A Summer of Music

My lovely mother celebrated her 50th birthday this summer, and used this event as a reason to buy concert tickets for all the acts she's always wanted to see. So, my parents and I had what was probably the best summer of our lives as we witnessed some of music’s biggest legends. The “Mom’s Birthday Tour,” as we began to call it, started in Hershey Stadium with Sir Paul McCartney. Two short weeks later, we were in Washington DC singing along to Billy Joel. Lastly, in August, we rocked out to Joe Walsh in Maryland.

Our adventure started as we pulled into the grassy parking lot across the street from where—in a few hours—the former Beatle would be performing. There we passed many easy-ups and tailgate parties made up of fans both young and old. As we walked by, I imagined that Woodstock must have been like this, but times… what? A hundred? A thousand? Anyway, it clearly would’ve been on a much grander scale. Arriving and leaving were both made easy, and it was obvious that a lot of planning (much more than usual) went into crowd control for this specific event. That being said, crowd control mostly entailed directing people where to go, as the population there was largely composed of fans in their 60s and 70s—not a very rowdy group of people. I can’t say enough times how incredible his show was, or how awestruck I was (and still am) to have seen someone who played such a monumental and influential role in music history. Despite being 74 years old, McCartney still had the enthusiasm to be energetic on stage without missing a beat. His voice didn’t sound worn down or lacking in any qualities it formerly had. He was sweet, humble, and made it evident that he was there for the love of music. That was the most touching aspect—that he still has such a passion for it, and his fans do, too. His set list was made up of songs from throughout his life. He played Beatles hits, solo pieces, and Wings favorites, not forgetting to add in anecdotes about them in between. The sound quality was perfect. Both his vocals and the extremely talented musicians joining him could be heard clearly. The show left us mystified, and wondering, how on Earth can any of the other concerts top that?

Then, at the end of July, we found ourselves in Washington DC, waiting for about two hours in Nationals Stadium as rain poured down. It was crowded, humid, and drenched. Luckily, we had a roof, and were determined to see Billy Joel. This show by far was my mom’s favorite. She grew up listening to Billy Joel, and told me stories of calling the radio station every day to request his songs. Finally, music sounded from the large speakers, and everyone rushed to their seats. The one complaint about this show is that we were never warned that he was about to start playing when we were all taking shelter inside. Weather aside, this show again was fantastic.

Our last concert took us to Pier Six Pavilion in Maryland. This was the most awesome concert venue ever. Even though our seats were on the lawn, we could still see Joe Walsh! It was a small, brilliant place for a concert, and I highly recommend it to anyone. Now, there isn’t much that I can say about this act, or Billy Joel’s, without repeating the praise I gave for Paul. All of the concerts we went to were incredible. Each of the performers had wonderfully talented bands to back them up. The set lists of the acts stitched together the timelines of their careers. Joe Walsh even played “Take it to the Limit” as a tribute for Glen Frey. But, again, what was the most amazing, was seeing fans of all ages come together for the love of someone’s music—and the artists’ ongoing passion for what they do. It was obvious that Billy Joel still held his love of song dear, as he lost himself in the sound of the piano. Joe Walsh looked just like a teenager jamming on his guitar and having fun on stage.

Concerts always fascinate me by bringing together hundreds, sometimes thousands of people together just for one artist/band. It’s amazing to see that someone can create something so beautiful that people come (sometimes driving for hours to do so) to see it. Nothing is as inspiring to me as that—connecting with so many people through song. That’s why I shared these stories (that I dearly hoped you enjoyed!). Through all of the things that we find on a daily basis to complain about—myself included—there is still so much beauty in the world and in people.

"That’s one of the great things about music. You can sing a song to 85,000 different people and they’ll sing it back for 85,000 different reasons." –Dave Grohl

(My all-time favorite quote EVER)

What inspires you? Have you been to any concerts this summer? Feel free to share stories in the comments :)