What Happened Last Night

Normally, when I write about a concert experience, I describe the event in as much detail as possible. I usually begin with what I did before the show, and then take you through the entire show song by song. I think I will do things a little bit differently, since what I saw last night was something I would consider to be landmark moment in my life. I think instead of going through the whole setlist, I will just focus on the moments that meant the most to me. Last night, I watched David Gilmour for the very first time at the Hollywood Bowl. It was 3 emotional hours of magic. I told Dylan afterward that David is to me what Stevie Wonder is to him: the very best there is.

When I heard David was going to tour, it was July 2015. I had previously accepted that he was retired from touring due to the tragic 2008 death of Richard Wright. David was (and still is!) my favorite musician, but I guessed that I just wasn't meant to see him live, so the announcement of a new album and tour was a wonderful surprise. Actually, it was a dream come true. I had longed to see David ever since I first heard him back in 2009. He was the first musician whose music moved me to tears. I had made in my mind a concert "bucket list," putting him in first place, over any other band I wanted to see. I even told my dad that he would not have to ask me if I would rather see David or someone else if tours overlapped, since he should already know the answer. It was a very long wait (8 months to be exact), but it most definitely was worth it. Just as I did with King Crimson, I left my phone in the car once we parked so that I could experience this show as best I could without any distractions.

The show consisted of two sets, with a 15-minute break in between. The first half was mostly dedicated to playing material from David's latest solo album Rattle That Lock. The second half was mostly dedicated to Pink Floyd material. However, both sets were beautifully done. It was a great combination of sights and sounds. It was colorful, and music filled the entire venue.

I have seen well over 35 concerts since 2010, from performances in venues that seated from 150 to 90,000. But none of them moved me or impacted me nearly as much as last night did. Last night was a night I had dreamed of experiencing since I was 12 years old. Last night, I cried at 3 different points in the show. I had never cried before at a concert, not even when I saw Roger Waters in 2010 and 2012. The first time was during David's guitar solo in a song called "The Blue." I have always loved that solo, and he played it so perfectly that the tears started coming and wouldn't stop until the song was over. I didn't want to make a scene, but I was fortunately able to cry in peace. The other two times were during the moment I had always dreamed of experiencing: the performance of "Comfortably Numb."

I've been playing guitar for 8 years, and have been a Pink Floyd fan for 7 years. Through that time, I have heard many people cover the guitar solo for "Comfortably Numb," and even attempted to do so myself at one point. All were good, but the one musical moment I longed for more than anything else was to hear David himself play it live in person, and last night, that longing was fulfilled. I teared up plenty for the first solo, but I mainly wanted to hear him play the last solo at the end, which is nothing more than the most wonderful, emotional, and soulful guitar solo I have ever heard to this day, and I have heard many great guitar solos. Once that solo started, so did the tears. I actually cried pretty hard during that time. They were tears of pure joy and satisfaction. I never thought I would get to experience such a thing. It really reminded me of why music is so special to me. I thought of all the wonderful people I now have in my life because of music. I have shared many great experiences with them over the years. Without David or "Comfortably Numb," or The Wall, I probably never would have been inspired to branch out and explore other bands that also worked to create meaningful and timeless music. Also, given the current trend of musicians passing on, I am extra grateful I was able to get the chance to see David while he is still with us.

Last night is a night I surely will cherish always, and I look forward to living it all again this Sunday night.

A big 10/10

Comfortably Numb

When I was 12 years old, my guitar teacher showed me a song called "Is There Anybody Out There?" by this band called Pink Floyd. It was truly unlike anything I had ever heard before. When I came home from practice that day, my dad said that that song was part of this concept rock album called The Wall. He said I should listen to it since I really liked that song I heard. Well, eventually, I did sit down and give the album a complete listen. When that album was over, I knew that it had taken great effect on me. For the first time in my life, I learned how to connect with music on an emotional level. The moment where I realized this was when I heard "Comfortably Numb." That was the first time a guitar solo had driven me to tears. That was my introduction to the genius of David Gilmour. From that song, I realized that music didn't have to be complicated in order to be memorable. Before that album, I had been introduced to the likes of Joe Satriani, Eddie Van Halen, and Jeff Beck. All are great of course, but I believed that in order to be a great guitarist, you had to be able to play as fast as they did. "Comfortably Numb" changed that for me. The simplicity of the chord progression and guitar solo structure is what caught my attention. I had also never heard an album that followed a specific storyline before. Still today, that is my favorite album of all time, and "Comfortably Numb" remains my favorite song of all time.

3/21/16

I played a lot of albums today on the new turntable. They all sounded great even though they were old copies. To be exact, I played the following albums: Innervisions and Fulfillingness' First Finale by Stevie Wonder, The Yes Album by Yes, Trilogy by ELP, A Question of Balance  by The Moody Blues, and Year of the Cat by Al Stewart. I hadn't played my vinyl copy of Year of the Cat in a while so I was eager to try it out on the new turntable. My Crosley turntable, which I've had for almost three years, is a good starter record player, but nothing more. It's supposed to be the cheapest one you can possibly get. The biggest flaw I think is the fact that the tone arm isn't weighted really at all. I ended up having to tape a quarter to top of it because the lack of weight would cause the needle to skip on any record I put on, including brand new ones. The quarter made a huge difference, because now it never skips, except on extremely rare occasion. It's also great that my Crosley record player is portable, with a carrying handle attached to the side of it. That makes me able to take it with me to and from campus. Spring break is only a week long but I didn't want to go that long without it so I brought it home with me.

I got an email a few days ago that Ian Anderson will be making a stop in Riverside this October with his new rock opera, Jethro Tull. I couldn't pass up the opportunity (even though it's on a Tuesday), so we were able to get a ticket. Just one though. My dad won't be able to make it since it's in the middle of the week. It won't be the same going by myself, but I am still looking forward to it. I read some Ticketmaster reviews of the show. It seems as though people either loved it or absolutely hated it. I didn't find many in-between reviews. Most of the bad reviews were from people who were complaining about the condition of Ian's voice or expecting to see the full Jethro Tull band.

Only three days left until David Gilmour at the Hollywood Bowl. I can hardly wait. Eight months passed by extremely quickly. I've said this before, but I can't believe that it's already here. It's surely going to be a great night. I've never been to the Hollywood Bowl before. I hear it's a great venue so I am really looking forward to that. King Crimson taught me the importance of "embracing the moment," so I don't plant to take any photos at the show. I think that will allow me to enjoy the show more instead of having to stress over getting photos.

3/17/16

We finally got my new turntable set up downstairs in the family room. I got it for my 18th birthday but we didn't have a good sound system to hook it up to. It took 14 months for this to happen but I'm glad we finally succeeded.

I only got Fulfillingness' First Finale yesterday and I've already heard it 3 times. It was the first album I played on the new turntable. Sounds much better than it does on my Crosley portable turntable. On the new one I also played side 1 of Diamond Dogs as well as some of my 45s.

I think I'll give disc 2 of that collection of The Nice recordings the owner of my local record store let me borrow yesterday. I really liked the first disc so I imagine I will like disc 2 as well.

Only a week left until I see David Gilmour at the Hollywood Bowl. David is my musical hero so I'm super excited for this. We got our tickets back in July so it's been a long wait. Hard to believe it's already almost here. Time really does fly. I got a vinyl copy of his new solo album Rattle That Lock so I could frame it in my dorm. I like his third solo album On an Island better, but I'm happy with this one too. I haven't looked up any past set lists because I want to go in surprised. I'm seeing David twice. Next Thursday at the Hollywood Bowl and next Sunday at The Forum. The first show I'm going to is the first night of his US tour, so I'm expecting there to be a ton of energy from everyone. We'll see…

3/16/16

I'm finally home for spring break! I can't believe the second quarter is already done. I think it went faster than fall quarter to be honest. I've heard people say they think spring quarter is the slowest of the year, but that's not how it felt to me.

Anyway, I went out for a few hours today because I was home alone and feeling bored. After I grabbed lunch, I made a stop at the record store I would go to almost once a week after school back in high school. It's a great place. It's small, but there's so much you can find there. My main goal was to look for Stevie Wonder vinyl because I really would like to explore more of his music since I've liked what I've heard so far. I picked up a copy of Fulfillingness' First Finale, since that is the next one Dylan recommended I get. He calls this album Stevie's "darkest" record, since it was released right after Stevie was in a bad car accident that put him in a coma for a bit. I played it as soon as I got home and really liked it. I think I will listen to it again before I go to bed.

That's not all I got. I also picked up a copy of The Yes Album as well as On the Threshold of a Dream by The Moody Blues. I do have a copy of that album, but it doesn't include the gatefold (I love gatefolds!) or lyric book, so I got a copy that had both of those things. When I went to pay for my records, the owner of the store noticed my Greg Lake Songs of a Lifetime shirt. He's seen me many times in the past but has only spoken to me a few times because I'm not much of a talker. Anyway, he asked if I had seen Greg in concert. I replied that I had and that I also met him after the show. The owner asked me what that was like. I told him Greg was definitely the kindest rocker I had ever met. We then started talking about the tragic death of Keith Emerson. He didn't understand why Keith had done what he did, so I told him that Keith had been suffering from depression for decades and also from a condition that was impairing his right hand. He then asked me if I had heard any music from Keith's first band, The Nice. I told him I had only heard their album The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack, but nothing else. As I was about to leave the store, he stopped me and offered to let me borrow a copy of a collection of The Nice recordings from 1967-1969. If I like it, I can come back and pay for it. If not, I can simply bring it back. I accepted the offer. I've only heard the first disc so far, but I definitely like it. Keith really was something special.

 I'm finding it a bit hard to listen to any ELP lately, as do some of my friends. I'm just taking this one day at a time.

3/13/16

Not much went on today. Woke up late due to daylight savings time and had brunch. Took the bus down to the train station to buy a ticket for the Tuesday afternoon train to LA Union Station. My last final is tomorrow but it goes until 2:30 and the last train leaves at 3:07, so I decided to leave Tuesday instead.

Anyway,  like many people, I am still very emotional over the loss of Keith Emerson. It's going to take a long time for me to come to terms with it, I think. I've talked to a few of my friends about it, and we are all devastated. More people are posting tributes and sharing memories of meeting him or seeing him in concert. I had to study for finals yesterday and Friday but it was very hard to concentrate because I had so much on my mind. I was thinking of everyone affected by the loss of Keith. I think we all wish we had known how much he was hurting, and that something could have been done to help him.

I bought a vinyl copy of the first ELP album yesterday, along with Blackstar by David Bowie. Blackstar has been a very enjoyable album to listen to. It was a great last album and I hope to share it with other friends who haven't heard it. The thing that hurts though, is that that was Bowie's way of telling us he was dying. Keith's death came without warning, and it was incredibly sad and shocking. I noticed that Greg Lake posted a statement yesterday that he isn't very surprised to hear about Keith's fate. I saw that many people commented on that saying it was "too soon" for Greg to be talking about this and that his comments about the seriousness of depression were "uncomfortable" to read. I guess it just goes to show you that mental illness is still considered by many to be a taboo topic, one that is better left ignored since it offends easily. I hope that changes one day.

I'm not trying to lecture any of you about the importance of addressing mental health, but as someone who has struggled with it, I can assure you that it is definitely not a topic that should be ignored. I think if more people talked about it, more people would get the help that they need, and then more people would still be here today. That's just my thought, though.

R.I.P. Keith Emerson

I really don't know what to feel right now, other than complete devastation. I know I have finals coming up, but this has been on my mind all day. What can you say when you wake up to find the following message on your phone?: "Keith Emerson has passed into eternity." As many of you are aware, Keith Emerson was a part of my second favorite band, Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Like I always do, I checked for a confirmation. I found the following note from Carl Palmer. :

"I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of my good friend and brother-in-music, KEITH EMERSON. Keith was a gentle soul whose love for music and passion for his performance as a keyboard player will remain unmatched for many years to come. He was a pioneer and an innovator whose musical genius touched all of us in the worlds of rock, classical and jazz. I will always remember his warm smile, good sense of humor, compelling showmanship, and dedication to his musical craft. I am very lucky to have known him and to have made the music we did, together. Rest in peace, Keith.

Carl Palmer
March 11, 2016"

I am completely crushed at this news. David Bowie's death hurt a bit, Chris Squire's hurt a bit more, but this hurts particularly bad. ELP were the second prog band I was introduced to. The entire year of 2010 was devoted to me exploring their discography. I think I played Tarkus about once every day, along with Trilogy and Brain Salad Surgery. In April of that year, I had the honor of seeing Keith with Greg Lake at the Orpheum Theater. This was my first show at the Orpheum, which is now my favorite concert venue. Little did I know that certain people who also attended that show would later become my friends. That is a reason why that show is particularly special. My dad says that Keith stole the show. He truly was remarkable to watch and listen to. He had great stories to tell about his past, just as many older musicians do.

Anyway, I'm not just hurt by his death, but also by how he died. As the day continued, several sources reported that Keith was found with a "single gunshot wound to the head," and that his death is being investigated as a possible suicide. That destroys me to think about. I heard that the nerve condition in his hand that he had been struggling with had come back in worse form, and basically made it impossible for him to continue playing the keyboards. As a result, he struggled with depression. Without giving too much away, I have had my own bouts of severe depression in the past, and so was able to somewhat understand the despair he may have been feeling.

I am now sharing in the grieving process with my friends who had the pleasure of meeting Keith as well as with millions of prog fans affected by ELP.