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stusegalEvery once in a while (a long while) this feeling comes over me and I realize it doesn't get better than this.
Today at about an hour before sundown Joe Cocker took the stage at the Garden State Arts Center (outdoor venue, covered). About a half hour after sunset, it was still more than 90 degrees with a gentle breeze . . . . . and Joe broke into "With A Little Help From My Friends". By the second verse I had tears in my eyes and was thinking - - this is as good as the performance I missed at Woodstock. And about halfway through the song, and you know the spot if you've heard him perform the song, he lets loose a primal scream that is so powerful - so much more powerful than you can imagine, even if you've ever heard it on CD or DVD and think you know - so powerful it feels like he's unleashed a bolt of lightning and it's hit you in the chest. At that point I thought, "It just doesn't get better than this".
Occasionally I get that feeling. Rare, but real.
And after Joe Cocker, the Steve Miller Band took the stage and played for nearly 2 hours. All their great hits (and it's easy to forget just how many great songs Steve Miller did in the last 40 years), and some new stuff that was good. I hate to say it though - as good as the Steve Miller Band were, and they were very good - after hearing Joe Cocker they were just anti-climactic.
Why exactly Joe Cocker is opening for Steve Miller I can't say - but if their tour is coming near you, you're in for a great 3+ hours of music.
Today at about an hour before sundown Joe Cocker took the stage at the Garden State Arts Center (outdoor venue, covered). About a half hour after sunset, it was still more than 90 degrees with a gentle breeze . . . . . and Joe broke into "With A Little Help From My Friends". By the second verse I had tears in my eyes and was thinking - - this is as good as the performance I missed at Woodstock. And about halfway through the song, and you know the spot if you've heard him perform the song, he lets loose a primal scream that is so powerful - so much more powerful than you can imagine, even if you've ever heard it on CD or DVD and think you know - so powerful it feels like he's unleashed a bolt of lightning and it's hit you in the chest. At that point I thought, "It just doesn't get better than this".
Occasionally I get that feeling. Rare, but real.
And after Joe Cocker, the Steve Miller Band took the stage and played for nearly 2 hours. All their great hits (and it's easy to forget just how many great songs Steve Miller did in the last 40 years), and some new stuff that was good. I hate to say it though - as good as the Steve Miller Band were, and they were very good - after hearing Joe Cocker they were just anti-climactic.
Why exactly Joe Cocker is opening for Steve Miller I can't say - but if their tour is coming near you, you're in for a great 3+ hours of music.
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Date: 2008-07-21 04:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-21 04:32 am (UTC)Saw my first ever concert at the GSAC- Seals and Croft in 1975 or so. Saw Steve Martin there on his first big tour in... 1977?
Saw Steve Miller a decade or so back- man does he have a bunch of hits! Wait- that was 20 years. Sheesh.
Have not seen the Mighty Mad Dog himself, but can easily imagine how Steve Miller could easily be eclipsed by him.
Wishing you well and glad you are having teh big fun.
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Date: 2008-07-21 10:57 pm (UTC)And I don't mean people like Mick and the boys, who pump their veins full of formaldehyde and are propped up on stage each year so they can refill their bank accounts - I mean artists who perform because they still have the passion.
I have always regretted that I arrived too late to see the great Al Jolson in his prime - he died when I was 1; and I was too young to appreciate Mario Lanza, who died when I was 10 - and I'm sure there are plenty of other great artists I would have liked.
So when I see Joe Cocker, who is 5 years older than me, I realize that it's unlikely that in 10 years, when he's 74, he'll still be, as you said, "The Mighty Mad Dog".
So I need to get out and see them. The real problem is figuring out who's out there because the fire still burns within them, and who's out there just going through the motions for the paycheck .