Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Best Concert Ever: Because @MomoFali asked...Part 2

In my first post, I left off at about the time I met my wife. SurprisedMom asked the question in the comments "Does marriage change your musical taste?" For me, it's guess, probably not. I still love the same types of music I did back in the day, but my appetite for concerts has changed. I've also grown a lot more tolerant of concerts by artists my wife wants to go see.

Marriage requires quite a few compromises. You learn how to share each others lives. My wife is a Top 40 girl who also grew up listening to classic rock and a bit of country. Most Top 40 gives me the willies and I've stated my view on country a few times. Silence can be a beautiful thing.

Raising a family and staying married are very important to me, so some of the more {cough} adventurous concerts have been left in the past. I remember once, me and some of my friends thought it would be fun to go a Poison concert. "Unskinny Bop" made me want to hurl, but can you imagine all the drunk girls there??? Sometimes it's not the band you go to see at the concert if you know what I mean.

I'm really grateful that my wife loves a good concert as much as I do. I can't remember the order exactly of these concerts, but these are the best of the concerts my wife and I have seen together and my last guys night out show.

Bob Segar and the Silver Bullet Band:
This concert was a no brainer. It was announced and we just looked at each other and nodded. Her step dad growing up was a huge Segar fan. I didn't even have any problems with the idea of getting 2 extra seats to bring him and his wife with.

The first batch of tickets sold out before we got any. So disappointing. By the end of the week though, there was an announcement. A block of tickets for behind the stage would be released. Obstructed view. They were worth a shot and my wife got them. We told her step dad and he couldn't be more excited. He was going to SEGAR!

Since he had a good job and so did his wife, they sprung for a hotel next to Target Center. We met them up there and headed over to see the show.

It seems that when they sold the first batch of tickets, they didn't realize the stage was in the round. We were 5 rows from the back ramp. These tickets were only obstructed by the fact that we saw the back of the drummers head. EVERYTHING ELSE WAS IN PLAIN VIEW!

The show rocked on and I got to enjoy watching my wife's step dad play air drums like a teenager with a smile that never left his face. He passed away a few years ago from cancer, and for me the memory that stands out the most for me to this day is the smile he had on his face and his his wide open eyes. We miss you Tom.

Billy Joel:
If you've never seen him live, you've missed one of the greatest entertainers of our time. His show was amazing. He took one break during the show we saw. One. Sure, the band left the stage, but he never did. He just sat out on the stage telling stories about the songs, his life, whatever. He was definitely worth every penny we paid to see him.

Harry Connick, Jr.:
Believe it or not, I'm a jazz fan too. Not as big a fan as I am of the rock/punk/alternative stuff I go on and on and on about, but I like it well enough that I do mix it in quite often.

I introduced my wife to Harry Connick. It wasn't hard, we both loved the movie "When Harry Met Sally". They way he mixes jazz and old school pop always amazes me. Of course, my wife thought he was hot. Women.

This concert was at a much smaller venue in Minneapolis then a stadium concert, which was for the best. A show like this is definitely a small venue event. Like Billy Joel, Harry is a consummate entertainer. Crooning to the ladies and improvising like a jazz master.

This is hands down the Best Date Concert of all time.

Charlie Daniels Band:
I know, he's country. But I can now say that I've seen him perform "Devil Went Down to Georgia." Even a rocker like me will admit that that song kicks ass. The concert was at a local casino. I only mention it because I got to see "Devil Went Down to Georgia" live.
There's been a few other show. I couple of months ago, we went to Heart. Each year we try to make it to a few show at the State Fair. We saw Hootie and the Blowfish with Big Head Todd and the Monsters, I really enjoyed that one. We saw a Dennis DeYoung-free Styx with REO Speedwagon. Hearing "Renegade" performed was definitely a highlight.

This should make you wonder, what is OhCaptain's favorite concert of all time? Like I said, things with music are rarely easy with me. My next post will be the story of the best concert I've ever seen. I promise. Actually, I already wrote it (hehe). It's scheduled to post 6/24/09 and 9:00 AM to be exact.

You seen any of these bands? Got any guesses as to what the best concert I've ever seen is? Patience young grasshopper...tomorrow.

3 comments:

SurprisedMom said...

This grasshopper, not so young, couldn't even guess what your favorite concert of all time is. I'm on pins and needles. I'm sure you won't disappoint.
My favorite: Queen with Billy Squire. Yes, an odd mix.
My least: Led Zeplin. But that's a post in itself.
I've got my clock set for 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Mike said...

The wife and I have different tastes as well. She is a totally 80's girl. Loves Hall and Oates and Aha and the like. Me, I love the 70's and good jazz and blues. We make it work somehow...

Momo Fali said...

I would say my music taste changed slightly, in that my husband exposed me to metal, which I had not been the least bit interested in before marriage. I could still probably leave it (though I don't dislike it as much as country!), but it's not ALL bad.