THE MAGIC OF LIVE MUSIC

posted on : April 29, 2022 posted by : admin 0 Comment

I love live music in little clubs, grand concert halls, outdoor festivals, or just impromptu performances in the open air. Music is the expression of everything an artist is made of…their signature rhythmic DNA, joy & jubilation…inner conflict and turmoil, protest & revolution, awakenings and catharsis, and love. Many songs we love are like sonic arrows right into our heart! A recent ad for a large outdoor festival in San Francisco brought memories of many artists and groups I’ve seen live over the years. Marla is pictured above at a Rolling Stones concert many years ago.

I shot this video last September at a Denver Doobie Brothers concert. The song is very special to me!

I really can’t remember all the live concerts I’ve seen but this is a list of a few in no special order:

James Brown…Ramones…Jefferson Airplane…Moody Blues…The Grateful dead…R.E.M…Fleetwood Mac…Santana…Queen + Adam Lambert…Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Neil young & Crazy Horse…Small Faces…Public Enemy…Sons of Chaplin…Boz Scaggs…Bob Dylan…Wilson Pickett…Booker T & The MG’s…The Righteous Brothers…Ray Charles…Stevie Wonder…Michael Jackson…Lady Gaga…Dick Dale…Peter Frampton…Crowded House…Peter Gabriel…New York Philharmonic Orchestra…YES…Paul McCartney…Sting…Rod Stewart…Leon Russell…Frank Sinatra…Ella Fitzgerald…Sarah Vaughan…Anita O’Day…Kingston Trio…Carmen McCrae…Tito Puente…Elton John…Rolling Stones…David Bowie…U2…Prince…Joe Cocker…Cher…Keane…Journey…Metallica…Seal…Heart…Tears For Fears…Hall & Oates…Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra…Dallas Symphony Orchestra…Denver Symphony Orchestra…Simple Minds…Eagles…Steely Dan…Placido Domingo…Berlin…Stevie Ray Vaughan…Talk Talk…The Psychedelic Furs…B-52’s…The Jam…The Doobie Brothers…Earth Wind & Fire…Ramsey Lewis…Modern Jazz Quartet…John Coltrane…Alice Coltrane…Dizzy Gillespie…James Moody…Wayne Shorter…Herbie Hancock…Bill Evans Trio…Duke Ellington Orchestra…Oscar Peterson Trio…The Dave Brubeck Quartet…Cal Tjader…McCoy Tyner…Count Basie Orchestra…Jimmy McGriff…Nancy Griffith…Jimmy Smith…Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band…Keola Beamer…Jane Monheit…Annie Lennox…Jackson Brown…Burning Spear…Dan Fogelberg…Shawn Colvin…Michael McDonald…Morris Day & The Time…Bobby Short…Pinback…Sonic Youth

I shot this in Granada Spain under the lights of The Alhambra. There is interesting magic in unexpected places.

I’ve always wanted to attend the Glastonbury Festival in the UK. They have over 100 stages for live performances this year Over 200,000 people attended it in 2019. Yeah, I know I’m a terribly old fart and would hate the discomfort of all the fans and the craziness…but I’ve always wanted to go! I’ll be satisfied to watch it on TV! I love “Isle of Wight” and “Radio 1 Big Weekend” music festivals as well.

Their 2022 main lineup looks totally fabulous!

The one group I would love to see live is Arcade Fire! This is a great set from 2014 Glastonbury when they played many of their classics! They were in Coachella this year. You can add to my live want to see list: Tame Impala, M83, Silk Sonic, and Lady Gaga in an acoustic ballad set.