A good friend of mine took three young ladies to the Taylor
Swift concert last night in Wichita. She
posted on Facebook this morning about the experience. She said that one of the girls she took, who
has been through personal issues in the past year, said through tears, “I can’t
even believe I’m alive and sober, let alone here!”
Jen’s post got me to thinking about the concerts I have
attended over the years. I think the
first one was the Lennon Sisters at the Kansas State Fair back in 1966 (I
think). The most recent was a Bill Cosby
concert at the Orpheum in downtown Wichita.
In between has been The Lettermen, Lilly Tomlin, the Gaither
Vocal Band, Red Skelton, the Statler Brothers, Hal Holbrook, Amy Grant, The
Martins, Roy Clark, The Oak Ridge Boys, Sandy Patti, and others I’ve probably
forgotten, at least temporarily.
Good concerts are really memory-makers. For singers, if one knows some of the songs
of that singer or group, when they perform them live at concert, it makes the song
come alive in a way that it never could on CD (or years ago, on vinyl). At other concerts, such as Hal Holbrook’s
portrayal of Mark Twain, the memories come in other ways. For me, they stem from a phonograph record I
have of Mr. Holbrook portraying Mark Twain back in the early 1960’s. Seeing him in person was rewarding and, in a
very real way, kind of a closure…a full circle, so to speak.
Some folks may think it’s a waste of money to spend it on
tickets to a concert. I suppose there is
some validity to that argument, but there’s also validity to the notion of
spending money on a house that’s bigger than we need, or on two cars when
public transportation and bicycles would work.
Or of buying round steak when cheaper turkey would provide as much
nutrition.
Now, I’m not advocating we spend money that we don’t
have. But a concert venue once in a
while using money we’ve put aside specifically for that purpose can be not only
enjoyable, but also provide lasting memories and pleasant times with loved ones
and friends.
I’ll never forget the raucous, “rolling on the floor”
laughter at the Red Skelton concert. I’ll
never forget who I was sitting next to at the Lennon Sisters concert. Nor will I soon forget the powerful
renditions of favorite songs of the Gaither Vocal Band at the Fair. I don’t have enough space to talk about the
uplifting performances of Amy Grant and The Martins. And Bill Cosby was as funny as you know him
to be on TV.
So go ahead. Set
aside some money and get tickets for the next concert you’d like to
attend. And take someone with you if at
all possible. I think you’ll be glad you
did.
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