Concerts

I love going to conccerts! I've been to two in the last month and both were quite established performers with long careers, and you can tell why.

The first one was Phil Keaggy. Awesome guitarist. One of the best in the world (and has been for 30+ years!) and a true delight to take in! This was my third Keaggy concert but it was the first for my two guests (Anthony and Alex) and that makes the moment even better. I really wouldn't be able to do justice with words describing his ability, so I'll sum it up to say: money well spent.

The second concert was put on by the Arrogant Worms. I was reminded of the healing power of laughter....it feels so good! These guys have been together for over 10 years and they've built their career on great harmony and humor. They are witty and adept at using the humor of the moment. I was really impressed at their ability to involve the crowd and "use" the partcipants against them, as though they made their jobs easier by getting us all doing the work. If that doesn't really make sense to you, that's ok. I know what I mean! The most impressive thing about these three guys is that they perform with three mics and a guitar, sometimes adding in a bass guitar. That's it. And yet, musically, they are diverse and strong, giving no sign of lacking anything. I like that. The Worms can flat out sing together. Awesome.

That brings up a point I'd like to make. Going to a concert like the one put on by the A.W.'s, it proves how important vocals are to lyrical music. If you're going to have vocals, they should be good vocals, tightly sung, and accentuating each other. There are so many bands out there that have great musicians who play extremely well and because they like to write and perform their music, they recruit some lead singer wannabe to toss out some words. AND IT KILLS THE WHOLE ACT. Done. The only way to overcome this weakness is to remain instrumental and impress the crowd with what you're best at... it's kinda sad to hear solid bands with terrible vocals. Maybe that's the driving force behind screaming music? I can't sing, but I can scream reallllll good. Yup. Not my cup of tea.

Regardless, I enjoy concerts. I like 'em, I like 'em alot.

And not unlike John Cuzack's character in High Fidelity, I'm doing something new this week: I'm putting myself out there...doing my own stuff. Scary. Saturday night (18th), I'll be on stage with some friends, hoping that everyone leaves that night having spent their money well. Fin.