What is your most fond musical memory.


One that makes you yearn for the ‘good old days.’

Mine took place in 1970. My grandparents were going on a world tour and I had their whole house to myself for 2 months. Alone at last!. I was 16. First thing I did was set up my audio system. Then I turned down the lights and put on the just released Grand Funk “Closer to Home’ album. I thought I was in heaven when ‘I’m your Captain’ came on. 10 minutes of Pure Bliss. To this day I get the tingles whenever I play that song.

 

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I became a big Bob Dylan fan in high school when I was around 15 yrs old and the first time I got to see him was in October 1965 at the Bushnell Auditorium in Hartford CT. This was a few months after the famous Newport show when he went electric.  He played a solo acoustic first set and then came out with his band for the second set. I assumed it was pretty much the same band as Newport with Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper. Of course, I eventually learned that it was the Hawks, later to become the Band.

The show in Hartford was fantastic (from what I can remember), but my most memorable Dylan show came not long after in February 1966. My best friend in high school, also a huge Dylan fan, found out that he had added a show to his winter tour at the old New Haven Arena where they used ot have wrestling events. We got right on it and scored seats somewhere around 9th or 10th row on the side. I don't remember there being an opening acoustic set this time....pretty sure the whole show was electric. Bob was playing mostly the stuff from Bringing It All Back Home and Highway 61, and I recall a haunting version of Ballad of a Thin Man. I also recall that Bob appeared quite drunk or stoned, having a lot of trouble navigating all the wires and cables on stage, tripping and stumbling more than once.

Anyway, as the first set ended, my buddy and I made our way up to the side of the stage and caught Dylan's eye as he was walking off. We said something about what a great show it was and I reached out my hand. To my surprise, Bob reached down and gave it a shake! I probably didn't wash that hand for a month after the show!!

Sneaking down and seeing Elvis a hundred feet away for five minutes at the Nassau Coliseum in 1975. 

God Bless The King.

Freddie King in ’74 -- most intense live Blues I’ve witnessed. Cops set up a cage inside the Gym at UCR for "offenders".

Richard Thompson -- most impressive display of guitar playing I’ve seen, overall, in renovated 18th century church in Portland. Shawn Colvin opened and stuck around to play rhythm guitar with RT.

SRV (after he’d cleaned up) State Theater, Portland, Maine. At that point, he was a preacher, delivering an urgent spiritual message. Very uplifting.

Bonnie Raitt-- last gig of "Sweet Forgiveness" tour -- she and band were red hot -- Arlington Theater, Santa Barbara

David Lindley and El Rayo X at Raoul’s Roadside Attraction bar in Maine -- the most fun

Dave Holland Quintet 3X They should’ve made a live album from the best of those gigs (at Yoshi’s). It surpassed the show they did release.

G. Dead ’77 -- UCSB gym

Oregon late 70’s -- UCSB Campbell Hall -- transcendent

Rodney Crowell backed by The Hot Band (w/ A. Lee and Frank Reckard) at a tiny bar in S. Barbara. Every bit as good as you’d expect, given the players.

Solas -- Center for the Arts, Nevada City. Took us to "Celtic Heaven"

Jorma K. at a junior high school auditorium in Maine. He sat at floor level and we were about 15 feet away. Most intimate.

 

August ‘72 ,, Leon Russell at Municipal Auditorium in KC.  Great great show.  After the concert leaving in traffic .. stopped at the light in my ‘64 beetle,,with my future wife by my side.. clear hot Midwest summer night,, concert foot traffic crossing in front of us,,,everybody happy.  In a moment of clarity, I knew that beautiful moments image would always remain vivid in my mind.  I have other great memories, but that is a peach.  

Magnificent stories from everyone... Thanks...

My most excrutiating moment in music was my exclusion from the chorus because i never been able to sing on tune...😊

I "see music" as spatial dynamic not as sound i can reproduce... I learned that later in life ...music is like a movie in my imagination, abstract geometry more than concrete stories... 

I am envious of musicians...😊

For me there exist two perfect life : as musicians or mathematicians...

I only encountered dead musicians , the first one being chorus music  on radio in the few  starting years of my life  as i already said in a post above... I stay with my love of choral music...