But Really, Why CAN'T We Fill The World With Silly Love Songs?

I am all cobwebs today after a late night listening to an actual Beatle sing Beatles songs. My mother took over HR duty again, and Mike and I met up with my old friend and his fiancee who came in from Maine, and we went to the show, and lo, it was wonderful. The sound was bad (Fenway Park is not an audio snob's dream), the view from our seats sucked, but we didn't care. It was just a magical thing to be screaming "I Saw Her Standing There" along with thousands of other people and Paul himself.

As a lifelong Beatles fan, I guess it's weird that this was my first McCartney show, but I think I just took for granted that he'd always be touring. These days 70 seems young to me, but you start to become aware as these legends jump into technically elderly territory that "I'll go catch the show next time he's in town" is no guarantee. So we bought the tickets, and it was beyond worth it. He still sounds amazing, in case you were wondering (and no Kev, he didn't play "Spies Like Us"). It also got me to thinking of all the live music I've been lucky to experience in my life, and what it's meant to me. I don't go to shows nearly as much anymore because I'm old and my evenings are generally taken up by a small gentleman and that's how it should be. But I'm not hanging up my concert shoes, not by a long shot.

OK, now lists!

Bands I have seen (many of them multiple times), presented in no real order, I just put Macca at the top because I'm psyched to add him to the roster. Judge away:

Paul McCartney
Ween/Gene Ween/Moistboyz
Foo Fighters
The Reverend Horton Heat
Afghan Whigs/Twilight Singers/Gutter Twins/Greg Dulli
LL Cool J
Butthole Surfers
Dead Milkmen
Camper Van Beethoven
Fugeez
Juliana Hatfield
Duran Duran
Melissa Etheridge
The Police
Boyz II Men
MC Hammer (also, Hammer)
Milli Vanilli
Billy Joel
Young MC
Paul Simon
Art Garfunkel (separately)
Liz Phair
Bob Dylan
The Roots
A Tribe Called Quest
Jens Lekman
Fitz and the Tantrums
Moby
The Cure
Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Flogging Molly
Stiff Little Fingers
Dropkick Murphys
Social Distortion
Foreigner
Scissor Sisters
Buffalo Tom
Soul Asylum
Screaming Trees
They Might Be Giants
Spin Doctors
Guster
Janet Jackson
Big Daddy Kane
Slick Rick
The Pixies
A million local bands, and probably others I've forgotten.

Bands I could have seen in my lifetime but now won't have the chance:

Beastie Boys
Nirvana
Johnny Cash
Michael Jackson

Bands I need to see before I miss the opportunity:

Prince
Weezer
Willie Nelson
Hall and Oates
Springsteen
Elton John

What were your most favorite, treasured shows? Who do you regret missing? Who is your bucket list band?  In conclusion, music! Yay!