Listento the band

A good friend of mine always said, "Nothing like a little rock n’ roll to sooth the soul." Judging by the way I react and feel every time I hear live music, it is definitely my prescription to those lacking in the spirit department. Nothing invigorates me more than the music, played in front of me, piercing the air, and the energy of the hundreds of other people who have come, for one night, to join me in worshipping the gods of song. For one or two hours, I am linked to a whole community of people that have one thing in common – our love of music. There is no greater love.

I have been to quite a few concerts in my 24 years. Each concert was one experience entirely different from the next, with different people, and different places. So maybe I don’t want to confine myself to one particular type of music, though rock ’n’ roll stands out most of all, there are journeys into the strange and eclectic. Allow me to attempt a difficult thing: writing about music, rather, the music I have seen and heard. Allow me to give you a taste of a few of the standout experiences that I consider as the defining moments of music in my life.

Gloria Estefan, 1991, Manila: Okay, so I was 11 years old and my parents got free tickets, but it had to make the list as Gloria was the first concert I ever saw in my life. Oh yes, this was back in the day when Jon Secada was still her backup vocalist, and I had to stand on my mother’s knee to actually see the stage. I did love Gloria Estefan at the time and often belted out Coming Out of the Dark in the shower, but was quickly put to shame when I heard her sing it out loud, laced with the triumph of recovering from her near-tragic car crash. All in all, this show was an eye-opener for me, and introduction to the excitement of the electricity and the crowd, and the frightening sight of Mom and Dad shaking their bodies to do that conga.

Pearl Jam, 1995, Manila: I was a sophomore in high school, decked out in as much plaid as I could handle, and they were here: Eddie, Jeff, Mike, Stone and Dave. The band played for a good two hours, and we danced, screamed and rocked out together. It was Pearl Jam before they went commercial – and tunes like Evenflow, Black, Once were grunge refreshments. And to top it all off, as if the band had read my mind, the mournful Indifference was their encore. I left the concert with my shirt sweaty and half torn off, my head spinning from the beers we snuck in, and my hair turned into a mighty afro. In spite of all that, I was smiling. I was in the company of my best friends and my mind was racing with the anthems of my early high school years, and wouldn’t you know it – it was a school night, and my mom let me skip my first two classes the next day.

The Dave Matthews Band, 2000, San Francisco: Yes, I admit it. I am a great big fan. This concert is up there because, love him or not, Dave puts on a hell of a show. By the time it started I was intoxicated by the aura of the outdoor amphitheater and the energy of the hundreds of people around me. The lights were incredible, painting the crowd beautiful colors as the heart pumping opening chords of So Much To Say were busted out. The music was all around me – and I sang along wholeheartedly to Satellite, #41 and Crush. Highlights for me were the haunting Don’t Drink the Water, and my favorite Dave song of all time, Two Step. Special mention, of course, to Boyd Tinsley on the violin, and Leroy Moore on the sax – without them, Dave would just be a guy on a guitar.

Cher, 2002, Chicago: I love Cher. I really do. When she decided to bring her "Living Proof" tour to Chi-town, I grabbed tickets the day they went on sale. The mere spectacle of this show – Cirque de Soleil dancers, fabulous costumes and lights, and Cher herself making her entrance on a rising pedestal on stage – was enough to make this one of the best shows I had ever seen. I danced and sang the entire time, along with the entire glamorous gay population of the Windy City. She sang everything from Believe to Dark Lady to Jesse James changing her hair and outfits faster than Britney or Christina could ever hope to do in their lifetime. An older fellow next to me inquired about my age, as I yelled for my favorite Cher song, Heart of Stone. I told him, and he raised his eyebrows in shock. "How do you know all the words?" he asked incredulously. I smiled sweetly and screamed: "Because I love her!"

The Rolling Stones, 2002, Chicago: All other concerts aside, The Stones was the best show I have ever seen. They played the great Comiskey Park, under the stars of a warm autumn night, and over two thousand people surrounded me. As the band busted on stage with their opening song, Brown Sugar, I had to pinch myself because I was in the presence of true rock ‘n’ roll legends. Mick Jagger strutted his stuff with the sex drive of an 18-year-old, and Keith Richards (who did look like a three-day old corpse) even managed to bust out some of his solo stuff. I surrendered myself to songs like Gimme Shelter, Street Fighting Man, Sympathy for the Devil and You Can’t Always Get What You Want. I shed a tear when the lights dimmed and Mick wailed out a passionate Angie. They played for almost three hours – ending the show with an all out spectacular Satisfaction, and at the end of it I felt nothing but just that.

So those were the standouts, dear readers…and here are the honorable mentions:
Most Romantic Concert: David Gray, Chicago, 2002
Best Opening Band: It’s a tie – Medeski, Martin and Woods for Dave, and The Pretenders for The Stones
Show I Drove Three Hours to See: The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Moline, IL, 2003
Show That Wasn’t the Same the Second Time Around: Dave Matthews, Chicago, 2002
Best College Show: Rusted Root, Worcester, MA, 1999
Best Blues Show: B.B. King, Chicago, 2001
Best Latin Show: Buena Vista Social Club, Chicago, 2002
Best Combos: Jack Johnson & Ben Harper, and Elton John & Billy Joel
Most All-American Show: Bruce Springsteen, Chicago, 2003
Shows I Went to Completely Sober: The Barenaked Ladies, L.L. Cool J, and 311
Show I Still Don’t Know Why I Went to: The Cranberries, Manila, 1996
And lastly…The Best Show I Saw Most Recently…Ziggy Marley, Chicago, 2003.

Mike Nesmith from the Monkees told everyone to "Listen to the band" – I preach the same message. Music is the way we identify ourselves, the way we fashion our lives, the way we emote. Your love for your favorite band is best expressed by your presence at their shows – it’s just so wonderful to be a part of it. For two hours or so you surrender yourself to the vibe, the energy, the tunes, and it is intoxicatingly liberating. So go forth children, love the music and dance, allow yourself to be part of a crowd for a while, and give your soul a little much-needed soothing.

* * *

E-mail us at ystylecrew@yahoo.com.