Favorite Concerts

Beginning with a Herman’s Hermits concert at Davenport’s Municipal Stadium on Aug. 27, 1966, I’ve attended a lot of live musical performances. In this post, I write about some that stand out. They are listed in chronological order.

Van Morrison – On April 3, 1970, I saw Van Morrison play at the Fillmore East in Manhattan. Members of my senior high school class took a trip to Washington, D.C. and New York. I lived on poker winnings from nightly games with my classmates for the Washington part of the trip. Three of us decided to use one of the free nights in New York to walk from our hotel on Herald Square down to the Fillmore East and see a concert. We had no idea what we were to experience.

Morrison played Brown Eyed Girl, which was popular at the time. Some of my fellow guitar players had tried their hand on that classic in Iowa. The big event was Warner Brothers Records had released the Moondance album in January, and those songs made up most of the show. The whole thing was an experience, including the famous Joshua Light Show. I am thankful for that opportunity even though it was not part of the plan when we left Iowa.

Grateful Dead – When the Grateful Dead played at the University of Iowa Field House on March 20, 1971, I ran a Strong Trouper carbon arc spotlight. The evening started with floor seating, but the crowd promptly stacked all of the chairs on the sides and despite efforts by the campus police to bring order, the band played on. My partner, running a spotlight on the opposite side of the field house, had to leave early to strike a set at Hancher Auditorium. For a while, after campus police turned off the stage lights, I was the only illumination during the performance. I saw the Dead again on Feb. 24, 1973.

Allman Brothers – The Allman Brothers Band was something. When they appeared at the University of Iowa Field House on Feb. 19, 1972 the album they had been working on, Eat A Peach, had been released the previous week. Duane Allman died after a motorcycle accident in October 1971 while they were working on it. The idea of dual lead guitars had not occurred to me but it became a signature sound for the band. I saw them again when they returned on Nov. 9, 1973.

Ravi Shankar – An art student friend and I drove to Cedar Rapids to hear Ravi Shankar with Alla Rakha perform at Sinclair Auditorium at Coe College. The improvisational nature of their music was astounding. I can’t forget it. The date was Feb. 20, 1973.

Eric Clapton – The Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds in Davenport was host to Eric Clapton, Yvonne Elliman, Carl Radle, Jamie Oldaker, and others on July 27, 1974. I had listened to Clapton’s records going back to his work with John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. The band was clearly into the performance as the sun set over the fairgrounds, making it a memorable evening.

Judy Collins – My friend and I saw Judy Collins perform at the Des Moines Civic Center on July 30, 1982. I proposed marriage to my friend 19 days later. She accepted and we remain married.

B.B. King – My sister and I went to hear B.B. King at the Col Ballroom in Davenport on March 25, 1983. My grade school friend, Red Gallagher opened for the blues legend. There is nothing to say but B.B. was the king.

Sir Elton John – At one of the weirdest concerts I attended, Sir Elton John performed at the Cow Palace in San Francisco as part of Oracle Open World on Oct. 24, 2006. Tens of thousands of Oracle users were in attendance. I knew virtually none of them yet enjoyed the performance. Corporate concerts are just a different vibe.

Bruce Springsteen – The night before the general election, Nov. 4, 2012, President Barack Obama hosted Bruce Springsteen on the streets of Des Moines. My friend Jan and I left a canvassing operation for a house candidate early to drive to Des Moines and be part of Obama’s final campaign rally. The two of us met Obama in the receiving line after his 2006 speech at the Harkin Steak Fry and wanted to get closure on the campaign. No regrets about that decision.