12-18-2014, 05:03 PM
Wow - collectively we are quite a group!!!
(I have told this story before - but its one of my favorite so I will tell it again)
I do have an undisputed # 1 -
Bob Marley and the Wailers 6/18/1978 - The Music Inn, Lenox Mass.
I saw Bob at the Roxy in LA in May of 1976 and it was great but it was a large venue and we were stuck in our seats - I was 17 years old. I was there with my sister and some friends who I really liked from my high school in Santa Monica. (one happened to be the Paul Newman's daughter - Nell, she was a great girl who went on to head up Newman's Organics - she was very down to earth and lots of fun)
Fast forward two years later - New England - summertime in beautiful Western Massachusetts. I was living on Martha's Vineyard (oh those were the days....) A group of us traveled up to Lenox, Mass to see Bob. As we were driving into the show I started thinking about my last experience seeing Bob and what a great show it was - and how much I liked the people I went to it with.
We lined up at the gate to collect our tickets and who do I find myself standing next to - Nell, her sister Lissy and another school friend Andrea. The first thing Nell said was "I was just thinking about you"! How strange - I had been doing the same thing.
We were thrilled to be reunited and couldn't help but feel the magic that seemed to follow Bob. I left my group at their picnic spot on the lush green lawn of the Music Inn and worked our way to the front of the crowd. It was not very hard with my drop dead gorgeous friends. Andrea was modeling for Italian Vogue at the time and you can imagine Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward produced some beautiful children. The crowd seemed to part and let us right up to the stage. Our hands were on the edge.
It was one week before my 21st birthday. I was wearing a t-shirt that was given to me by a very dear friend. (lucky for me it was getting too small for him) It was Jimmy Cliffs personal t-shirt with his insignia a big star. It was thrown out to the crowd during a JC's concert in NY and my friend happened to catch it. It was my lucky shirt. (I still have it - it is worn so thin you can see right through it) I remember I was wearing those rainbow suspenders - lol - (remember Robin Williams as Mork)?
The show was magic from start to finish - i guess its how many people feel in church - I am not a church goer - it was the most "spiritual" thing I have ever experience.
The highlight of the day (an perhaps my entire life - lol) was when Bob pointed straight at my star t - shirt with a smile and nod of recognition. He made eye contact with ME and went back to performing. My life was complete! lol lol
I will never top that - nor do I try.
# 2 was Peter Tosh in 1976 on his "Legalize it" tour in a beautiful historic theater at Harvard in Cambridge with the most incredible acoustics - it looked more like a church. (and felt like it too, it was so good) There was a bad storm and there was a very small turn out. At the end of the show the band threw "Legalize it" rolling papers (with a picture of the album cover) into the crowd- but there was no crowd - so my friends and I climbed over the church pews and filled all of our pockets with those papers. I sure wish I kept just one pack!
#3 Neville Brothers in an ancient open air amphitheater in Greece. We worked our way to the front in time to see Brother Aaron Neville sing Amazing Grace - another trip to church.
Lastly #4 - I cant leave this one out. I went to see Stephan Marley at The House of Blues in Hollywood. One after another he was joined by friends and family - by the end of the night we had on stage Stephan, Ziggy, Damien and Julian Marley. And if that wasn't enough of a blessing up came Mos Def, Ben Harper and (hold onto your hats) Stevie Wonder! (I can die happy without ever seeing another show)
(I have told this story before - but its one of my favorite so I will tell it again)
I do have an undisputed # 1 -
Bob Marley and the Wailers 6/18/1978 - The Music Inn, Lenox Mass.
I saw Bob at the Roxy in LA in May of 1976 and it was great but it was a large venue and we were stuck in our seats - I was 17 years old. I was there with my sister and some friends who I really liked from my high school in Santa Monica. (one happened to be the Paul Newman's daughter - Nell, she was a great girl who went on to head up Newman's Organics - she was very down to earth and lots of fun)
Fast forward two years later - New England - summertime in beautiful Western Massachusetts. I was living on Martha's Vineyard (oh those were the days....) A group of us traveled up to Lenox, Mass to see Bob. As we were driving into the show I started thinking about my last experience seeing Bob and what a great show it was - and how much I liked the people I went to it with.
We lined up at the gate to collect our tickets and who do I find myself standing next to - Nell, her sister Lissy and another school friend Andrea. The first thing Nell said was "I was just thinking about you"! How strange - I had been doing the same thing.
We were thrilled to be reunited and couldn't help but feel the magic that seemed to follow Bob. I left my group at their picnic spot on the lush green lawn of the Music Inn and worked our way to the front of the crowd. It was not very hard with my drop dead gorgeous friends. Andrea was modeling for Italian Vogue at the time and you can imagine Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward produced some beautiful children. The crowd seemed to part and let us right up to the stage. Our hands were on the edge.
It was one week before my 21st birthday. I was wearing a t-shirt that was given to me by a very dear friend. (lucky for me it was getting too small for him) It was Jimmy Cliffs personal t-shirt with his insignia a big star. It was thrown out to the crowd during a JC's concert in NY and my friend happened to catch it. It was my lucky shirt. (I still have it - it is worn so thin you can see right through it) I remember I was wearing those rainbow suspenders - lol - (remember Robin Williams as Mork)?
The show was magic from start to finish - i guess its how many people feel in church - I am not a church goer - it was the most "spiritual" thing I have ever experience.
The highlight of the day (an perhaps my entire life - lol) was when Bob pointed straight at my star t - shirt with a smile and nod of recognition. He made eye contact with ME and went back to performing. My life was complete! lol lol
I will never top that - nor do I try.
# 2 was Peter Tosh in 1976 on his "Legalize it" tour in a beautiful historic theater at Harvard in Cambridge with the most incredible acoustics - it looked more like a church. (and felt like it too, it was so good) There was a bad storm and there was a very small turn out. At the end of the show the band threw "Legalize it" rolling papers (with a picture of the album cover) into the crowd- but there was no crowd - so my friends and I climbed over the church pews and filled all of our pockets with those papers. I sure wish I kept just one pack!
#3 Neville Brothers in an ancient open air amphitheater in Greece. We worked our way to the front in time to see Brother Aaron Neville sing Amazing Grace - another trip to church.
Lastly #4 - I cant leave this one out. I went to see Stephan Marley at The House of Blues in Hollywood. One after another he was joined by friends and family - by the end of the night we had on stage Stephan, Ziggy, Damien and Julian Marley. And if that wasn't enough of a blessing up came Mos Def, Ben Harper and (hold onto your hats) Stevie Wonder! (I can die happy without ever seeing another show)