BRING THE HOPE

A Nod to Clarence Clemons

I only got to see him in concert once.  But, once was enough to appreciate what The Big Man had to offer.  I saw Clarence Clemons play in Indianapolis early last year and that concert also happened to be Danny Federici's last gig before he succumed to cancer.  Now, Clarence has passed on as well.  Time marches on, but Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band will never be the same.

"Jungleland" is widely recognized as Clarence's saxophone masterpiece.  Check out the video below from the 4:20 mark until 7:15.  It's time well spent. To read a great obit on Clarence, check out Rolling Stone. 

 

U2 Special Visit from Outer Space

Check this out.  U2 always has special surprises at its shows.  But, this one tops the list.  A very cool visit from NASA Commander Kelly.

 

Paul Simon and Dreams

Do you have a dream?  Hopefully you have lots of them.  And if you're anything like me, you sometimes wonder when some of your dreams will come true. 

Now, don't get me wrong.  I feel like I'm living a dream with a great family, amazing friends, a killer job, an awesome church and more fun than I usually know what to do with.  But, I still have big dreams that I hope to see become reality one day. 

If you are with me on this, you might want to watch this video of a Paul Simon concert from last week.  Simon is a great singer/songwriter and it turns out that he's a dream maker too.  Cheers to Bob Boilen at NPR for spreading the word.  Have a great week and keep chasing your dreams.

 

 

 

Leaving On A Jet Plane

Music has a way of transporting you back in time.  "Leaving On A Jet Plane" is a song that reminds me of Thursday nights at Slater Hawkins with friends.  Those were some great times.  But, the song also reminds me of when I was working in NYC and I'd have to say goodbye after visiting friends for long weekends back home.  Those times often bummed me out.

Either way, I dig the song and I'm glad for the memories. What songs make you think of the past?

Have a great week.

 

The Hits Keep Coming

I'm guessing that my ongoing list of live concerts isn't nearly as fun for everyone else as it is for me.  But, I'm really enjoying flashing back to think about all of the great shows and all of the good times over the years.  Live music is a great escape and a super way to re-charge your batteries.

Here are a few more additions to me live concert list. 

- Bob Schneider

- The Mills Brothers

-  The Cure

- Aretha Franklin

- Billy Joel

- Los Lobos

- Aqualung

- Loverboy

- Brian Adams

- Foo Fighters

- Cowboy Mouth

- Maroon Five

- The Fat Boys

- Salt n Peppa

- The Hammerheads

- Bon Jovi

- 38 Special

- Richard Marx

- Chris Isaak

 

Rolling Through the Musical Memories

I started my music concert recall project yesterday and it continues today.  I'm such a fan of live music and I decided that it would be fun to catalog all of the shows that I've seen.  In the process, I'm remembering the people I took in the shows with and reliving lots of great memories.  Take a minute to think about all the great experience that you've had in life and be thanful.

Enjoy the weekend.  I'll see you back hear next week.

The Black Crowes

Blues Traveler

The Fray

Jackson Browne

The Gin Blossoms

James Brown

Sting

Live

Nelly

Counting Crows

Dixie Chicks

The Freddy Jones Band

Green Day

Jimmy Buffett

John Mayer

Kings of Leon

Sugarland

Barbara Mandrell

Bill Idol

The Scorpions

Van Halen

...to be continued

Live Music Brings The Hope

I had a long conversation with a new acquaintance on a flight home last night.  We talked about a lot of things, but most of our discussion was about life and everything that makes it good.  Movies and music were two topics that we covered and we each talked about some of our favorite concerts. 

The conversation got me thinking that I need to catalog all of the live music shows that I've been to over the years.  Making that list will bring back so many good memories.  But, it will take some time to put it together.  So, I better get started.  

Here's a starter section.  Check it out and then think about all of the great concerts that you've attended over the years.  Live music brings the hope and I'm going to make a point to buy tickets to a few more shows tomorrow.  Get busy living...

The List (part one)

John Hiatt

Peter Gabriel

Bruce Springstein

Lyle Lovett

REO Speedwagon

U2

John Mellencamp

The Squeeze

The Bodeans

Pete Yorn

Cheap Trick

Sheryl Crow

Brandi Carlisle

The Why Store

Pearl Jam

Red Hot Chilli Peppers

The Dave Matthews Band (when they opened for Big Head Todd at the Aragon)

Eric Clapton

...to be continued

Third Day's Adoption Video

I had the opportunity to see the band Third Day up close and personal a few years ago.  They put on a great show and I've enjoyed a lot of their music over the years. But, this one shoots straight to the top of the hit list.  As the dad of two great kids who we adopted from Russia in 2005, this song really hits home.

Give it a listen.  I think you'll like it.  If you watch all the way through, you'll be rewarded with a cool message.  Have a great weekend.

 

Happy Birthday YouTube

YouTube was launched in the U.S. on this day back in 2005.  So, happy birthday YouTube.  To celebrate, here are two of my favorite videos.  Enjoy and have an awesome day.

  

 

 

I've Got This Smile - John Hiatt

If you've never gone to see John Hiatt in concert, you should really put him on your list.  The same goes for Lyle Lovett and I got to see them together at The Murat in Indianapolis over the weekend.  The whole show was crazy good, but there were two highlights worth noting.

The first is a new song from John Hiatt with the following lyrics..."I've got this smile, I've had for a while and it ain't exactly brand new. Well, it's no wicked grin and it's good and worn in and I'd like to give it to you."  I've attached a video of this song below from a recent show and it's worth checking out.

The second highlight is one of my longtime favorites from Lovett - "In My Own Mind."  This song speaks to how we get to decide how to view life. "I live in my own mind. Ain't nothing but a good time. No rain, just the sunshine. Out here in my own mind."  Have a great week.