Marching to a different drummer

I have been putting off responding to Johnny Yens tag about music, and what was popular the year you graduated. The reason for my procrastination is that I am such a music weirdo... I like some things that most normal people enjoy, but most of my music preferences are not anything that anyone has ever heard of. Music has never changed my life in any way, but there are memories I would like to share.

So what I will do here is give you the top 5 live performances that I have seen, or have been part of.

5. 1982, Bob Seger tour that came through Denver stopping at the old McNichols arena. Seger's sax player was named Alto Reed (yeah, you heard me) and he closed an exceptionally high energy concert with Hollywood Nights. Alto is dancing like a maniac while playing, does a spin kick and knocks the peg that holds the top of the grand piano out. The top slams down on the piano to a huge crash, and everyone gasps. Alto doesn't miss a beat, jumping up on top of the piano to continue his dance and jam.

4. 1977, Fleetwood Mac came to Hawaii when I was stationed at Pearl Harbor, to play in a small arena that was on the campus of the U of Hawaii. The place held maybe 7000, and we had third row seats to see Stevie Nicks when she was still hot. This was the Rumors tour, and was wonderful.

3. 1980, the "Whats their name anyway" singers. This was a small singing group that I belonged to that was just for fun, did a lot of charity gigs, and we were playing at the local Elks Club. We sang a song by Kenny Rogers called Old Man, and it really got to some of the folks in the audience. I didn't realize until that moment how powerful the lyrics to that song were.

2. 1987 or so, The Indigo Girls came to town and played at the Paramount Theater. They were just starting to make it big, but played in a venue that was one of the old great movie theaters that had been renovated for music performances. Acoustics were phenomenal, and Amy and Emily played without anyone else in the band. Just them and their wooden friends and their beautiful harmonies.

1. 1975, my senior year. I was from a small town school, in a AA league. That year at the beginning of the school year, all of the music teachers got together and picked out 5 Christmas tunes that they would teach to their choral groups. So that Christmas all of the schools in the metro league got together and put on a Christmas concert at a great venue in Denver called the rainbow Music hall. The combined schools made up a choral group of about 600, and the effect was my favorite music memory ever. That many voices has such power, and everyone felt that they had been part of something that was special.

So, there we are Johnny and all.

Let the mocking begin...