Ever cry at a concert?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by modrevolve, May 12, 2014.

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  1. tdavis0903

    tdavis0903 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Illinois
    I am not ashamed to admit that I have teared up at shows over the years. Besides many SHF posters collecting and audiophile ways, it's the emotional connection that defines many of us and our love of music. Three of my notable examples:

    1997 Noblesville, IN Deer Creek: I had not seen The Who, or at least Roger, Pete, and John together at least, since 1982 on the first Farewell Tour at the Rosemont Horizon. I had seen them separately at solo shows, including Pete at his infamous Chicago Psychoderelict show where he was drunk (which I joked with him about and got a hearty laugh and handshake at his bio book signing two years ago in Skokie, IL). When they came on stage for I Am The Sea and then kicked into The Real Me, I was overwhelmed with emotion. It kept going through my head that I was about 50 feet away from my 3 musical idols after 15 years of listening to tapes and CD's and watching videos and collecting every bootleg I could in the pre-Internet days when collecting was hard and expensive work compared to the download/sharing era. While I still felt it was closer to the 1989 Who on Ice sound and feel, it was a moving show and felt like one step closer to the full return to the electric core band that emerged in 1999/2000 and will continue at least for one last tour next year.

    2007 Hoffman Estates, IL Sears Centre: Yep, another Who show. I had already seen this tour in '06 at the United Center in Chicago and while a momentous show with new songs from Endless Wire, the show was marred by some idiot drunken teenagers throwing up in my then wife's hair during Baba O'Riley. She punched one guy in the face and security got involved, but nice thing was we got moved right by the stage. This show was notable as Roger took some time out for his throat, so Pete continued the show as lead singer for a while, very cool. Anyways, come March 2007 for the Chicago-area return, I was having marital problems and headed for a divorce (could it have been the vomit in the hair?). The Who website at the time had an area where you could send messages and request songs. I wrote about my reto the band, never knowing if anyone really ever even saw it, about how the song Naked Eye meant a lot to me, especially lines like Pete sings "you sign your own name, and I sign mine, they're both the same, but we still get separate rooms." I was following the Internet show reports and set lists and Naked Eye was played infrequently so far on the Endless Wire tour. But when they started Naked Eye, I knew it immediately that night, and I couldn't help it, I cried. I have the Encore CD of that performance and play that version of Naked Eye often. Coincidence, probably, but they didn't play it the nights before or after that show, so who knows?
     
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  2. tdavis0903

    tdavis0903 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Illinois
    2013 Chicago, IL United Center: My third example happened just a year ago May. I had started riding my bike as spring beckoned in Illinois. I couldn't make even close to what I used to be able to and my chest and left arm just were killing me. My girlfriend made me go to the doctor and thank God, I'm glad she did because I ended up on the table with the doctor deciding whether to do open heart or put in stents. They ended up putting in two stents, and yeah, I must be a crier because when I was lucid and found out I didn't have open heart, I cried. Anyways, I had tickets to see the Stones for their first show in Chicago the week after the surgery. After a short hospital stay, the heart doctor gave me the clearance to go to the show. When the show started and Mick and Keith emerged, I was excited but cautious thinking I don't want to get too crazy. I lost it later, though, when Mick Taylor came out for Midnight Rambler. Like seeing Pete, Rog, and John together after 15 years, seeing Mick Taylor on stage in person with the Stones after listening to the studio albums, live shows, and bootlegs thousands of times from the golden 69-74 era, I was just happy to be on my feet rocking out and watching something I never dreamed would come true, Mick Taylor on tour with the Stones after almost 40 years.
     
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  3. Bill Mac

    Bill Mac Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I almost cried when I was thrown out of a Pink Floyd concert at Boston Garden. It was the WYWH tour in '75 all because my buddy acted up :(. Of course he ran away from the ushers but I got the boot.

    Bill
     
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  4. Clanceman

    Clanceman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, Or
    Ahh.....nice one!

    I seem to remember a nice moment at a FM show a few years back. Same song, not her bday, but a sort of nod to that line. Very cool.
     
  5. Clanceman

    Clanceman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, Or
    :righton:
     
  6. Clanceman

    Clanceman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, Or
    It seems to me that if this were a poll, "Which Artists Performance Makes You Cry?",
    that Sir Paul wins by a reasonable margin.
     
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  7. jacksonwalker

    jacksonwalker Forum Resident

    I cried once at a 1971 Grand Funk Railroad concert because my ears hurt.
     
  8. nitorodz

    nitorodz Active Member

    Location:
    San Francisco, CA
    I saw Frank Sinatra on his last tour in 1994. As I recall, on every song he either forgot lyrics, came in at the wrong place, etc. That is, until he got to "My Way", which he absolutely NAILED! A well deserved standing o and misty-eyed appreciation on that one.
     
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  9. markbrow

    markbrow Forum President

    Location:
    Denver
    It brings a tear to my eye because I had a chance to see that tour (at the Greek Theatre in LA if I recall correctly) and didn't go. Never saw Sinatra.
     
  10. JuanTCB

    JuanTCB Senior Member

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    Many times, usually mixed with hysterical laughter. And beer.

    But the big ones for me would be Bruce encoring with "Rosalita" the first time I ever saw him (7/31/08), Booker T. & the MGs doing "Time Is Tight", and watching Nesmith sing "Listen To The Band" with the Monkees from 10 feet away (12/1/12). Three things I'd wanted to see for decades... an overwhelming celebration.
     
  11. spencer1

    spencer1 Great Western Forum Resident

    Once ticket prices went over 15 bucks I cry at almost every one ...
     
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  12. CmoonL7

    CmoonL7 Forum Resident

    Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint performing Paul Simon's "American Tune" in July, 2006 at the Beacon Theatre in NYC.

    Leonard Cohen closing his main set with "Take This Waltz" at the Chicago Theatre in May, 2009. And his "blessing" to the crowd at the very end of the show whilst singing "Whither Thou Goest."
     
  13. jojo209

    jojo209 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    Once - Stevie Wonder at Radio City Music Hall NYC (Natural Wonder tour, '95 I think). He opened with "Rain Your Love Down" from his latest album at the time. I was still taking in the fact that I was seeing him live, when they went into the acapella choral intro to "Love's In Need Of Love Today". It took me right back to when I was a little kid and first heard Stevie when my brother brought home Songs In The Key Of Life... such beautiful music and a beautiful message... and I lost it!
     
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  14. Yannick

    Yannick Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cologne, Germany
    Yes, sure. And not even only once. I just haven't been to a concert in what must be too long a time due to my music budget getting mostly spent on recordings. I guess that's the toll which being an avid mixtaper takes on somebody's choices...

    However, I did shed a few tears at that Paul Carrack concert way back in 2001 or so (pun intended to cheer up this thread, but he didn't play that song). I guess David Lindley's version of Warren Zevon's "Play it All Night Long" did the trick, too. That was great.
     
  15. DesertChaos

    DesertChaos Forum Resident

    Only once, and that was the Van der Graaf Generator reunion show at the RFH in 2005. The band was spot on right from the beginning and had everyone in the palm of their hands but when they did Refugees just a few songs in I was not the only one that teared up...it was just one of those magic moments at a magic show. Then, when they chose "Wondering" at the end of the show (...wondering if it's all been true...) it all came back again.

    I love a lot of music that's pretty emotionally deep, but I can't think of anyone either than Peter Hammill that could bring that out in me at a live performance.
     
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  16. At the Concert for George. Royal Albert Hall.
     
  17. Myke

    Myke Trying Not To Spook The Horse

    Yes. January, 1979. Volunteer Jam 5. The surviving members of Lynyrd Skynyrd had walked out on stage, and played " Call Me The Breeze," after some words from Charlie Daniels, well...I'll let the video take it from here. Oh ! Whoever was working the lights that night, put an overhead spot on the place where Ronnie's hat had been placed on a deserted mic stand. To this day, Charlie swears the spotlight was not planned !!!

     
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  18. ronton99

    ronton99 Forum Resident

    I cried on the bus going up the driveway to take a tour of Graceland.
    For some reason it made me really sad thinking about Elvis' skewed life - kind of trapped by his own celebrity.
    Weird...
    Off topic, I realize - it just sprang to mind.
     
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  19. Chief

    Chief Over 12,000 Served

    I got a little choked-up when I saw Paul McCartney on April 29, 2002 in Cleveland. It's the only time I've seen him.

    I kept thinking about how I spent so much time listening to that guy's music over the then-20 or so years, and how he was never really real beyond seeing him on TV. And there HE was, THAT guy. The guy that did all those Beatles songs, the guy that did the "Coming Up" video, the guy who recorded Wild Life, the guy who wrote "On The Wings Of A Nightingale", the guy who put together, and then never released the Cold Cuts album, which I relished. He was just this small guy, about 75 feet away in a big arena. It was so strange to me.

    The things I thought about the most were the minor treasures the man created, rather than the great achievements. Of course, it was those great achievements that he performed and hearing them performed by the guy who originally wrote and recorded them was certainly thrilling. I suppose it was mostly a spectacle to me, however. I was trying to reconcile how that little man played such a big role in my life over the years, and I was basically just awestruck. I had to keep bringing myself back into the moment and out of my head. I wasn't entirely successful, so my memories of the show are mostly of what I was thinking.

    I had similar experiences seeing Neil Young and Brian Wilson. But it was more striking with McCartney since he entered my life when I was 9 years old and I didn't see him until I was 31.
     
  20. DaveinMA

    DaveinMA Some guy

    No, but a couple of times I came close while paying for the tickets.
     
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  21. DesertChaos

    DesertChaos Forum Resident

    Here we are talking about ourselves - how about the one on stage?

    Peter Hammill at a show in Israel. Apparently, his youngest daughter had just turned 18 and he'd chosen his song "Sleep Now" which was a sort of lullaby written when he first had a newborn.

    [​IMG]
     
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  22. Vinyl Fan 1973

    Vinyl Fan 1973 "They're like soup, they're like....nothing bad"

    I had never cried at a concert before, but when it did happen it really took me by surprise. I'm not sure where the emotion came from, but the moment the band hit the stage and went directly into their opening number, I cried. It was a very odd feeling especially when you are surrounded by strangers and showing that much emotion. There was nothing to be sad about, I think I just got caught up in some emotions and the flood gates opened. It did happen a second time, it was a very emotional moment, but it's never happened since.
     
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  23. JamesD1957

    JamesD1957 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cypress, Texas
    Didn't cry, but did get a bit teary eyed when I saw McCartney sing "Here Today". I really don't know how performers get through songs that have so much meaning without getting emotional during the performance. I guess they have some kind of coping mechanism.....I wouldn't be able to do it.
     
  24. Rfreeman

    Rfreeman Senior Member

    Location:
    Lawrenceville, NJ
    One of the last 4 times I saw the Grateful Dead. Giant Stadium in June 95. Garcia was barely playing or singing the whole night and you could tell it was near the end, but he played one solo with moments of great beauty that moved me to tears. Wouldn't have been anything special at any other GD show, but here it was 30 seconds of light in 2.5 hours of darkness that brought to mind what we otherwise seem to have lost. Don't recall which song it was.
     
  25. pool_of_tears

    pool_of_tears Searching For Simplicity

    Location:
    Midwest
    That makes me want to cry. The bravery those guys shown in getting back up onstage after what they went through. And, I still miss Allen Collins' playing.
     
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