I got all excited when I heard James Taylor was joining Jackson Brown at my hometown venue

[bigtree]

Last edited Fri Aug 13, 2021, 10:20 PM - Edit history (2)

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...once in a lifetime, at least in my own aged lifetime.

A chance to see both legends together in the sunset of their careers, on the lawn at Merriweather Post Pavilion. Hot August night under the stars, all vaccinated, so why not? It floated around in my head like visions of sugarplums, and I couldn't wait until my wife came home to tell her the good news.

So I told her. She was quiet at first, and then said 'great, we can listen from the backyard.'

True, concerts broadcast for miles around, at least snippets and moments when a recognizable song bounces off of some clouds, or someone turns the amp up. It actually happens, and its pretty neat when it does, like the time when Santana's guitar was turned way up and every note wailed in the still night air. Or the time when Joni Mitchell brought a Big Band and you could hear every note she sang.

But its usually not really much, nothing like being there, especially since we live walking distance from my childhood dream concert park.

I was pouting now, and I retreated into the next room to sulk, kinda like I did when I was a teenager to get my dad to buy tickets to the Capital Center to see Led Zeppelin, or begging to go with my older sister at age 12 to see Jim Croce, Seals and Croft, and Loggins and Messina together at Merriweather in '72.

Wife came into the room and sat down. 'I don't get it,' she said. 'Just this morning you were telling me that the state's Covid numbers were back to April levels. Now you're all set to put yourself in the middle of a crowd of maskless idiots.'

'Oh, yeah,' I answered. 'How did I forget that?'

How, indeed.

That following Tuesday, I could hear snippets of 'Copperline' wafting in and out of the summer's breeze from my backyard patio. Sublime.

[bottomofthehill]

1. Howdy Neighbor.

From next door in VA. Still getting thunder and lightning here. Good thing the concert is not tonite.

[wyn borkins]

2. At Home With James Taylor and Jackson Brown

I seriously enjoyed reading this epic tale; thank you bigtree

[Croney]

3. Two weeks from today, we're seeing the Eagles,

at TD Garden in Boston. It was such a great idea when we bought the tickets months ago! Covid was almost gone! We had vaccines!

Now WTF are we going to do. Mask up and go? Sell the tickets? Bang our heads against the wall? Yeah that.

[madaboutharry]

4. They are both great entertainers.

I have seen them both on their more recent tours. James Taylor was really spectacular. You could see he loved every minute, in fact he didn’t want it to end. Jackson Brown was also pretty great. Neither one seemed to have lost any of their voice at all. I can only imagine how absolutely wonderful they would be together.
I know Jackson Brown had Covid in the early days. But to tell you the truth, I’m a little surprised it hasn’t been postponed.

[Cracklin Charlie]

5. I rented an old building as a retail space years ago.

There was a big festival in the area every year.

We stood on the back porch and watched Asleep at the Wheel from about 50 yards away. We were looking at their backs, but hey…they were great!

The next year…The (Dixie) Chicks. My landlord sold the building, and we moved after that show.

[mommymarine2003]

6. We have tickets for their concert in October in Portland, Oregon.

We bought the tickets well over a year ago as the concert was to be in May of 2020. Can't wait to see them. My husband and I saw them a few years ago when they performed in separate venues. Keeping my fingers crossed that the virus does not postpone the concert again.

[Beatlelvr]

15. I'm seeing them on Oct 30

In Anahiem, CA. It was postponed from May.

[msfiddlestix]

7. I can totally relate to this story

Just dealt with a similar dilemma yesterday.

On Wednesday night, got word that a fairly well established local band was set to perform at a local venue, and i got so excited with other friends as we made plans to head on over and indulge in the a long awaited chance to hear them play.

Then yesterday morning, I realized this was not a good idea. It's a popular group of musicians and is very likely the venue would be packed.

Interesting thing, all four of us independently woke up in the morning realizing the same thing.

When we checked in with each other to express our misgivings with each other and intentions to cancel, each one of us echoing the same sigh of relief and laughter at our own foolishness. How could we forget what had been a topic of conversation earlier in the day on Wednesday?

We are all in this together. So we just have to hang together and be supportive of each other in these very trying circumstances.

[bigtree]

8. this is it, exactly

...funny how the mind works, longing for some semblance of normalcy, blocking out all of the danger with its siren songs.

Heartening and hilarious to hear you folks all came to your senses at the same time. I feel a little less of an idiot now.

[msfiddlestix]

11. Right? "Longing for some semblance of normalcy blocking all of the danger"

we're all wanting this so badly.. and patience has never been my strong suit.

Oh hell, I don't think i even really know what that means anymore in terms something to aspire to.

more like something to endure, and remember to be grateful, because it could be a hell of a lot worse.

[bedazzled]

9. I would like to see the struts at revolutions in Lauderdale in 2 weeks

but NOOOOO

maskless assholes

[LeftInTX]

10. We have tickets for the Rolling Stones in November.....

We bought them the day they went on sale...

We will see what happens...

I'm sure we will be able to scalp them if we decide not to go

Hubby paid $50 to see them in 1975. We paid $467.....

[Hugh_Lebowski]

12. If I REALLY wanted to go, I'd just say living to be really old is overrated

But then, it's not like it's a 1 time Zeppelin reunion we're talking about here.

I like JT and JB okay, but ... I'm not risking my life for those dudes.

[bigtree]

13. if I was so inclined

...they're good ones for my bucket list.

I'm one of those folks who'd always 'pay good money to hear fire and rain again and again and again*,' just like in '72, laying out by the pool listening to AM radio play 'Doctor my Eyes' and 'You Got A Friend' 10 times or more an hour.

*That's why I'm here.

[Beartracks]

14. It's too bad so many fools prefer to PRETEND that everything's normal...

... thereby preventing everything from ever actually becoming normal.

==========

[CaptainTruth]

16. Thank you for that post. I'm a long-term musician, so it resonates a bit differently for me.

I had a tough childhood. I lost track of how many times I decided I'd had enough & suicide was the easiest way out. I tried in earnest 3 times in my teen years. The first 2 I failed because I wasn't very good at it. The 3rd time I think I would have succeeded if it weren't for a girl who was a very good friend of mine who called me because she noticed how I was behaving at school that day & she was concerned about me, & she begged me to "not do anything stupid." I listened to her, put my fingers down my throat, & threw up most of the bottle of opiods I had swallowed. I slept for about 22 hours, but woke up alive. To this day, she doesn't know she saved my life.

What does this have have to do with your post? Well, after that, after years of dwelling on all the reasons I had to NOT live, it made me look for reasons TO live. I discovered my love for music. I bought a guitar, practiced my ass off, & formed a band. I discovered a love for music that touched my soul, it gave me a voice to speak in a language that I didn't realize I knew. And there were so many hours when music comforted me, music literally, literally, saved my life. So you can imagine how I feel about finally, one day, being able to hear live music again. And THAT is why your post touched me so much.

Thank you for sharing!

[PJMcK]

17. They're going to perform at Bethel Woods next week

This is the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival.

The tickets for Taylor/Browne range from $100 -$375.

Woodstock was free.

[TlalocW]

18. I don't like James Taylor

I went to a concert, and he started playing, "You've Got a Friend," then he locked eyes with me and stopped.

Jerk.

TlalocW

[electric_blue68]

20. How wonderful you can hear live music while being on your home patio...

Last edited Sat Aug 14, 2021, 08:05 AM - Edit history (1)

wafting through the air at times from a not so far away venue... Magical

I've got my own scads (in no meaning of cast off, or disregarded with very rare exception - scattered jewels in time from semi-precious to beyond price) of concerts list of decades myself; all from inside to outside, small to massive venues but none near enough of the open kind to let the music fly out over any where I've lived.

Closest experience would have been going to Forrest Hills Stadium (in Queens, NYC).
In this case 2015 - instead of heading from then home spot Bronx, or previous Brooklyn (even further back Manhattan) I was waiting for a bus on a hot (90F°+ ish), but *so* dry clear skied evening from a different part of Queens to go first northeast, taking another bus shortly after then going south east.
Trundling along seeing different neighborhoods, feeling like forever to arrive, finally approaching this stadium complex from a totally different direction, and area than I'd ever walked before.
Now walking into past twilight a wide street, with big chunks of apartment buildings on either side the wide space of air above me nearly pulsing, and shimmering with music still intensely powerful, majesticly beautiful, and sometimes so crystal clear sweet, drifting downwards to my now fervently waiting ears once I found out they'd be playing. Fifteen years though not expecting them to return with their particular live glory; one of the very select of "my" bands - The Who were back in town my NYC.
With an unexpected most grace filled blessing when I finally rounded a corner - there was a plantings, and tree studded sitting area in front of that last building. I didn't have to worry about the weather, though the heat was funally, slowly reducing - I could just sit, rest, and take it all in; mind flittering with memories of past shows, and being in the grateful now of their creativity live.

[bigtree]

21. its a mixed bag

...most of the time its like someone is playing the radio real loud a short distance away, especially when you get the rhythm music and the bass dominates.

Sometimes I wonder how they get away with it because the sound can be really pervasive at times.

Cool memories of Forrest Hills Stadium!