I’ve been to a lot of concerts. At some point I started collecting my concert tickets to help me remember them, but I’ve never actually looked through the old stubs, so I don’t know accurately how many shows I’ve attended. I haven’t looked through the stubs, because I’ve never needed help remembering them. In fact, I remember my first concert as clearly as I remember the most recent. Some concerts were less memorable than others, but I’m sure if I thought hard enough, I could remember those clearly, too. However, my favorite concerts, the ones that just spring to mind without any concentration at all, do so not because of the great bands, although some of them were great, but for different reasons. I remember them because of the magic of the moment, the perfect slice of time, and because of the people I shared them with.

My sister, Ellen, took me to my first concert. We saw Aerosmith play at a small stadium in Lynn, MA: the Manning Bowl. I was too young to really know music in the way that I do now, and I’m not entirely sure if I even knew who Aerosmith was at the time. I was just happy to spend the day with my sister. We stood in a crowd of people, cheering, and dancing, and singing along. I really felt part of something special and it changed my life forever. I want to take my daughter to her first concert. And I hope she remembers it as sweetly as I remember that day with Ellen.

"Turns out not where but who you’re with. That really matters”
The Dave Matthews Band: The Best of What’s Around