Welcome to the Stage

     One of my favorite things to do on a night out is go to a concert. I honestly have no idea how many concerts I have been to. I started as a teen. I have seen everything from rock concerts to country to Christian to philharmonic symphonies and I have enjoyed them all. I've even been back stage a time or two.

     There is something about seeing a band, that you have heard on the radio, live. There's an energy, an excitement. I can remember seeing bic lighters light up the room when a band played. Now people hold up their phones with the flashlight on.

     I can't exactly remember the first concert I went to. I was definitely into rock as a teen. I saw Rush, AC/DC, Styx just to name a few. But there was one concert that stood way above the rest.

 
  BOSTON. I saw them at the Frank Irwin Center in Austin Texas. To this day their concert stands as my all time favorite, and here's why. Imagine you are sitting in a huge concert venue listening to one of your favorite bands when suddenly the lights go out. After a moment you hear a low rumble that shakes your seat. Then a lone light slowly goes from dim to bright shining on something gold on the stage. You see something moving but you can't quite make it out. The low rumble becomes louder, the light becomes brighter and you finally see one of the band members twirling a cape while standing on the seat of a HUGE pipe organ that has just risen out of the stage floor. Hands down my all time favorite concert.

     I have even seen some bands recently that I saw as a teen. One of the bands that have stood the test of time is the band KANSAS.
I saw them in the 70s and then again at a local
 fair a couple of years ago. I am a sucker for good harmonies and these guys were spot on. They weren't flashy, they were just great musicians and put out some excellent music.

I think my second favorite of all concerts I have been to was just because of an unexpected event. I had gone to the local Blues Festival. All of the venues were outside. I specifically wanted to see Jonny Lang. Now for those who don't know who Jonny Lang is, he is a master guitarist who could just about rival Stevie Ray Vaughn.  So as I was standing there listening, he starts into his hit song Still Raining. And just as if he planned it, the skies open up and it starts raining. It was absolutely perfect timing. And as the song finished, guess what? So did the rain.

I got to see Jonny Lang recently in concert. He still puts on a great show and man can that guy play the guitar, but we were in an inside venue so no chance at seeing it rain. Oh well.



I love my rock 'n' roll, but I am a country fan too.


 I have seen a few of those artists also. I saw Reba several years ago.

I haven't been to too many country concerts lately but I will be getting a chance soon and I'm excited.







   The one thing I love about country music, is the stories they tell. Country artists are the best at painting a picture in song.  So if you are looking for something fun to do for a night out, see if there are concerts in the area and...go!