On July 25th, I knocked something major off of my bucket list: Seeing a Beatle live in concert. Paul McCartney stopped by in Chicago as a part of his One on One world tour. I bought my ticket for the concerts months ahead of the concert, just in case, it sold out quickly. It was the best $80 I've ever spent. Even though Chicago is not exactly close to Bloomington, I made the commitment without hesitation knowing I was going to see a living music legend.
Paul was, as expected, an amazing performer. He connected with the audience and brought laughter between songs, and damn-near didn't take a single break throughout the 30+ song setlist. It was such a great atmosphere, especially when everyone in the venue sang along to some of Paul's biggest hits. To recap, it is my favorite concert (and I've seen Kanye live) to date and possibly ever. Because of Paul's age, I did not know how many more chances I would get to see a Beatle live in concert. I started thinking like this in the aftermath of all the musician deaths that have occurred the last few years, from David Bowie to Chris Cornell. Speaking of Cornell, I, unfortunately, did not attend his last concert in Indianapolis this past summer before his death. I am a big Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog, and Audioslave fan, all of which feature Cornell on lead vocals. I thought to myself He's only like 50 years old, I can see him in a few years. Another recent example is Tom Petty. He came to Indianapolis over the summer and I contemplated going but decided I would go the next time he came to Indy; that next time will never happen because Tom died a few weeks ago. Not seeing some of my favorite artists is one of my biggest regrets, one that I'll live with forever as a music fan.
Anyway, I just wanted to say one thing: Go to Concerts! You never know which concert could be an artist's last, especially if the concert is geographically close to you. People die every day and, sometimes, your favorite musicians die. In my opinion, concerts are one of the best ways to spend money (along with food). Do yourself a major favor and see your favorite artists in concert while you still have the chance. Also, your life may get uber busy in future years, so there's another reason to see concerts now when you have a lick of free time. Even if a concert is more expensive than you'd like, it is well worth it if even the tiniest part of you wants to see a certain artist live. Look up some concerts and incorporate them into your calendar; you'll thank yourself down the road.
