Behind the Music - Finale

How should I end this week of blogging on music? What would make for a great finale? Like those in concert that bring the audience to their feet, cheering for more.

Initially, I thought I'd close this week with a look at several music venues that add another dimension to the live music experience. I thought about how amazing it was to see The Mavericks and Pat Green at Gruene Hall where you can literally stand within sweat-droplet distance of the band. I remembered how grandiose it is to hear performances at Bass Hall.

I also thought about the cool way that music carries through the wind at outdoor venues like the Coca-Cola Starplex (n/k/a Superpages.com Center) in Dallas; Southpark Meadows in Austin; The Backyard in Austin; Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre in Englewood, Colorado; and the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California, as well as the one venue I have always wanted to have a reason to travel to--Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado.

But I soon realized that as unique as the venue might be and no matter how much ambiance the venue might add to a live music experience, it pales in comparison to the memories that are made with your fellow concert-goers.

Were you one of the many who camped out in freezing temperatures the morning that Elton John tickets went on sale in Lubbock, knowing that you couldn't depend on a ticket broker because there were no ticket brokers in Lubbock?

Has the anticipation of an upcoming concert kept you awake at night?

Have you stood in line awaiting the start of the concert only to realize that you might have counterfeit tickets? Or that you had lost your tickets?

How many times did you successfully sneak a camera into a concert and take pictures without the camera being confiscated? Did you have the camera ready when Sarah McLachlan appeared on a side stage and stood ten feet from you? Did you regret innumerable times that the disposable contraband camera didn't have a zoom lens?

How many times have you wished that you had hand-held, high-quality recording equipment to capture that unexpected jam session in the middle of a familiar song? Or to record the conversation on the ride home from the concert as you reminisced for miles about the set list?

I can't create the perfect musical finale here. But I know that if you're a concert-junkie like me, you've heard your fair share of fantastic finales. I hope that this will take you back and let you relive those. And maybe get your lighter out and hold it illuminated above your head as you listen to your favorite song, just for kicks.

Got a favorite memory of a finale or the wait to get there? Please share.