I saw "The Who" in 1970 and from your same 4-foot distance stood in front of Pete Townshend for the entire concert. Blew my mind. Couldn't hear anything but a muffled distant sounding hum for about a week.
I saw "Mountain" up close and personal and was almost blown out of my seat. They knew nothing but LOUD. Leslie West could play the guitar.
Joe Walsh has to be among the best ever guitarists. Saw him while sitting on the floor directly in front of him while in college. He was with "The James Gang" then. Think it was '68-'69. His later work on "Hotel California" with "The Eagles" is classic rock greatness.
Saw "Grand Funk Railroad" that same year before they went Commercial and pretty much dumped the "Railroad" from their name. They were loud and lots of battling guitar riffs. The "James Gang' often opened for them when the Gang first got started as a trio.
I've seen a bunch more and there have been a shitload of good guitar players over the years. Neil Young is my favorite. Have like 20 of his albums all in vinyl. I am still trying to fill out my overall record collection in vinyl. No better sound exists.
I knocked a totally wrecked Gracie Slick of the "Jefferson Airplane" down a flight of stairs to the locker room area in small NY college. I was carrying my pads and the rest of my goalie gear after having finished a hockey game there. I was in my socks and taking up most of the wdith of the stairway and never saw her as I turned the corner onto the stairs. I rushed down to see if she was alright having no idea who she was. Her only words were a mumbled repetition of "It's okay man. I'm good." She stumbled off and all but crawled up the stairs.
Someone from the school came into the locker room and told our coach that "Jefferson Airplane" would be going on after their warmup band, who had just taken the stage. "Would your team like to see them? We can seat you on the floor in front of the stage if you can get there before the "Airplane" takes the stage. You've got about 40 minutes."
Our music of the time dinosaur said "No. I think the boys are pretty beat and would like to get on the road. It'll be at least a 3 hour drive and we still have to stop and eat."
The guys closest to this brain dead response were our captain and a couple other guys, who immediately interrupted the conversation and said the team would be grateful for the opportunity.
Imagine my shock when the first chords exploded in the crowded gymnasium and the spot light hit Gracie as she belted out "When the truth is found, to be lies" the opening line of " Somebody To Love". She was the stoner I had knocked down the stairs. Looked nothing like the face I saw on my album cover.
Dylan playing electric is also some great music. "Like A Rolling Stone" and "Positively 4th Street" might be the best set of song lyrics ever written. I thought he wrote 4th Street for me. A girl I had gone with for my best high school years broke up with me and this song mirrors our split and the ensuing couple of years.
I paid a price for the music of my time. I permanently lost a lot of hearing. I wouldn't have done it any other way.
Music fits so many life events that you can actually follow the best years of your life with the music of those times. For me it's 1963-1980, Jr. high, high school, college, marriage, teaching and coaching, the birth of our son in 1980. It's not like there hasn't been no more music since then. There's been a ton, but you do have to separate the crap from the good stuff. However, when hearing the music from those yester-years, my mind instantly rushes back to where I was, what I was doing, and who I was doing it with just like it was happening today. I could live in that time span for eternity. Quoting Bryan Adams from "The Summer of '69", "Those were the best years of my life."
Man I am REALLY OLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!, but the music makes me young again for just a bit.
