My aunt gave me the Meet the Beatles album when it first was released; the first album I bought with my own money was Jethro Tull’s Warchild (but that’s a story for another day).

Still have it- yea my aunt was all hopped up over the Beatles as many were in the early 1960’s, the album cover is a little ragged on the edges but it’s there.

After she died I sent an email to 104.3 FM’s Sunday morning Beatles show on the day of her memorial and the DJ told my story and gave us a shout out- a fitting tribute for the cool aunt and a gift I will always treasure.

On a Sunday evening in April, 2002, my wife and I stopped at the Outback Restaurant in Merrick, Long Island, where I had a couple of tall mugs of beer, on the way to see Paul McCartney at the Nassau Coliseum. Our seats were literally in the last row up top to the right of the stage however it did not matter because when Sir Paul started playing those Beatles classics we grew up listening to on the radio, we were dancing in the aisle. A Paul McCartney concert is quite simply a joyous occasion and we had a great time. Fast forward approximately 20 years, and approximately one year ago, we went to see the soon to be eighty year old McCartney play Fenway Park and it was, no exaggeration, amazing on every imaginable level. I have seen McCartney, Ringo Starr with his All -Starr Band, and even George Harrison play at Madison Square Garden for Bobfest, but I never did get the opportunity to attend a John Lennon performance (I will never forget being woken up by my mother who told me Lennon had been shot the night before). For those who may not know or appreciate, the Beatles during the late 1960’s were musically and culturally on a consciousness level that we had never seen before, (even eclipsing Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra) and certainly have never seen since, Bob Dylan not withstanding. If McCartney has another tour in him, I will certainly be there as there is no happier place in the world than a Paul McCartney concert (Disneyworld not withstanding).

Egypt Station

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GQ

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GQ

The ever changing Chicago line up makes a stop at the former Westbury Music Fair on Friday, and Bald Hill in Suffolk County on Saturday, with no Jones Beach concert on the schedule this year. Chicago’s truly never ending tour continues on through the summer everywhere and anywhere at a theatre near you. The music is still great although you sometimes wonder if Robert Lamm had just met some of the newer hired guns back stage prior to the show. Honestly, I could skip it at this point but the bride still loves them so here we go (again).

Born For This Moment

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GQ

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young toured America during the first part of 2002 and I managed to attend two shows at Madison Square Garden in February, and one at the Nassau Coliseum in April. Fast forward to 2023- David Crosby is no longer with us, Stephen Stills in enjoying semi-retirement, Graham Nash is still out there performing at primarily smaller, theatre sized venues, and Neil Young is about to embark on a west coast solo tour at the end of this month. On July 1st, I will fly to Los Angelos, head to the Hollywood Hills during Fourth of July weekend, and catch two of the four Young solo concerts at the Ford Theatre located near the Hollywood Bowl (with a baseball game at Angels Stadium thrown in for good measure). I struggled with the decision to go on this Neil adventure, or roll the dice and hope for a northeastern swing, but I decided to see all the stars as I walk along Hollywood Boulevard (thank you Ray Davies) in a little less than two weeks for what is advertised to be 80% rarely played tunes, with some familiar favorites thrown in. It’s been 3 1/2 years since Neil and the Promise of the Real played Indy, and 90 plus Young performances attended by me since 1978; the road has returned and goes on forever!

Ambulance Blues

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GQ

On a night in New York City where Dave Matthews Band played Forest Hills Stadium, Bryan Adams played with Joan Jett at Madison Square Garden and Lizzo performed at the Governor’s Ball at Flushing Meadow Park, the bride and I went to see John Mellencamp wrap up a multi-night stand at the Beacon Theatre. I do not trek into Manhattan as much as I used to for a variety of reasons, societal, traffic and parking related, and the drive in was as as expected, although not abusive. I managed to get a parking spot on Columbus Avenue and we ate at an Italian restaurant located right there. No opening act but a half hour of Turner black and white movie clips was entertaining for awhile but went on just a little too long. At 8:30, Mellencamp and a band of mostly hired guns, except for his guitarist of 50 years, hit the stage and performed for two solid hours. The legendary chainsmoker used to grab those last few puffs behind the stage curtain but on this night smoked right on stage during the first number. Anyone who has seen Mellencamp perform the past couple of decades knows his voice is pretty shot now, but once you get used to the raspiness it becomes a non-factor quickly. John Mellencamp provided a performance of thoughtful and energetic entertainment; it is amazing just how many incredible songs he has written. John and the band were great and well worth navigating the June Friday evening traffic in New York City.

Neil Young announced his west coast solo tour for July and I am currently struggling with whether to hop on a plane to catch a show (or two).

Hurts So Good

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GQ

Now if memory serves me correctly, Mr. Nut AKA Mr. Vegas and I went to the Nassau Coliseum to see Rob Zombie open for Nut’s favorite, Ozzy Osborne. The concert took place four days before Christmas, and Osborne opened his portion of the show in an overhead sleigh which traveled from the back of the arena, over the orchestra, as Ozzy fired t-shirts down at the crowd. To further set the mood for the Christmas season, behind the stage, there was a drunken Santa hanging on a cross with a bottle in his hand. Ozzy had pulled out all the stops for this one and it was heavy metal mania. At the end of the evening when the lights came up, Mr. Nut found a ring on the floor which he wore for quite a few years, and may still have for all I know, referring to it as his “Ozzy” ring. These are the things that memories are made of!
The “Merry Mayhem” tour, also known as the “Black Christmas Tour” was a big success for those of us lucky enough to spend some quality time during the holiday season with Ozzy Osborne and friends.

Psycho Man

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Aerosmith’s “Just Push Play” tour arrived at New Jersey’s PNC Arts Center on a Sunday night in June, 2001. We happily, and enthusiastically, partied hard prior to the highly anticipated show and we were pumped up for a night of old time rock and roll. Unfortunately security at the gate recognized that my friend had over indulged while trying to enter with outside spirits and had us wait until some equilibrium ruled the day. There is no particular recollection of the performance itself, and the evening is a bit of a blur, but a good time was had by all!

Same Old Song and Dance

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GQ

Yes performed with a symphony at the PNC Arts Center on Thursday, September 6, 2001. I’ve attended many Yes concerts through the years, the first at Madison Square Garden during the “ Going for the One” tour and the return of Rick Wakeman (who happens to be on a solo tour this spring). The PNC concert is not particularly memorable, although I do remember making my way up the general admission grass hill on the way to the concession stands once or twice.

Magnification

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GQ

On Wednesday, August 23, 2000, Mr. Nut AKA Mr. Vegas and I went to see Pearl Jam at the Jones Beach Theatre in Wantagh, New York. Our seats were not the greatest but I found myself wandering until I ended up dead center just behind the first section of the orchestra. We are both Neil Young fans and Nut educated me on his theory that when Neil Young is no longer around some day, Eddie Vedder would be the guy to carry on the tock and roll torch down the line. That being said, Mr. Nut and I took a road trip to a theatre in Albany for an Eddie Veddder solo concert where Eddie sat in a giant hand chair, played music and told stories. Nut drove us through a rain storm and we had a great time. This reminds me of another road trip where we drive to see a Neil Young concert in Philadelphia that was being filmed for the yet to be released Trunk Show movie. After the concert, Nut insisted that we find a famous Philly Cheese steak place and we navigated the deserted Philadelphia streets based on his memory of where the food Mecca was located until we finally found it, and where he advised me to go with the Kraft cheese that exploded all over my steering wheel at first bite. The sandwiches were worth the extra effort and we left Philadelphia with our appetites and ears thoroughly satisfied.

No Hidden Path

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GQ

One of many Neil Young concerts that I have attended since the 1978 “Rust Never Sleeps” tour, this one at the PNC Arts Center in New Jersey. Ordinarily this would be a bit of a longer drive than I would want to make for this particular covered/outdoor shed venue, with the Jones Beach Theatre ten minutes away, but for Neil Young I will always make the trip. The general admission grass area is memorable because they have created quite the hill to navigate; I am not sure if it has gotten higher and steeper through the years but to me it certainly seems that way.

Mansion on the Hill

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GQ

Over $70.00 in Ticketmaster surcharges per ticket is obscene and abusive. The fan is getting hosed, paying, in some cases, over $400 bucks for what should have been a $300 and change ticket; $800 plus dollars for a pair? I guess if they are getting it you almost cannot blame them but it is insane. Then you have “dynamic pricing”, another scam, where I went to check out my $185 each pair for Peter Gabriel only to find that it went up to $201 before fees while navigating website; I bailed. The system is broke; F Ticketmaster!

Money

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GQ