Music Memories

“Feeding Frenzy,” Jimmy Buffett’s live album from 1990, was a favorite for years. Mike spent part of his life in Florida and was a big Buffett fan. Although I was familiar with some of his songs, I became a big fan after hearing the live album, which was pure fun to listen to. We would listen to the CD at home and in the car, especially on long trips. Over time, as new music came along, Buffett faded away, though “Come Monday” was still on my playlist. That was always one of my favorite songs and one that I knew before I met Mike. With the news of Jimmy Buffett’s death, old music memories came floating to the surface.

Although we never saw Buffett live, we attended many concerts, big and small. One fun one that we went to was at the Syracuse baseball stadium to see the Turtles Happy Together tour with several other groups. It was such a fun night of hearing oldies and singing along. My dad worked at Syracuse University and would get us many tickets to shows at the Dome, which meant we always had good seats. We saw Springsteen several times and U2. There is nothing like seeing a live show and being a part of a community enjoying the same experience.

Later, when we lived in Potsdam, NY, Mike joined a soul cover band that would play at the summer downtown festival and a few other places. The kids were young and loved to dance as their father sang and the band played. Another thing that we enjoyed was going to musical theater by repertoire groups that would come up from NYC for a summer series. Mike would do the PR for the theater, and we would get free tickets.

We continued to go to concerts when we moved to Phoenix. One of my favorites was when Queen with Paul Rodgers came to town. We took our son, a giant Queen and Brian May fan. We had terrific seats. The stage jutted out to the seats on both sides. Our seats were on the side Brian was on, and he would keep coming out on the stage about ten feet from where we sat. The look on my son’s face was worth the price of admission.

After Mike died, I went to a number of concerts with my son: Imagine Dragons, Cold Play, City and Color, and Springsteen with my daughter, who lives in Phoenix.

I started going to bars to see my son play. Over time, I began to watch other local bands and photograph them. Although watching large concerts with all the lights and spectacles is fun, I enjoy live music in small clubs. There, you can connect with the musician much more intimately. It’s really the best way to listen to music.

After a significant person dies, some people have difficulty listening to music. I’m just the opposite. It keeps me connected to Mike, as music is what brought us together in the beginning. Music gives me an outlet for my emotions. I have my sad playlist for when I need to let the tears flow. It keeps me company and expresses how I feel. But I also have it to bring me joy.

Grief takes up a lot of space, but it’s nice when a door opens, and I can return to the happy memories.