We had a notice in the newspaper last week that John Mellencamp is coming to town next year to give a concert. He is someone I would love to go see.
It takes someone special to get me into a crowded auditorium. I don’t attend a lot of concerts; never did. It’s such a hassle getting off work, parking and all the other encumbrances to a quiet evening. Mainly, I don’t have the gene for buying tickets that are not in the back row and behind a pole….
What’s the best concert you ever attended? I can’t narrow mine down to one top night, but among the best was the super group Alabama – and I’m not even a big country music fan.
They were very energetic during their heyday of the 1980s, and I was about five rows from the stage, dead center. (I still don’t know how I got those tickets!) The night was perfect.
I saw a lot of good acts in the college coliseum. Linda Ronstadt in her miniskirt days, belting out that large voice on songs we all remember. Joni Mitchell’s voice had a softer strength. And Charlie Daniels.
On a more intimate ballroom stage during those years, I remember Loudon Wainwright III when he had bushy hair and beard. He’s still a favorite. I believe his opening act was guitarist David Bromberg. Both are still going strong today, even if I’m not.
Peter Tosh and his band took to that same stage one night on his Legalize It tour. The reggae singer was later assassinated, and they are just now legalizing “it.”
I recall sitting in a college field watching bands perform from a flatbed trailer. One night it was Doug Kershaw, the Cajun fiddler. Another night Pure Prairie League toured on the strength of their hit Amie.
The most memorable of those shows was when a young, long-haired John Prine tore up that trailer bed with songs from his first few albums. He remains the singer I most would like to hang out with.
Elvis was in his latter days when I saw him and didn’t sing an entire song all the way through. Too bad.
John Denver put on a good show. So did Willie Nelson, Bill Medley, Ricky Skaggs, The Statlers, the Oak Ridge Boys.
Bob Dylan concerts were erratic must-sees. The joy of watching Crosby, Stills & Nash was the rumor that Neil Young was going to join them on stage; he didn’t, but there was the bonus of hearing Leon Redbone as their opening act. When I saw Bruce Springsteen, I sang along with every song.
One night in Augusta, Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt sat on a stage with guitars and alternated songs. Wow! Lovett’s old college roommate Robert Earl Keen comes to town all the time and should not be missed. He always has good opening acts, too.
I wouldn’t mind it if Leonard Cohen played here, and Jackson Browne and Steve Earle. They would definitely prompt me to buy tickets.
How about you? What shows would you like to see?
Reach Glynn Moore at glynn.moore@augustachronicle.com.
