I considered a double "album" or a box set. But I sort of felt like that was cheating. Instead, I acknowledged to myself that I would not be able to cover my life chronologically. It would just be too hard to reduce that down to a single album of songs. Then I thought, maybe two songs per decade I've been alive. That felt too forced. Maybe I would want more than one from one decade or none from another. Then I thought about special moments or stages in my life that I associate with certain songs. I was going in that direction when I was on the road for work and I heard a song on satellite radio that sparked a new idea. Live music. What follows is my own live album:
You Haven't Heard it Until You've Heard it Live; LJK 1973- 2017
Things Can Only Get Better by Howard Jones (concert 1985)
There are definitely some really annoying things about being the youngest, but having an older sister had its perks too. I was in 7th or 8th grade when my parents let me attend my first major concert in NYC. Nighttime in Manhattan as a pre-teen, made possible only because my big sis was going! My dad drove all four of us (my sister and her best friend, me and my best friend) from Long Island all the way into the city, and dropped us right at the door to see Howard Jones live at Radio City Music Hall. Man did I ever feel grown up! In full 80's swing, with teased out hair and a colorful suit fit with big shoulder pads of course, HoJo belted out his pop hits and played the keyboards as he famously did. No One is to Blame, Like to Get to Know You Well, all his synthesized 80's hits were awesome! I can still hear the crowd chanting when he stopped playing to solicit a response from his young, new-wavish-turned-pop fans. Wuh, wuh, woa.....woa, woa, woa... Things can only get better? I thought. Seriously, it gets better than this? Hey, I was 12. It seemed it couldn't get any better than this!
Abracadabra by Steve Miller Band (concert 1983?)
I will never forget how much my dad loved and still loves this song. His adoration spilled over to me, and I have three distinct memories about it. The first is how popular it was when I was in sleep away camp. The cassette was passed around like a hot commodity. Those sound effects... so 80's! The second is riding in the car with my dad. He did this a lot but I specifically remember this song. At a stop light he would release the break to bounce the car to the beat of a song. This one was his favorite. The third memory, the one that links it to my Live album, is at the Steve Miller band concert at Jones Beach on Long Island. I don't know the exact year (but song and album released in 1982), Technically this was my first live show, but I went with my dad, my stepmom, and my sister. The crowd went wild when they played Abracadabra. But the most famous memory of all, is me turning to my dad and saying, "What's that smell?" All night I complained about the funky odor. I'm sure you can figure it out. It's a running joke in my family now. Remember, I was only about 10.
Shower the People by James Taylor
It was hard to narrow down just one JT song on my album because he's the artist I've seen live the most. But I made the decision to include only one song per artist and I was focusing specifically on the live memories. This by far blows the others away. As a kid I started listening to James Taylor via his Greatest Hits album, which might seem a bit mundane. He was popular among the counselors at my summer camp, which I attended from ages 6-10. It was from that album that I went back and started listening to the older ones, and following his new ones. But holy moly, nothing on any of his albums sounded as amazing as it did live. And when he released the double live album, James Taylor (Live) in 1993, I finally had a recording of what I had experienced each time I went to one of his shows. Shower the People, with the solo from one of his back-up singers, Arnold McCuller would knock anyone's socks off. And as with most live recordings, as good as they can be, they pale in comparison to being there. This is by far one of my favorite live songs ever recorded. You must check it out. And by the way, I danced with my dad to this song (the studio version) at my wedding.
Vienna by Billy Joel
The only artist I've come close to seeing as many times as James Taylor is Billy Joel. It's hard to grow up on Long Island and not become a huge Billy Joel fan! Few of even his overplayed songs will prompt me to change the radio station. They are all ingrained in my memory like little stories. I have so many memories attached to so many of his songs. The Glass Houses album is part of the soundtrack of my childhood. But live, I have a recent and fond memory of the song Vienna. It wasn't one of the biggest commercial hits, and it was rarely if ever played on the radio. But my sophomore year of high school, the captain of our cheerleading squad loved to play it during the cool down after our workout. That was when I really started to become familiar with it. Then a few years back, Sirus did a temporary Billy Joel satellite radio station. In between song sets, they would play back interview bits with Billy and he told the story behind this song. It sat with me ever since. I couldn't find the actual interview, but here is an article that tells about it. The reason it made my live album is because two years ago, my husband, son, and I went to see Billy Joel Live on New Years Eve in Orlando. The show was so much fun, it was like we were in a jam session in his living room. He was laid back and hosting his version of a NYE bash. Several of the songs he played by audience choice. He would pick two songs, solicit applause, and whichever one had louder cheers, that's what he played. I was thrilled when the audience around me was as excited as I was for him to play Vienna, which was the first time I ever heard it live in concert, though I had seen him more than 5 times. I don't even remember which song it beat out to get played, but it sounded fantastic!
When I See You Smile by Bad English
Ever heard of this band? Can't say I'd be surprised if you hadn't. Babys (yes, they spelled it wrong) front man- turned soloist John Waite got together with some of his old bandmates and one of the guys from Journey, and formed this two-album (three if you count Greatest Hits-seriously?) hair band. Their power ballad When I See You Smile, became one of "our songs" in high school. Paul and I were full-fledged metal heads, and there was no way we'd miss this concert when they came to town. We had this great concert venue, the Sunrise Musical Theater. It was just big enough to be a legit venue, but small enough there were no bad seats in the house. It only sat a little over 3,500. Paul and I held hands and looked longingly into each other's eyes as if the band was performing just for us, sap-py! It was a school night, and we had permission to be out late specifically because of the concert. Cheesy as it is, I remember pulling over by a park on the way home and fogging up the windows. Big time. Sadly, in 2002 Sunrise Musical Theater became a church. Boo.
Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden
It makes me sad to even talk about Soundgarden since frontman Chris Cornell suicided this past year. His voice was the best in 90's alternative rock, hands down. We saw them in Mesa, Arizona one year when we were on a family trip for Thanksgiving. Can't really tell you why this song specifically, except it showed off his voice. I remember Mesa was (probably still is) a tobacco free city. It was actually illegal to smoke in the city, and I thought that was pretty cool. It was even cooler (sorry, not sorry) that Chris and the other band members said "Fuck it," we'll pay the fine. They smoked on stage and performed the hell out of their songs. Sadly, even though they put out a great album a couple of years ago, I will never see them live again because Chris died. This video doesn't do it justice.
Sin Wagon by The Dixie Chicks
I've seen the Chicks twice and this is my favorite song of theirs live. Honky tonkin', knee slapping' jam! There's really not much more to say. Their voices, their musicianship, the lyrics. Live concert perfection. And of course, the second time I saw them was with my girls. It was a Trailbrazen trip to remember!
I Won't Back Down by Tom Petty
My husband and I were talking just the other day about how sad we still feel about TP's death each time we hear one of his songs. He's on our iPods and the radio. He's still everywhere. What I remember about his performance of I Won't Back Down, the first time I saw him at the West Palm Beach Amphitheater, was when he shared how he felt about the music industry at the time. Unlike every other concert in the venue (and every other venue), he had no commercial sponsors for that tour. He believed the music and the tour should speak for itself. He wanted his tickets to be affordable to the fans, and they were. We sat back on the lawn and listened to him lead right into I Won't Back Down. I am so going to miss being able to hear new music from Tom Petty.
You've Got a Friend by Carole King & James Taylor
I know I said I would only have one song per artist, but this doesn't count. As huge of a fan as I am of James Taylor and even Carole King, I have gotten to where I don't even enjoy hearing this widely overplayed song anymore. When it pops up on a mix, I skip it. When it comes on the radio, I change it. But in 2010, this pair of BFF's went on tour together to promote their Live at the Troubadour tour. It was absolutely magnificent. Nothing beats these two singing the quintessential song about friendship and meaning it. It was so touching and absolutely beautiful. That concert was something else! I had never seen Carole King live before and of course it added a new layer to seeing JT live. Love.
Somebody Bring Me Some Water by Melissa Ethridge
Mad respect for this woman. I was never a huge fan, but I enjoyed hearing her music on the radio. So I was pleased when I found out she was opening for the Eagles Hell Freezes Over concert we had tickets for at Joe Robbie Stadium. Man can she belt it out! This song was outstanding, and it made me an instant fan. She has since sung it in duet with Joan Osbourne. Fantastic!
Song and Emotion by Tesla
Tesla is still my favorite rock band of all time. And this song is beautiful and emotional performed live. When Tesla first started out, they toured as an opening band with Def Leppard who had already hit big. The guys in the two bands became very good friends and they spent a lot time together. on the road, forming a lifelong friendship. In 1991, the guys from Tesla wrote this song as a tribute to Steve Clark, the Def Leppard lead guitarist and songwriter who died of alcohol poisoning. The crowd goes wild for the song, raised lighters and all. You can always hear the fans singing. The song starts ballad-like and pays tribute to Clark by breaking into some heavy guitar riffs. It's classic Tesla, and it's endearing to know there is a rockstar brotherhood, a real friendship. Jeff Keith, Tesla's lead singer, always looks a bit choked up.
Rockin' In the Free World by Neil Young, performed by Pearl Jam
Not much of a Neil Young fan. But this song has the best memory attached to it. One of the most bad-ass concerts I ever attended was the 1993 Pearl Jam Vs. tour. Vs. was the follow up to the band's debut album Ten, and it did not disappoint. I was in college, and my sister Jen, my husband Paul and his friend Matt, and I all went down to the Bayfront Amphitheater in Miami. It was a steamy hot night, and the venue was completely outdoors. I can't believe I remember this, but The Screaming Trees opened up for Pearl Jam. People were lined up waiting to be let into the amphitheater, which was completely visible to us from outside the turnstiles where we were being held back. Everyone wanted in. It was the 90's grunge scene. People were moody and anxious. The Trees started playing, and the crowd outside the gate got angry because the show was starting and we hadn't been let in yet. Fans were screaming and waving their fists in the air. I got a little scared when the entire crowd started rocking forward and back, trying to gain enough momentum to push through the gate. Teenagers and young twenty-somethings were laying face down on the ground along the fence, zip-tied at the wrists by the police. At 5' 2" I was afraid I wouldn't be able to hold myself up against the momentum. Paul cradled my space with stiff ballroom dancing-like arms, trying to keep any human weight off me. We managed to stay on our feet. Finally, they opened the gate and people poured in like floodwaters. By now Pearl Jam was coming out on stage, and it started to rain. Two helicopters were circling above us shining search spotlights down and around the crowd. Eddie Vedder grumbled something we could barely hear, but it was angry. And the band started to play. Now nighttime, it was dark and in the spotlights shining down from the helicopters, you could see the pouring rain. Fans were screaming, and Eddie and company started singing this song. It was a message in support of the angry fans, and directed at "the man." Keep on rocking in the free world.... and we did. It was absolutely exhilarating!
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