Folks always ask me why I go to so many concerts. My answer
is simple, Gerald Levert. Outside of my love for music, when Gerald Levert
passed away, I realized how much of a fan of his music I really was, yet I
never seen him live. At that moment, I told myself that if anyone whose music I
appreciated greatly was within driving distance, I would do my best to see them
live. Sure, it gets expensive, but the memories last longer than a couple bucks
and it’s something I love to do.
Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like Black music makers die
far more frequently than other genres and younger (art imitating life imitating
something gone wrong), so the window to see certain artists closes faster. I’ve
done some crazy things over the years; stood outside of ABC at 6am to see
Beyoncè, went to five concerts in four days last summer, built entire vacations around concert, spent $300 for Jay-Z tickets at Radio City
Music Hall and damn near wrecked a friendship to see Puff Daddy & the
Family back in ’98.
Good times. Good fun.
Unfortunately, a few of my favorites passed before I ever
got a chance or the means to be able to see them; Michael Jackson, Rick James,
Teddy Pendergrass and Marvin Gaye all were gone before their time, but their
music and memories are timeless. I’m going to use today to pay tribute to them,
reminisce over the feeling their music gave me and recall how their deaths made
me feel.
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