Showing posts with label Concerts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Concerts. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

A Woman of a Certain Age Goes to See Bruce Springsteen: Baby Boomer Concert Tips

As you know, Hubby and I like to go to concerts, mostly of the rock & roll variety. I mean, c'mon, we're Baby Boomers.  We invented rock and roll! 


Every year we go to the outdoor concerts at our local winery, the Chateau Ste. Michelle and the occasional big venue concert (I wrote about one concert year in "What I Did On My Summer Stay-cation: My Summer in Concerts").

That year in a big arena we saw Lionel Ritchie


 
and Cher



and at smaller venues Steve Winwood, ZZ Top, Ringo, Crosby, Stills and Nash and others. 

 



Since then we have seen Paul McCartney,

 


Chicago (yes, that's us with the band),



Gregg Allman,


The Four Seasons,


and of course, Hall & Oates (Hubby's favorite).




There have been so many others I can't keep track. 

Let's just say that even though I don't have a bucket list for life (which I wrote about a couple of years ago in "My Unbucket List"), I did have one for bands - and Bruce Springsteen was one of the last ones on the list.

 
When I heard he was coming to Seattle (and he hadn't been here since 2008), I knew we had to go even though I have come to loathe the big arenas (more about that later).

But concert-going can be a bit tricky for those of us of a certain age, not to mention getting tickets.

So if you are like me, teetering on the edge of old age, but you still like to rock, here are some tips to help make the experience a good one.

 

***Baby Boomer Concert Tips***



  • Getting Tickets

So, yes, when musicians come to town and you want to see them, you first have to get tickets.  Now that may seem like one of those, "duh moments," but believe me, that first step to see your favorite artist is NOT a no-brainer.  And for those of us of a certain age, it has become difficult indeed.

Getting tickets for concerts for artists in high demand these days, well, good luck!

The Adele ticket debacle was a wake-up call.  When tickets went on sale, it took 10 minutes just to get onto the Ticketmaster site and by then the tickets were all gone.

Remember that you are competing with not just the Internet bots, but younger people who know all of the tricks for maximizing their computers and smart phones to get tickets.  

At the very least, if you know tickets go on sale at 10am on a certain date, you need to be at your computer or on your smart phone or both ready to rumble so that when 10am rolls around you are competitive.  (Here is what Ticketmaster advises.  And here are some other Ticketmaster tips from a third party). If that all sounds like too much for you, get your grandkids to do it for you.  But you have to be poised and ready, if you want to not only get good seats, but any seats at all.

When you get on the Ticketmaster site, I suggest you choose Best Available and let the site choose your seats.  This is not a time to be picking specific seats or being cheap.  Then you need to decide.  Do I jump on these even if they are not so good?  Or try again?

For a concert like Bruce Springsteen (and considering I got shut out of the Adele concert), I didn't want to take any chances.  I bought the first tickets that popped up.  They were OK seats - top row of the first section at the back of the stadium.  Good thing I did because when I went back in to see if I could do better, the show was sold out!  That was within minutes.

In my experience, no seats at an arena are all that good unless there are chairs on the floor and you get in the first couple of rows.  Unfortunately, these days those first rows are usually held for very high prices or Meet and Greet packages.  In this case, Bruce decided he wanted a mosh pit on the floor so General Admission was standing room.  We learned later that even with that, where you would stand was on a lottery system. 

And for those of us of a certain age, we must decide if we can stand for three hours (and actually in this case, Bruce played for 3 HOURS AND 45 MINUTES)!  Also during the concert, Bruce decided to do some crowd surfing.  It was fun to watch from above, but can you imagine if you were down on the floor and Bruce's body moved over on top of you and you were the one responsible for dropping him? 


And if you can imagine yourself standing down in that crowd for almost four hours, you are more of a rocker than I am!

Bottom line for Ticketmaster:  Have an account with your credit card info already set up (when you find your tickets online, they only hold the tickets for a few minutes), be there when the tickets go on sale and don't dawdle!

Latest news:  Ticketmaster will be selling tickets for some concerts on Facebook. Not sure if that will up us or hinder us.

For smaller venues, some of the same rules apply. 

I mentioned that we like to go to a local winery to listen to concerts on beautiful summer evenings.  Even those tickets are getting harder and harder to get.  We have already have seats for Paul Simon, Don Henley, Steve Miller and Culture Club (Remember Boy George?).  And those concerts are already sold out.  We could not get tickets for Tears for Fears.  Who? I know, what's the deal with that?  Baby Boomers still love the 80's, I guess.  That one is now sold out too.

The seating at the winery is divided between reserved seats in front of the stage and general admission for sitting on the lawn. I call the people who choose the lawn, "Lawn People," and they bring their blankets and chairs and portable tables and mini-fridges, all kinds of things, and set up camp.

The lawn tickets are marginally cheaper than the reserved seats and when you factor in that it's first come first served and ticketholders for the lawn must get to the winery in the early morning to get a place in line for the best spots on the lawn, forget it.  Whatever savings I might get for the tickets would be lost having to get up early on a Saturday to stand in line in the sweltering heat. 

And then there is the actual sitting on the lawn thing.  The spaces on the lawn are over on the sides of the stage and in back of the reserved seats.  So the vantage point is not that good but sitting on the lawn?  No thanks.  I know some people actually enjoy that whole experience and are not interested in the reserved seats.  Not this gal, and if you have aches and pains and creaky knees, I don't recommend it for those of us of a certain age, either, unless you really have your act together with chairs and tables and all of that.  But do you really want to stand in line for hours to get your place to set up camp?

At our age, spring for the reserved seats...and one other little perk for the reserved seats at the winery, reserved seats also include using the toilets in the winery.  No porta-potties for me.  I feel sorry for "the lawn people" when they try to get into the winery to use the toilets and are directed to the porta-potties.  On second thought, I really don't.


  • Check out the set list ahead of time
I had mentioned that Bruce played almost four hours.  We sort of knew this going in because Hubby is obsessed with looking up the set list for the tour's previous performances, which you can do, too, at setlist.fm.  (Hubby is also known to stroll up to the stage when the roadies are setting up and taking a look at the set list which is usually sitting on the lip of the stage). Online, he saw that Bruce played 35 songs in L.A.  Though the set list probably varies somewhat from venue to venue, that site is usually a good indicator of what you can expect.  Bruce's tour is called "The River Tour," because he sings the entire "The River" album - and it's a double album! So when he was in Seattle, he sang that album and then ANOTHER 14 SONGS! 



Bruce is not alone in this.  When we saw Lionel Richie, he warned us that he was going to sing "all night long" and he did!  Likewise, Sir Paul was up on stage for three hours straight! And no intermissions! Bruce is 68, Lionel is 66 and Sir Paul was 70 when we saw him.  Those guys love to perform and you practically have to get a hook to get them off the stage.  Except for Sir Paul, they outlasted us!

So do a little research and know ahead of time how long the concert will be.  You can decide if you will be able to hang or not.


OK, so you have your tickets and you know what you are in for. 


The next important tip is to...


  • Arrive on time
Many people think they can figure out the line-up, as in when the main attraction will start playing, so they can time their arrival just as the headliner starts and skip the opening act. 

Don't.

For a Gladys Knight/O'Jays concert you would think that the O'Jays would open for Gladys, right?  She was the headliner.  Wrong!  She came out first right at 7pm.  If we had not been interested in the O'Jays and thought they were the opening act and decided to come late, we would have missed Gladys.



I think we will see more and more of that as our idols also get older.  They want to get back to the hotel and go to bed!

And arriving late is also annoying to those of us who go there on time and disrespectful to the performer.


  • Potty Breaks and Drinks

Do whatever you need to do so you don't have to get up out of your seat and make me get up out of my seat while the concert is going on. 

If you can't hold your wine, don't drink it... or wear Depends.  And bring enough liquid enjoyment to your seat (where allowed), so you don't need to get up for more.  I have never seen so much activity up and down the aisles of concerts.  It's not only rude to the performer but it's distracting for those of us who are there to hear the music. Do what you have to do, but don't be crawling over me when I am trying to listen to Ringo singing "The Yellow Submarine!"

At the Springsteen concert, we were probably about seven or eight people in off the aisle and when the show started, in stumbled a white-haired couple.  They ploughed over us to get to their seats and already had the glassy expressions of people who had done a bit too much drinky poo already.  I didn't think much of it, even when the man was up out of his chair rockin' and rollin' like mad, splashing his drink all over the people in front of him.  It started to get a bit irritating, though, on his third trip over us to get more drinks and that was just in the first half hour.  Then he didn't return.  Later, though, security showed up to talk to his wife.  Something must have happened to him on that last wine run.  Unfortunately, his wife was passed out in her seat!  These two were at least in their 70's!

Just remember, sex, drugs and rock & roll looked great when we were in our twenties and thirties.  Not so much now.


  • Standing

And speaking of standing...if you are not in a standing room only area, keep your standing to a minimum.  I know you still want to show your rock and roll cred by standing up and rocking out. That's OK, but please don't do it for the entire concert unless everyone else is up out of their seats. That shows a complete lack of concern for your fellow concert goers.  I don't need to have your big middle-aged butt in my face for the whole concert. 


  • Talking

Don't. 

I can't tell you how many times we have had people behind us who yakked through the whole thing.   I have this theory that some people go to these concerts just so they can say they were there.  They actually don't have any real interest in the show. And, yes, when you are at a winery and the wine is unlimited, it is easy to forget where you are, but if you do and you are talking, talking, talking, don't be surprised if I turn around and tell you to shut the you-know-what up.  Because I do want to hear the music.  Constantly talking can also be interpreted as old people not knowing how to behave at a rock concert.  You don't want that, do you?


  • Get up close and personal

If you have the opportunity to get down in front of the stage (and some musicians allow it), do it.


The lighting is just right to make us women of a certain age look good so you might even get a wink from Harry or a guitar pick from the lead guitarist



or a drum stick from the drummer. 

I have high-fived with Ringo



and been bestowed the drum stick by the drummer from INXS.

 


And even a sweat towel from one of the O'Jays!




(It was actually a fresh towel)


  • Don't delay.

With the recent deaths of David BowieGlenn Frey and other Baby Boomer rock stars who have died before making it to 70 (we Baby Boomers call this "dying young"), don't put off seeing your favorite rock bands from the 60's and 70's.  Like the rest of us, they aren't getting any younger.  We have had "Who" tickets for almost two years now because Roger Daltrey got sick right before they were supposed to perform here, and they had to cancel their Seattle concert (we see them next month).  Don't think you will catch the band the next time they are in town because there might not be a next time!


  • Look fabulous!
You may be old but you are not dead, so put on your finery and get ready to rock!

Remember, we are the Baby Boomer generation. We rocked, we rolled and we were never going to get old!  So represent!




Here's the bottom line for going to concerts:  If you can't get there on time, you can't handle your booze or your continence, you want to stand up in front of me and shake your big butt or you want to talk through the whole concert, then please, not only don't sit by me, but don't come to the concert.

But if you are there to enjoy the band, look fabulous, and want to have fun, come sit by me!

 
See you there!
 
What rock bands are on your bucket list?
 
 
 
 
Thanks for Reading!
 
See you Friday
 
for my review of Melissa McCarthy's new movie 

"The Boss"
 
and

 
The Week in Reviews
(What to See or Read and What to Avoid)

 and the latest on
 
"My 1001 Movies I Must See Before

 I Die Project."



 
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Tuesday, September 16, 2014

What I Did On My Summer Stay-Cation: My Summer in Concerts

Retirement has its perks, but there are also downsides.

Money.

Suddenly, there just isn't as much.

And we are a one-person-retirement household, meaning I am the only person who has retired.  Hubby still works.

So with those facts in mind, planning a major summer vacation can be a challenge.

Last year we went to Amsterdam, Bruges, Paris, London and the English countryside to the tune of about $9000 (I know, but you aren't going to catch me backpacking and staying in hostels - didn't you see "Hostel?").



So this summer we stayed home.

And it has been a beautiful summer (and you know how I feel about summer as per my "overrated" blog post and "What's Good About the End of Summer" post).  It has been the most beautiful we moved here over ten years ago, and according to the natives, the most beautiful Seattle summer ever.  We have had blue skies and sun with temperatures in the high 70's and low 80's every day.  No humidity, just perfect weather.  It's been so perfect that I find myself waking up some days and thinking, "Geez, sun AGAIN!?"  (Check with me in November, though, when it gets dark at 4pm and the rain has started).

So staying home for the summer.  What to do?

Why, let's go to a few concerts, especially outdoor concerts.

So that's what we did.

Here is the "Rosy the Reviewer" run-down on my summer concerts:


May 30 - Lionel Richie (with Ceelo Green) at Key Arena


 
I know that May 30th is not exactly summer, but I had to include this concert.
 
Ceelo opened for Lionel and was accompanied by female guitarists in red mini dresses. Of course. He sang his hits including the "real" lyrics, and let's just say his biggest hit is NOT called "Forget You!"
 
 


When Lionel came out, he warned the crowd it was going to be all the hits, "all night long."  And it was!  He wore us out.  He reminded me of Sir Paul who, when we saw him last summer, at 71 played for three hours straight without a break.  You could tell he loves to perform.  He never left the stage.  Same with Lionel.  He is 68 and sang all of his hits all the way back to his Commodores days. 

In between songs he said “I have noticed something tonight. We have been together for a very long time. Think about it. When I was in love, you were in love. When I fell out of love, you fell out of love … You got old. I stayed young.” 

He added to that with a cute bit where he said to the audience:

“Your relationship is over. Words you thought you’d never hear are being said to you. ‘I never want to see you again.’ You’re out of your mind in confusion. You don’t know where to turn or what to do. Alcohol is not the answer. You’re completely out of your mind. You don’t know where to turn, so you turn and rush home. You pull out your album, CD, cassette, 8-track. And you call on Lionel Richie.”

That theme carried through - "You just met your true love...so you rush home, you pull out your album, CD, cassette, 8-track.  And you call on Lionel Richie."

And over and over for a few songs.  And he was right.  Lionel's music punctuated many love stories and break-ups.

Rosy the Reviewer says...I hate arena venues, so I don't go to Key Arena for just anyone, but Lionel was on my bucket list and he did not disappoint.
 


June 22 - The Yardbirds at The Triple Door

 

This sixties group is most famous for its early members (at various times), Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck and the song "For Your Love."

No, neither Eric, Jeff or Jimmy were there.  But two of the original members are still with the group: Jim McCarty on drums and Anthony "Top" Topham on guitar and at 71 and 67 respectively, they looked their age.  But the other members are young guys and the lead singer and guitarist Andy Mitchell was really good.

They performed in a nightclub setting (that included dinner) and by most standards, the set wasn't very long.  The senior citizens in the group needed a rest, I guess.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a nice blast from the past.




June 28 - Cher and Cindy Lauper at Key Arena



Cher needs no introduction.  At 68, she still looks fabulous and puts on a terrific spectacle of a show.

When she came out in full Cher regalia, she told the audience she was 68 and asked "What's your granny doing tonight?"

She sang many of her hits with lots of costume changes and dance numbers, all very Las Vegas.


  
And yes, she sang "Half Breed!"



At the end, she was suspended from the ceiling and "flew" all around the arena singing "I Hope You Find It," like the Madonna (the saint, not the singer) blessing her flock.

I have been a huge fan of Cher's ever since Sonny and Cher were on "Shindig!"  I wanted to BE Cher, though I looked like her complete opposite - light coloring and nowhere near as skinny.  I adored her clothes.  Those bell bottoms and fringed vests. Here is my Cher impression from back in the day.



I wasn't alone in my adoration.  At the concert, Andie McDowell just happened to be sitting nearby and, of course, I had to go over to say, "Hi."  I said, "I don't want to be that person..." to which her husband immediately replied, "But you are going to be, right?"  But she was very good-natured and was appreciative that I knew she was filming her new show "Cedar Cove." She even introduced me to her co-star who was also with her.  My feather earrings (homage to Cher) kept getting caught in my shirt, which was so embarrassing!



Rosy the Reviewer says...she has a one word name for a reason.  She's Cher!





June 29 - Steve Winwood at Chateau Ste. Michelle

 


Here is the deal with the Chateau. 

It's a winery with a lovely outdoor amphitheater.  In the summer, they have shows with performers running the gamut from Pink Martini to Crosby, Stills and Nash.  It's a gorgeous venue when the weather is nice.  Not so great if it rains. Shows go on rain or shine.

You can get reserved seats or you can buy General Admission seating which means you sit on the lawn.  We call those people "Lawn People."  The "Lawn People" start lining up in the morning for some sold-out shows that don't start until 7pm or 7:30pm.

We get the reserved seats because number one, even though the tickets are cheaper, no way am I waiting in line for hours to secure a good spot to see the show. Second, I don't do lawns.  I might not be able to get up especially after consuming the requisite portions of wine that you stock up on there at the winery before the show. 

And "Lawn People" do not necessarily sit on the lawn because the tickets are cheaper.  They actually LIKE it because they have their chairs (they can't be tall chairs), they have their blankets and tablecloths and food and some even bring little tables.  They have it down.

"Lawn People" waiting for the gates to open.

We on the other hand usually sign up for "The Social," a members and reservation only event that provides free VIP parking and food and wine.  Well, it's not free.  We pay for the privilege.  We have that down.

Chilling at "The Social."
 
So that's the drill at The Chateau and Steve Winwood was our first concert of the season.  Depending on the line-up, we usually get tickets for several shows.  This year was a record seven concerts.
 
Steve Winwood was a member of Traffic and Blind Faith, among other groups, and he can play multiple instruments - guitar, mandolin, keyboards, violin, etc.  Here he played a fantastic long version of Traffic's "Low Spark of High Heeled Boys." 
 
 
Rosy the Reviewer says...He is 68, still fit, multi-talented, and he rocked the venue.




July 16 - Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band at Chateau Ste. Michelle


 
Ringo's All Star Band consists of great musicians from other bands who come together to showcase Ringo.  The group varies from year to year, though this year was the same as last: Steve Lukather from Toto (he's my new Guitar Hero, but more on him later), Gregg Rolie from Santana, Todd Rundgren ("Hello, it's Me"), drummer Gregg Bisonette, and Richard Page from Mr. Mister.  Ringo sings his Beatles songs and the other members sing songs from their bands.  And let's just say that you can tell Ringo spent a lot of time behind his drum kit, because his stage presence is not the best.  His performance consists mostly of walking back and forth across the stage while he sings, but he wisely also showcases the other musicians and their hits.
 

Rosy the Reviewer says...this picture tells it all.  A rocking evening.  And, hey, it's Ringo - a Beatle!



July 17 - Replay America:  Naked Eyes, Martha Davis of the Motels, Patty Smyth of Scandal and The Go Go's with Belinda Carlisle at Chateau Ste. Michelle


Martha Davis from The Motels.


 


Patty Smyth from Scandal and Hubby being Hubby.



Naked Eyes, and I am up there with them!  "There's Always Something There To Remind Me!"

Rosy the Reviewer says...an 80's love fest.



July 23 - Joan Baez at Edmonds Center for the Arts


She came, she sang, she left.  Joan did her 90 minutes, but she was in great voice, and personable.  She has a reputation for being a bit grouchy sometimes, which is why we didn't get a very good picture despite being in the front row.  We were scared she would yell at us.

Rosy the Reviewer says...she has let her hair go white, and she herself admits she is singing a little lower these days, but you would never know she was 73.  She looks great and her voice is still beautiful.
 




August 3 - Toto and Michael McDonald at Tulalip Casino Amphitheater



Another outdoor venue, but not as nice as the Chateau.  However, Toto kicked rock and roll butt.  There's my guy, Steve Lukather, who has taken over some of the singing and the helm with Toto (he mostly played guitar before).  When I saw him with Ringo last year at The Chateau, I was up front and as he was leaving the stage, I mouthed "You're FAB-U-LOUS" to which he mouthed, "You're fabulous" back to me, or I think he did.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it. 

The headliner was Michael McDonald.  Unfortunately, after Toto's kickin' set where he had briefly joined them to sing "I'll Be Over You," he faltered when it was time for his set. He couldn't sing. It was terrible.  His voice was cracking all over the place.  People were leaving in droves. That's pretty bad for a guy who is so known for his voice that it's said that women wanted to make love to it.  His voice, not him. He even apologized for his voice.  Let's hope it was a temporary condition.

Rosy the Reviewer says...Toto will rock your world.  Michael McDonald, maybe not so much.






August 8 - Creetisvan at Starbucks - Madison Park

 

Hubby and his bandmate, Mike Tiano are Creetisvan.  Check them out.   They were joined by Ashley Brewer for a special performance.  She took time out of her busy schedule to join her Dad and Mike, er, Creetisvan for a Rush song, "Time Stand Still."


Rosy the Reviewer says...A must see in the Seattle area. 

*You can catch them tonight (September 17th) at the Celtic Bayou in Redmond 9pm.




August 9 - Jeff Beck and ZZ Top at Chateau Ste. Michelle


Beck is 70 years old and still a guitar god.


I didn't realize I was a ZZ Top fan. 


The fur guitar.

Rosy the Reviewer says...If the Chateau had a roof to blow off, it would have.  They ROCKED!



August 24 - Peter Frampton and his Guitar Circus featuring Buddy Guy with special guest, Don Felder



Everyone probably remembers Peter Frampton more as the pretty boy with the long blonde hair and the talk box.

His looks overshadowed his talent to a certain extent. He never got the props for his great guitar playing.


Now he's balding and wanting to be taken seriously. He is a great guitar player.  Buddy Guy is the veteran.  We were sitting next to a couple who had come all the way from Canada, not to see Frampton, but to see Buddy.



Don Felder is an ex-Eagle.  His rendition of "Hotel California" was a treat. He is also a nice tall handsome man, which I like.


Rosy the Reviewer says...Peter Frampton wants you to take him seriously, dammit.  And you will.




September 12- Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons at Chateau Ste. Michelle


When a person is 80 and still out there doing what he does, you can be forgiving.  But you know what?  We didn't need to be forgiving.  Frankie still has it.  His voice is clear with that distinctive sound, he sang all of the hits with some new songs thrown in and he remembered all of the lyrics.  What more could you ask?  None of the original Four Seasons were on hand.  He is backed by young guys, and I wish they had done more of the signature moves.  But it was Big Band all of the way. One wonders, though, why there was no mention of the death of Bob Crewe, who wrote so many of their hits.

Rosy the Reviewer says...we were dancing in the aisles remembering those early teen years, and I was trying to remember how to dance the Mashed Potato to "Sherry." 



September 14 - Crosby, Stills and Nash at Chateau Ste. Michelle


Crosby, Stills and Nash defined much of the 60's ethos with their songs of love and protest.  All have been through some hard times.  Crosby chronicled his struggles with drug addiction and the law in his autobiography, and he looked much better than in recent years.  Nash also wrote a tell-all that sums up the times. Stills' voice is not what it once was and he seemed a bit disoriented at times.  It was ironic that Nash and Crosby sang "Wooden Ships," when it used to be a Stills-Crosby duet since they both wrote it.  But Stills can still play the guitar.

I saw David Crosby when I was 17 and he was with The Byrds.  They played at a local roller rink.  David was dancing all around with the locals in his fringed poncho and hippie brimmed hat.  I also remember that night dancing with a fellow who said he was being sent to Vietnam the next day.  I knew what that meant.  I excused myself.


 
 
 
Rosy the Reviewer says...if they come your way, a concert not to be missed no matter what your age.


 
As I said the concert was wonderful, but we almost didn't get to see it.
 
I am very much a Type-A personality.  The good side of that kind of person is that we are very reliable.  We can be trusted to get the job done, as it were.  So for that reason, I am the keeper of the tickets.  I can honestly say I have never forgotten to bring the tickets.  And when I have them in my possession, I check and double check to be sure they are still there.  While at "The Social (which I explained earlier)," I swear the tickets were in my purse, but when it came time to take our seats, they were nowhere to be found.  I could not explain it. Hubby hiked back to the car to see if the tickets had fallen out of my purse.  But those who know me, know that I carry a ginormous purse. 


How can something fall out of that thing?  Hubby must have taken everything out of my purse and put it all back a million times before the full impact hit him.  The tickets were not there.

Once the realization hit, then blame began.  There has to be someone to blame, right?  I saw divorce in Hubby's eyes. I could hear my Mother's voice saying, "See?  That's what you get for making fun of "The Lawn People." 

As we mumbled and grumbled, still at "The Social," a couple sitting near us said, "Did you lose your tickets? We heard someone found some tickets in the parking lot.  The name was something like Browder or Brainer.  They took the tickets to the Will Call."

Hubby and I couldn't believe it.  Browder, Brainer?  How about Brewer?

We hightailed it over to the Will Call booth and sure enough, there were our tickets. Unbelievable. There really is good in the world.  That concert was sold out.  A "Lawn Person" could have upgraded to reserved seating.  But then, as I said, "Lawn People" like to be "Lawn People." 

But even as I write this, I still can't figure out how those tickets printed out at home on 8.5 x 11 sheets of paper could have fallen out of my purse.  I know I checked that they were there when we were eating and drinking.  I think a gremlin took the tickets from my purse when I was getting more wine.  My mother would certainly say, "See?  That's what you get!" for getting more wine.

But what a summer! 

We saw some incredible performances.  These performers are icons of the music business and their music reflected the times and punctuated the youth of Baby Boomers.  They are in their 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's now, but they are still rocking.  Their staying power and ability to still draw big crowds says something about their talent, their music and their relevance. Will Iggy Azalea, Ariana Grande and Maroon 5 be around 40 years from now?

Rosy the Reviewer says...If any of these bands  I saw this summer perform in a venue near you, go.  They are not getting any younger. You may not get another chance.

 
Thanks for reading!
 

See you Friday for
 "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, Pt 2"
and
The Week in Reviews
 
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