You’ll meet spectacular people!

Gov’t Mule

September 1, Terminal B at the Outer Harbor, Buffalo, New York. This is a fantastic new venue on Buffalo’s waterfront. Easy access, tons of free parking, good food and beverage options, fantastic views of the lake. Outstanding sunsets. I think music is best listened to live and outside. And outside in Western New York is elite in summer months. I’d been to this venue a few times before. Once when they used a temporary stage, and then several times last summer, but always with other people. Like I wrote before, I’ll go hear almost anyone play. I’m not that particular. I like all kinds of music. When I saw that Gov’t Mule was performing and I’d always wanted to see Warren Haynes I just went for it. I didn’t even ask anyone else to go. I get kind of exhausted from looking around for musical companions and ending up with no one anyway, so I’m not asking any more, I’m just fucking going for it.

Because I’m old, I really prefer to have a seat at a show. This venue has three tiers of tickets- VIP, GA and seated. I opted for the seated section. It was populated by a wide variety of concertgoers. Beautiful young women dressed up, dudes in GM tshirts, older couples- who to be honest were probably not older than I am, lol. Families with younger kiddos, singles of all kinds. It was groovy. One of the things that I love about going to shows, as opposed to just listening to music at home, is the communal vibe, the magic of listening to a song, and singing along with thousands of other people. I saw a post on Instagram that said empaths don’t just listen to music for entertainment, it’s a spiritual experience. When we listen to music we like, it does something to our soul. This resonated with me so deeply. I’ve written this before but it bears repeating. There is something absolutely uplifting and highly vibrational about enjoying music, rhythm, beats, lyrics, joy, in a crowd. Everyone is happy. Where else can you be where everyone around you is happy at the same time for both the same and different reasons? Nowhere but a concert. It fucking moves you, man! As one of my heroes, Bobby Weir, explained music is meant to exist as a living exchange between an audience and a band. The magic is in the co-existence, the transfer of energy back and forth. Azimuth, the bearing that guides you forward, is propelled by that energy. And when you’ve been to a really great concert you feel it after the show, and into the next day, and sometimes for days after that. And that’s why I fucking love, love, love going to shows. The energy makes me so damn happy, and it makes me feel alive. And it makes life worth living. It’s spiritual in a way no church can ever be. At least no church I’ve ever been to. Music is my spiritual home.

So, anyway…

The next solo show was DAVID BYRNE!!!!!!!! I was lucky for my next two solo shows. When I read that David Byrne was going to be in Buffalo I immediately joined his fan club so I could get a presale code. I scored a fantastic aisle seat at the most beautiful place, a Shea’s theater that has been renovated and modernized over the decades. I love venues that are not arenas. Arenas are not made for optimum concert going experiences. Intimate theaters are so, so much better. You can be closer to the artist, the acoustics are much better, and the atmosphere is more conducive to alchemical interactions with the musicians and fellow concertgoers. In chatting with friends I found out that they also had tickets for the show and were happy to have me tag along. We had a pre-show dinner at a great Italian restaurant that is know to be frequented by Buffalo Bills, something I probably wouldn’t have done solo. Plus, since I spend a lot of time driving myself hither and yon, it’s always nice to have a driver so I can indulge in whatever mind altering substances I want without having to worry.

The audience was much the same as that at the Gov’t Mule show- a variety of ages. Boomers, a lot of Gen X, Millenials, and even Gen Z. The gal with her bf sitting next to me was definitely younger, but a hoot. We loudly sang the lyrics to every song together. I probably annoyed the two guys behind me due to my inability to not dance but they didn’t complain or tell me to sit down, so thanks, anonymous boys! Toward the end of the show, the aisle filled up and an older-than-I-am fellow struck up a conversation. Found out he had come up from Pittsburgh and we laughed about how these songs sounded just as good as they did forty odd years ago. He was lovely and asked me to accompany him on a tour of the city the next day. I of course had to decline the sweet invitation, lol.

PS- if you have the chance to see David Byrne in concert, I highly, HIGHLY recommend it. The graphics and visuals and lighting were absolutely stunning and he has not lost any of his quirky charisma or stamina. I wish I hadn’t waited so long to catch one of his shows, but so grateful I didn’t let this one pass me by.

Billy Strings. I knew he was performing in Rochester but didn’t really think about going seriously until a friend posted that someone gifted him a ticket. Other friends have seen him and said he was extraordinary. So, I texted the friend and asked if I could tag along if I could snag a ticket. I did and I did. This was an arena show, but a small arena. Again, not my preferred type of venue but sometimes you can’t be choosy. If you wanna see the artist you have to go where they’re playing. And the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester has excellent beverage selections. Rochester loves its beer, that’s for sure. I’ve never been to a concert that had a better or more vast array of choices.

What I want to share about this particular experience is how absolutely FUN, and I mean A BLAST, all the people seated around me were. I explained that I was solo, and the lovely couple next to me basically took care of me all night. They watched my stuff when I had to go to the loo, they scouted out an aisle seat behind them so I could move to be more comfortable, and it turned out that they are the organizers of the Fingerlakes and Shakori Hills Grassroots Music Festivals and that we attended the same Finger Lakes area college. The dancing dude next to me offered some of his weed, which I declined, but he was fucking darling. In chatting he told me that he was following Billy to all his shows and on to Albany the next night. One of the best parts of solo concerts is the people you meet. People you probably wouldn’t connect with otherwise. I’ve been really lucky. I think it’s part of the magic. And I’m all for participating in more magic. Magic and music is what make the world go ‘round. ; -)

If you’ve stuck around this far, stay tuned. More solo adventures to discuss in Part 3. Including Kathy and Kathy front Niagara County, lol!