Music is our common langauge

July 8/13

Musical recommendation - Hey Jude by the Beatles

I had the privilege of seeing Paul McCartney in concert last night and after 3+ hours of rocking out ScotiaBank Place I was reminded once more how many great songs he had a hand in creating.

I have been a music fan for as long as I can remember and have always felt that music is the one medium that transcends age, class, religion, and culture.

Last night I had this reaffirmed for me once again as sitting to my left was a young couple in they're early 20's singing along to tunes that were first recorded before they were born, sitting in the row in front of me was a couple in they're 70's who stood for almost the entire show swaying to the music and holding hands like young lovers, and in the section to my right was a family of five with parents, two teenagers and one school age child who were all smiling and letting the music surround them with peace and harmony.

I've been to a few concerts (Styx, Foo Fighters, Tragically Hip, and U2 to name a few) but have to say last nights show completely blew me away.

Not for the fact that here was a 71 year old musician who never stopped performing, not for the amazing band he had assembled around himself, not for the wicked light show, and not for the awesome display of pyrotechnics. No, what totally captivated me was that every single person in the entire arena sang each song as if they had a personal stake in it.  There were several times where Paul and the band stopped singing the lyrics and let the audience carry the song...and carry it we did.

I've blogged about music before and will probably do so again in the future more than a few times and with good reason....through music we cross boundaries...we make friends...we share memories

When I got home my 14 y/o son was waiting to hear about the show and I could see from his reaction how my take on the show was affecting him. I told him that if Paul comes back next year we'll go and see him together and he smiled at me and said "deal"

Pretty amazing connection to make when you think of the literally dozens of musical genre's that permeate our world, that 60's rock is one that I share with my son, that he introduces me to new artists and genre's all the time, and that we can sit and talk about music and what it means to us and how it makes us feel inside.

A song can make me smile, it can me sad, it can get me bouncing around, bring forth a memory that the words remind me of, and it can make me cry as I reflect on what they mean to me and the things that have happened in my life.

I don't put down any genre as I literally have songs on my iPod from almost every one I've experienced.  Where else in life can you say about things??

The Beatles, The Wings, and Sir Paul McCartney. What an adventure they've brought us and just imagine what is in store for us moving forward.