#3. Attend a Concert

My father raised me on classic rock.

I have fond memories, going back as early as the age of three, of being whisked off to the basement of my family's old house, where my dad kept his records and instruments. He would sit me down on a chair against one of the walls and the back-and-forth would go something like this...

Dad: "Okay, Will. I want you to hear something. See this record? This is a record by a man called Elvis..."

Adorable Young Me: "What's he doing?"

Dad: "He's dancing. He was very famous for that. And he made a lot of really good music and is very famous. It's important that you know his songs so just sit back and listen while I'll put this on..."

And sit back I would. Though not for long. I have distinct memories of dancing and trying to sing Elvis' "Hound Dog". I also loved "Secret Agent Man", and laughed up an adorable little storm watching my dad play along on his saxophone, or on the seafoam-colored telecaster knock-off plugged into a thirty-year-old amp that is to this day still the nicest amp I've ever used. Elvis led to the Beatles. "From Me To You" was my dad's staple old-man-singing-in-the-shower-song. The Beatles would lead to the Rolling Stones. The 'Stones led to pop's favorite: the Allman Brothers Band. This went on for years. In fact it still does. To this day my dad will get excited about something he found in his old record collection, come find me, and say "Will! I have something you have got to listen to!"

Sometimes I go quietly. Other time I make a scene. Most times I stay much longer than I originally plan to. Every time I walk away glad I listened.

This ritual is the bridge between two of my father's biggest loves in his life: his favorite music, and his sons. it has, subsequently, been the primary influence on my own musical tastes, and has left me forever cursed to look nostalgically back at rock's Golden Age and wonder where things started to change.

And this, in a nutshell, is why I worship the 'Keys: they take a genre pioneered by folks who at this stage are either long-since deceased or knocking on Heaven's door and they bring it back to life. Not only that, but they make it cool again. They make the ancient tones and textures of classic grungy blues-rock sound edgy and innovative again. It is a revolution. A second coming. And it's led by guys like the White Stripes, Radio Moscow, and the Black Keys of Akron, Ohio.

On a scale of one to ten on giddiness, I was at a solid 28 during the entire show. The opening band, the Whigs, GOD they were great. Their drummer tied everything together so well, and their lead-man bounced around the stage like some kind of jam-spewing tazmanian devil. The crowd was totally cranked by the time Dan and Patrick took the stage. And right away they ripped into "Thickfreakness", which is, with their discography in consideration, nothing short of a classic.

The set progressed and Dan thanked us on four separate occasions for coming out to see them. You are welcome, sir. The whole time I grooved and sang along, feeling much cooler than I normally am. Essentially 90% of their songs are either about breaking hearts or having your heart broken, and it's all introduced in this very bluesish blue-collar sort of style. It makes for a sound and style that an entire audience can identify with. "Busted", "I'll Be Your Man", "Tighten Up", "Your Touch", and they finished with "Till I Get My Way", which made me squeal like a freaking groupie.

I was blown away. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I couldn't believe what I'd seen. I can't believe what I saw. These men are two of my frontmost musical idols, and I saw them win over an entire crowd of my friends.

I think I should add "Become a Rockstar" to my next bucket list. I want that. Always.