(Forward: I am still learning how to use PEAKD, HIVE and such. To the best of my knowledge, I have never posted this before, but would love to know if there is a sort function within my own blogs posted anywhere in PEAKD.)
I've loved music of all styles and genres throughout my entire life. Was the tyke who swayed to Mitch Miller, the Singing Nun, and Lawrence Welk as a toddler. Bounced and bopped to the Motown Sound of the 1960s, and dove head-first into the Los Angeles folk rock sounds of the late sixties and early seventies.
But that didn't keep me from listening to long hours of Deep Purple and Emerson, Lake and Palmer, as well as gyrating to the psychedelic and glam rock of the seventies.
The connective tissue across all of this was an appreciation of percussion and composition, regardless of the genre. Except country and western music. I can appreciate that music now, but back then it was associated with a mindset and persona that threatened my boundaries. I did parlay my preferences into playing drums and percussion, though, and enjoy such to this day.
My memories surrounding concerts were resurrected when a discussion grouo I'm in leaned into the topic of first concerts. Since this weekly topic is about three tunes, I decided to write about mine.
I grew up about two miles from the major entertainment arena in Los Angeles, known as The Fabulous Forum. Opened in 1967, it shared its reputation with Madison Square Garden in New York as the elite venues to perform at and be recognize as among the best.
This was all well before there were established ticket brokers, and certainly before electronic sales. Ticket sales were only handled at the venue. Interested parties had to line up the night before sales began to get a numbered wristband that could not be removed without damaging it. Then we had to come back the following morning and line up by number. Ticket sales we limited to six per person, cash only.
My friends and I, all fourteen years of age, did just that to see Led Zeppelin. We had no idea what to expect beyond the hyped up tales of older siblings, but it was the adventure that mattered.
For $4.25, we were able to sit above the back of the stage. What a thrill that was! I spent the night looking down at their powerful and amazing drummer, John Bonham, as the band performed. When the binocular case filled with marijuana was passed to me, I shuffled it along to the next person so that I could absorb the band's energy undeterred.
I was hooked from the moment they began, consumed with concert fever. Over the next twelve months I was able to see:
July 1973: Jethro Tull, touring the release of A Passion Play
November 1973: The Who, touring the release of Quadrophenia
January 1974: The Moody Blues, touring without a recent release
And there you have it! I've since been to well over a hundred performances by recognizable and not so recognizable performers. I've seen people busking for dollars that performed better that some backed by record companies. As in like, there can be a fine line between the two, some fortuitous luck, and a sprinkle of fairy dust.
Let the band play on!