Concerts

I have friends who've been to hundreds of concerts. I, on the other hand, have been to enough to count on the fingers of two hands (with a few fingers left over). But that doesn't mean I don't like to attend. It just means I can't usually afford the price of modern concert tickets!

But here are the concerts I have attended.

Peter & Barbara's Concert

By: Paul S. Cilwa	Occurred: 4/9/2022		Page Views: 313
Topics: #Consert #NorthValleyChorale
If you must have a requiem, make it a Brahms'!

My dear friends Barbara and Peter Lafford, lived in the Phoenix Valley for many years, before they retired to Virginia. While here, they performed regularly with the North Valley Chorale, a non-profit organization devoted to giving its members the oportunity to sing large-scale pieces to the public. This week, Barbara and Peter returned to the Valley to perform Brahm's Requiem; and I got to attend.

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Hanging On To What They've Got

By: Paul S. Cilwa	Occurred: 12/10/2016		Page Views: 2952
Topics: #FrankieValli #FourSeasons #Music #Concerts
All about the concert I just attended, given by an elderly rocker and a fresh set of Seasons.

I've only attended a few concerts through the years; and now that I'm "retired" I can't really afford to go to any. So it was a surprise and pleasure when my daughter, Jenny, called me a week ago and asked if I would like to attend a concert being given by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. of course, I said yes! —And Jenny graciously included my fiancé, Keith.

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The King/James Version of Rock 'n' Roll

By: Paul S. Cilwa	Posted: 5/19/2010		Page Views: 6380
Topics: #JamesTaylor #CaroleKing #Music #Concerts
The time Michael and I attended the James Taylor and Carole King reunion concert.

The first time I ever heard Carole King, was when I was a disc jockey at a small radio station in 1972. Her record, "Been To Canaan" was on the charts and I played it. Considering my job, I was embarrassingly ignorant of pop music icons and had no idea King, who'd written dozens of hit songs for others by then, was already one. The next year, when a friend played me her favorite album, Tapestry, I didn't connect it with the singer of "Been To Canaan" at all.

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Set Us Free

By: Paul S. Cilwa	Posted: 4/21/2009		Page Views: 7219
Topics: #FoxElipsus #Music #Metaphysics
A free concert by a friend who's promoting a more uplifting viewpoint than one typically hears on the radio.

This evening Michael and I attended a free show by a new friend, singer Fox Elipsus (his professional name). Fox is not from here. He is, in fact, from Britain though his home is currently in Buffalo, New York. But since January his home has been his car, as he has been touring the United States and Canada promoting his new, independent-label double-CD Momentum. Since Fox is not part of the mass media, he is free to write and perform songs of joy, of meaning, of political import, as well as of love. And so I was happy to open our home to him for the several days he will be in the Valley. I knew we weren't only supporting "indie art", but also the high frequency vibration of Love.

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The Mikado

By: Paul S. Cilwa	Posted: 11/23/2008		Page Views: 6828
Topics: #Music #Concerts #GilbertandSullivan #Mikado #Operetta
How I finally, after all these years, got to attend a performance of my favorite Gilbert and Sullivan musical.

I am not the world's biggest opera fan. I love classical music, but I'm afraid I'm one of those Philistines who prefers his entertainment in English. When I see an opera in German or French or Italian, I keep reading the subtitles projected above the stage and miss most of the action. I know, I should just learn German and French and Italian. I'm always meaning to. But I've been busy.

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Still Breathing After All These Years

By: Paul S. Cilwa	Occurred: 7/26/2006		Page Views: 6622
Topics: #Music #PaulSimon
Review: Paul Simon's concert.

How did this happen? I've known quite a few old people through the years. They eat mild foods to avoid upsetting their ulcers; have screen doors on their homes so they can leave the solid doors open; they know the names of the parents of the Lennon Sisters and have opinions about the young men they married. They do not listen to, or understand, rock 'n' roll. So how can an official old person be Paul Simon, the writer of The Boxer, The Sounds of Silence, Mrs. Robinson, Bridge Over Troubled Water?

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Billy Joel 'Storm Front'

By: Paul S. Cilwa	Occurred: 12/8/1989 Posted: 8/7/2017		Page Views: 3051
Topics: #Music #Concerts #BillyJoel #Stormfront
My daughter's bad luck sent me to a rock concert I actually wanted to attend.

When my youngest daughter, Jennifer, was 14 years old, she had a job, which meant she had an income. She also had an absolutely favorite song, Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire", to which she knew all the words (even though the references meant nothing to her), and got me to play whenever we rode together in the car.

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Peter, Paul & Mary 'Reunion'

By: Paul S. Cilwa	Occurred: 8/24/1978 Posted: 8/5/2017		Page Views: 3769
Topics: #Music #Concerts #Peter #Paul&Mary #MerriweatherPostPavilion
Remembering an awesome concert of peace and love.

I have taken, literally, thousands of photos in my lifetime. I have made an effort to document pretty much every event I've attended. But, prior to the advent of cell phones, taking photos of nighttime, outdoor concerts was pretty much impossible. So it was with one of the best concerts ever, Peter, Paul & Mary's Reunion tour in 1978. I saw it with my school chum Mike Mundell at Merriweather Post in Columbia, Maryland.

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WAPE Young Rascals Big Ape Concert

By: Paul S. Cilwa	Occurred: 11/23/1968		Page Views: 2945
Topics: #Music #Concerts #YoungRascals
How I managed to make a fool of myself while trying to impress a girl.

Ah, to be young again, and to make ghastly mistakes out of well-meaning naïveté! Like the time I dragged my high school buddy to experience neighboring city Jacksonville, Florida, when I had no idea how to do that myself. And then, to compound the error, I repeated them with my date to the biggest monster concert so far. But perhaps I should start from the beginning.

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