the sidewalk. Although we must move on – never forget the sacrifices, the unspoken hurt that still remains, the friend’s phone number still on the cell phone after ten years or the want of a memorial for those never recovered.

Future generations won't know what life was like before this day. They will hear about it in reminisced stories by survivors, witnesses, victims' families, songs and TV. It is our job to keep the memories alive of the almost 3,000 victims who perished that day, the first responders who are dying now as a result of their rescue and recovery work and our soldiers who fight to defend our country. Our future generations need to know more than we were attacked by terrorists. They need to know that we were attacked by terrorists and brave human beings from 90 countries - civilian and military and even a bomb sniffing dog, died and many survived through brave acts by fellow human beings. They also need to know that day was hell -- it was terrifying to not know what was next, to watch humans perish in front of our eyes on live satellite television.  Life was extinguished and disappeared in an instant and we all experienced or watched it first-hand.

Twenty-two years on -- we have grieved, we are remembering, we are moving along, but we will never forget.

So My Big Brother Was Playing Guitar And I Thought I'd Try It Too





Unknown Credit

August 26th marks the last day the world heard Stevie Ray Vaughan play Number One, his signature Fender Stratocaster, at Alpine Valley in 1990. Since Stevie Ray Vaughan's untimely and shocking passing, his influence and legendary status has only gained in momentum.

At the 2015 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction, the man who is responsible for Stevie Ray Vaughan ever picking up a guitar inducted his little brother. And the moment was not lost on Jimmy Vaughan. While he did talk about Stevie Ray sneaking around to play his big brother's guitar when told not to, he credited his brother's sobriety with saving his own life.

Whether it was his raw and emotional guitar playing or his truth about addictions, much can be said about Stevie Ray Vaughan's influence on people to change their lives for the better. From Bonnie Raitt to John Mayer, Stevie Ray can be attributed to helping them become clean and also become the best guitar players that they could be. He also influenced many to simply become the best person they could be. 

 

One has to wonder where in the musical world would Stevie Ray Vaughan be now? What other songs, such as Lenny, Riviera Paradise, or Pride and Joy would Stevie have gifted to us. He was the epitome of the blues. He hit the very bottom and rose to stardom, only to be lost so very young in such a tragic way. Sobriety found him loving life to the fullest and playing the best shows of his career.

In the time since Stevie's passing, a true testament to his staying power is how timeless his music is. His songs were not jockeyed for an era or a style of music. Stevie Ray played the blues. He lived and breathed the notes he played. Music was his passion and that was evident every time he picked up his guitar. 

Scottish singer, Sandi Thom, said that once after a gig at El Mocambo in Toronto, she was one of a handful of people left in the building. Off in the distance, she heard the unmistakable sound of Stevie Ray's guitar. She is not the first to have heard his signature heavy handed riffs when the lights are turned off. El Mocambo was a favorite venue for Stevie. She followed the sound, to see a shadowy figure in a room, hunched over playing guitar. Both he and the sound disappeared when she turned on the lights. In the end, we're all chasing the ghost of Stevie Ray Vaughan.   

It seems like to me that he’s just out on tour and he’s going to come back soon, but then I remember. I’m not going to ever get over losing him, I’m not going to get over this crazy thing.

~Jimmy Vaughan



This Next Song Is Only Dedicated To Beautiful People Here Tonight...It Means All of You

Inspired by the famine in Africa, it began with the Do They Know it's Christmas? a single that blossomed into a humanitarian effort reminiscent of George Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh.  It was the who's who of 80's (mainly British) pop music scene. Bob Geldof was inspired to do something - to make a difference. And people caught on to the idea. Festivals were not huge yet and they were all mainly political - Greenpeace, world peace, and fighting against nuclear proliferation.

 

Billed as the Rock Concert of the Decade, Live Aid took place on two separate continents on July 13, 1985. That concert cemented my love of live music. The lineup alone is a time capsule of the 80's: Simple Minds, Madonna, Adam Ant, Sting, Dire Straits, Queen, Elton John, George Michael, Hall and Oates, Pretenders, U2, Spandau Ballet, Run DMC, Tina Turner, the Rolling Stones, REO Speedwagon, The Powerstation, Eric Clapton, and many many many more performers and presenters. Now we are used to TV studio fundraisers - and they do raise a lot of money. But this was different. This was getting all of those people and all of those bands to play - to be heard.

Of course, there were the naysayers who said that the money raised would do no good or would be given to warlords who would just pilfer the money away on weapons.

 Tim Russert, in an interview on Meet the Press shortly after O'Reilly's comments, addressed these concerns to Bono. Bono responded that corruption, not disease or famine, was the greatest threat to Africa, agreeing with the belief that foreign relief organizations should decide how the money is spent. On the other hand, Bono said that it was better to spill some funds into nefarious quarters for the sake of those who needed it, than to stifle aid because of possible theft.

But for many, they paid their ticket or donated their money and just wanted to see some music. Not all of the big bands of the 80's were present (ahem, Boy George).

But there were so many performers that no one would have ever imagined they would see in one day on a stage. Sting sang with Dire Straits, Tina Turner sang with Mick Jagger, and these two lovelies sang a duet. This was also the performance that I broke up with Boy George and wanted to marry George Michael. I had very understanding parents.

Two performances that echo to this very moment in my music soul: U2 and Queen. These two bands captured not only the crowd, but the world. Freddie Mercury hands down had the best performance and commanded Wembley Stadium. Bono took all those people and gave them a big Irish hug.  

U2's performance was very telling of the future of the band. This was pre-Joshua Tree Bono. This was Bono the child pied piper, mulletted, and making women swoon already. I truly believe the Bono we know today was born at Live Aid with Bob Geldof and 70,000 fans as witness.

And who doesn't think of Freddie Mercury's commanding presence and performance at Wembley that summer of 1985. Not knowing we would only have him grace us with his exuberant presence for a short six more years, I would love to be able to go back to that moment. To see him perform Hammer to Fall, rouse the crowd with We Are the Champions, and lead the Radio GaGa chorus is a glorious moment of our rock and humanitarian history.

  

 

We are extremely lucky to have what we do of the ten hours of music. Bob Geldof never wanted something like this to be done again - and most tapes, ABC, MTV, and so on, were destroyed or erased. Some artists such as Led Zeppelin, who performed so poorly that day, were enthusiastically pleased, I am sure. However, there is one irony, that because so many people watched from home, many captured those moments on their new VCR's. You have to admit, hearing Do They Know It's Christmas performed in July in London is a priceless moment. The bad camera angles and missed moments are so glaringly 80's

 

Twenty three performers sang to us from Wembley, and thirty five from JFK Stadium in Philadelphia (Phil Collins is counted twice with his Concorde flight). The goal was to raise £1 million. The final tally was over £150 million or $280 million.

 

We will never have another Live Aid. Not that we do not need it. It was a special moment in time that will never be re-lived. The energy and over the top, care free attitude of the 80's is gone. The irony of Madonna singing Holiday at a fundraiser for Ethiopia famine relief would be lost on many. It was a time of need and fear: Famine and the Cold War. Music was and still is going to solve all the problems in the world. If only it were that easy.

 

 

Well tonight thank God it's them instead of you.

Do They Know It's Christmas? Band Aid

2188 Stoll Road ... How A Big Pink House Changed Our Musical Roadmap

Sounding less like a polished choir than a wandering militia, they appear displaced, out of time. The voices have no discernible connection to the moment the record arrived in 1968. They might as well be selling elixirs from the back of a horse-drawn rig, moving at the slow, deliberate pace of backroads rural America in the days before [farm-to-table] artisan shallots. ~ NPR - Fifty Years On, The Band's Music From Big Pink

When Rick Danko agreed to a $125 a month rent for a house with a big basement on Stoll Road in Saugerties, he thought he was just renting a place to relax after some time on the road with Bob Dylan. Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson were enjoying some normal time after being on the road for so long as The Hawks. Woodstock's mystique and intriguing vibe along with a changing time in music helped to hone a sound that would become The Basement Tapes sessions with Dylan. The band without a name was already well known in the music world, and being called Dylan's Backing Band would only get you so far on your own. The Basement Tapes churned out songs such as This Wheel’s On Fire, Tears of Rage, I Shall Be Released, The Weight, and Chest Fever. The songs were an amalgam of soul, rock, jazz, rock, and a new simple sound to counter the psychedelic sound coming out of the UK in the form of Led Zeppelin. Americana was conceived at 2188 Stoll Road in the big pink house. The Band was born there.

In 1969, Rolling Stone referred to them as the band from Big Pink. And then name that Robbie Robertson suggested finally stuck and The Band was officially born. The aura of that summer and that time is captured in Music From Big Pink. Levon Helm's return to the band solidified the powerhouse. 

While Tears of Rage, This Wheel's on Fire, and I Shall Be Released were written by Dylan, The Band was able to showcase their own song writing ability. Also showcased was their range in vocal talent as each member took a turn at the lead vocals. No, it wasn't perfect. Their voices were straining, but their intentions were pure.

One cannot deny the historic impact this album would have on rock and music history. If you don't believe me, believe Eric Clapton and George Harrison. It is told that Clapton disbanded Cream when he heard Music from Big Pink to create something more authentic. And in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction of The Band, he admitted going to Woodstock to ask to join them - but he never did. Harrison and the other Beatles also appreciated the simple and pure sound enough so that...well just listen to The White Album.

Fifty-five years ago, our music became more simple but more complex. The lyrics were true and well thought. The sound, a composite of the roots for Americana. The Band was catapulted to their proper place outside of Dylan's backing band and into their own realm. Music from Big Pink is a fundamental rock album.

Tears of Rage

To Kingdom Come

In a Station

Caledonia Mission

The Weight

We Can Talk

Long Black Veil

Chest Fever

Lonesome Suzie

This Wheel's on Fire

I Shall Be Released

There Is The Moon Asking To Stay: Jeff Buckley

(c) MerriCyrr

 He had a way of playing the most beautiful song you've ever heard and still with the way that he sang, create a bit of an uncomfortable edge to it if he felt like it - mostly with his voice. ~ Chris Cornell

It was during summer classes of my sophomore year  at college. During my daily ritual of drinking a diet coke and watching MTV News for breakfast, I heard the news. Kurt Loder was talking about some guy named Jeff Buckley that had gone missing. Erroneously, I first thought he meant Jeff Beck. Who was Jeff Buckley, I kept asking myself while trying to study for an exam on Canterbury Tales ... who the hell is Jeff Buckley.

Fast forward three years later and I am in the gym  at Macquarie University in Sydney when I hear it. It was a voice I had never heard and he was singing Leonard Cohen. I had not made the connection in my memory yet when they mentioned his name: Jeff Buckley.

I rushed to the mall and right into the record store (God I miss those). I went right to the B's and found a few of his albums and went to the counter. As the lovely lady was scanning my purchases she mentioned how sad it was that he died so young. Heartbroken, I took my purchase back to our flat as I began to listen to Grace for the very first time, clearly marking a moment in my life as before and after I had listened to Grace. Then I finally remembered where I had heard his name before. 

May 29th marks the anniversary of when Jeff sang Whole Lotta Love while wading into the Wolf River for a swim. Three days previous, he had played his final show at Barristers in his new home city of Memphis. At 30 years of age, he left behind a gaping whole of need. With his first release Grace throttling him into celebrity and into a world where his heroes were praising him, there was now an emptiness of what could have been. 

(c) MerriCyrr

Twenty plus years on and Jeff is still somehow not as well known as many would assume. But those who are fans, were quickly caught up in the aura of Jeff and a bit of the mystique of who he was. While he fought those who tried to make the connection to his very absentee father, Tim Buckley, the physical and musical similarities were too obvious. Like many before him, he fought celebrity, playing under fake names just to play a show without being Jeff Buckley.

If you listen to Sketches, you quickly realize he was going to be like U2, changing his sound as he went along. Would it have been the one last nail in that red glitter coffin? I doubt it, but companies wanted Grace Part 2 and Jeff was not going to deliver that. 

Jeff Buckley was a complete package deal: looks, talent, and the equally talented musician father. His death rounded out and solidified what is now his mythic status. As of the music gods gave him back, he was found floating at the end of Beale Street on June 4th. 

The community of those who adore Jeff seems to grow slowly, but not at an Elvis level. In truth, it really is his life and not his tragic death that is celebrated. But to truly honor Jeff, we need to celebrate and remember his music. But not just Hallelujah. Listen to Mojo Pin, What Would You Say, or his glorious cover of The Way Young Lovers Do and appreciate Jeff for what he was: an artist. 

How do you want to be remembered?

Jeff: As a good friend. I don't really need to be remembered...I hope the music's remembered.

(c) MerriCyrr

What Are Your Top Five Live Music Moments

 

Metallica Bonnaroo 2008 PMGC

One of the questions always asked of new music fanatics that I meet is: What is your top live music moment? What shows will stay with you forever - and why. Go ahead and take a few to ponder this yourself. What made it so special? Was it your favorite song? A special super group of musicians? 

I'll share some of mine and I'd love to hear about yours. 

My Morning Jacket Peach Festival August 2017 

Blowin' in the Wind ->Melissa->All Things Must Pass->Beautiful Ones

It's safe to say that, except for Madison Square Garden, I've never not seen My Morning Jacket in the rain. This show was no exception. Opting to be the cool kids on the side of the ski slope at Montage Mountain, we donned the rain gear and danced up a storm in the deluge.

Have you ever cried your eyes out in a rainstorm? 2016 was a pretty horrible sad year for loss and 2017 wasn't fairing any better. When Blowin' in the Wind transitioned to Melissa ... all emotions were released. The Peach Festival was pretty much an Allman's festival. With the loss of Greg in May of 2017, we all know there would be a lot of special tributes. This would be one of them. After a beautiful nod to George Harrison, the familiar notes of a song no one expected drifted across the Pennsylvania night, rain soaked sky ... Beautiful Ones by Prince. At this point, the mass memorial for our dearly departed artists was on. It was cathartic, cleansing, and just a beautiful moment in music. 

Pearl Jam Bonnaroo 2008 

Betterman

It looks like the Milly Way I had just commented as the lighters were flickering in the hot Tennessee evening. Bonnaroo 2008 was the first festival that Pearl Jam had played since the Roskilde Festival in Germany saw eight fans trampled to death. We all knew how special it would be for the band, especially when 70,000 fans could peacefully converge upon a Tennessee farm. It was the 18th song and the first of three encores. The audience took over singing for Eddie and you could feel the energy and you could feel his joy. To quote Eddie, This is fucking beautiful. It was beautiful and so very special. (Use link to watch via YouTube - the video is blocked Pearl Jam - Better Man (Bonnaroo '08) - YouTube)

(c) Jeff Kravitz

U2 - Live Under the Brooklyn Bridge November 2004 

I Will Follow

When you get a phone call that one of your all-time favorite bands is playing less than 100 yards from where you sit at work, it's hard to not be excited. 

U2 was playing under the Brooklyn Bridge. I could not contain myself. My coworkers had never seen me so excited. Not only did Bono sound incredible, his voice was so strong, I kept thinking that it was also the anniversary of Michael Hutchence's passing. Michael and Bono were friends. The thought stayed in the back of my brain as the hits were played. Out of Control and I Will Follow were magical. The Irish flag was brought out, the crowed danced and jumped, there was such an energy with the backdrop of Manhattan sparkling across the river. 

And after everyone left and we took some photos, I went to make my way to the deli before my night shift. And there he was. The man himself walking towards their trailer. I stopped thanked him and simply said You sounded so wonderful. This night was for Hutch. And then yer man Bono hugged me. I'm still looking for anyone who has that photo. I don't care if it's CCTV surveillance footage. 

Mad Dogs and Englishmen - Lockn 2015

Space Captain

When anyone says they are going to re-create the infamous Joe Cocker Mad Dogs and Englishmen at a festival with some of today's phenomenal talent along with some of the original members, you better buckle up. All songs were spectacular, including Susan Tedeschi's version of The Letter and the finale, With a Little Help from My Friends with Leon Russel. But it was Space Captain with Tedeschi and Chris Robinson splitting vocals - reminding us that we are all learning to live together. When you're surrounded by tens of thousands of fans, all gathered for the same purpose, that does sound so easy. 

Levon Helm Bonnaroo - 2008

The Weight

Okay, Bonnaroo 2008 was pretty phenomenal. Hearing that Levon Helm was going to play his first of a few shows following cancer treatments was a gift. Standing near Levon with two of your closest drummer friends was a blessing. The excitement to see Levon behind the drums and hear that famous voice was magic. But it was The Weight that we all needed. 

So this was definitely a difficult list. There are so many amazing music moments that are honorable mentions. Temple of the Dog at Madison Square Garden in 2016, Boy George at Irving Plaza in 2014, INXS at The Metro in Syndey 2000, Gary Clark Jr and Jimmy Vaughan at the Iridium...so many. 

I do have to add though, a magical moment of someone whose name I didn't get but he provided me with the realization that Jeff Buckley would never be forgotten. 

Cantab, Cambridge Mass in 2021. He began with a poem that was way too Dylan but it also hinted of Buckley. Then he played. 

He began the chords that haunt me, Jeff Buckley's Lover, You Should've Come Over. After crying through the entire song, I was able to tell him not only how wonderful he was, but that Jeff played that very song a few blocks away at The Middle East. It was, and will forever be, a musical highlight.

And then there are the ones that never happened. Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Buckley, George Michael, Nina Simone, and on and on. So what's my point here. Go see shows. Go see them all. And on top of everything, remember that when you talk during that one song you don't like, it could be someone's favorite. 

Gogol Bordello - City Winery 2021 PMGC

Okay I am cheating. I have a moment not defined by setlist but by a life defining moment:

May 12, 2005

Dark Star Orchestra 

Nokia Theatre

Right after Dark Star performed a show by The Warlocks from October 8, 1989 Hampton Beach, my true love asked me to marry him. 

I said "absolutely 100% yes!" 

The band went into They Love Each Other and then into a jamming Good Lovin' before the house lights went on and Hey, Hey Paula could be heard wafting through the departing crowd.