Feels odd not making this post 50 years in 50 days…those days are gone.
I just listened to the SET LIST of a LIFETIME….
My dear wife, Carrie, made me a set list of songs by some of the artists we have seen over the years and put them on 2 cds. She had a little help from her friends.
Carrie and I have been fortunate enough to witness a great deal of live music over the years. Folks may think I am only a Moody Blues fan…this will dispel that. All these songs are important to me.
- Centerfield…John Fogerty. We saw John twice in 2016. He was amazing. This song was a hit when I was in high school.
- When You Say Nothing at All…Allison Krauss. We have seen her a couple of times at the Louisville Palace. She opens her mouth and magic comes out.
- Small town…John Mellencamp. He may not like to sing it…but we like to hear it. Wish he and Seymour would make nice.
- A Love as True as Mine…George Strait. Saw him in Louisville on The Cowboy Rides Away Tour. Glad we made that one.
- Drops of Jupiter…Train. We will see in Train in May in St. Louis. I cry when they play this tune. It reminds me of my Granny.
- My Heart Goes On…Celine Dion. In 1999 Celine was HOT! Great show in Cincinnati. One of the best concerts I have ever been to.
- One Kind of Love…Brian Wilson. Doing the 50th anniversary of Pet Sounds. Brian had Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin with him. Unreal. Great song from his latest album. Greatest love song I have heard in thirty years. I was a mess listening to this live.
- And I Love You So…Don McLean. Heard him sing on the football field at Providence High School. Talk about a great fund raiser. He is an American icon and I got his autograph that night.
- He Went to Paris…Jimmy Buffett. Saw him at Deer Creek in 1999. Great fun and great show.
- Be…Neil Diamond. Glad we saw Neil last April. He is no longer touring. Great song.
- You Found Me…The Fray. Saw the Fray at SPAC in Saratoga and at Bridgestone Arena opening for Train. Great group…great song.
- Do you Believe In Love…Huey Lewis and The News. Carrie and I saw Huey in Vegas in 1996 at the old Showroom on our Honeymoon. I was so glad to see him. We saw him a couple more times later down the road.
- Your Song…Elton John. Listening to Elton was like listening to the soundtrack of a generation.
- The Wind of Heaven…Justin Hayward. I heard this last February in Lexington. I took my dear Carrie and my Mom and Dad to the show. As usual, Justin did not disappoint. And I got to see my friend Julie Ragins perform. She too is awesome.
- Roll Me Away…Bob Seger. After never thinking we would ever see Bob Seger, Carrie and I saw him in 2006, 2011, 2013, and last September. He is an American Treasure that gets treated like a comfortable piece of furniture. He is the American Rock and Roll.
- Love is What We Do…Clint Black. He did a great show at Deer Creek in 1996 with Trace Adkins and The Kinleys. Beautiful song.
- New Horizons…The Moody Blues. I played the Red Rocks Live version of this at a friend’s funeral in 1997. It was the right thing to do. A special song made more special.
- Thinking Out Loud…Ed Sheeran. I think I am getting a message here. This is the only artist on the set list we have not seen. I think Carrie is telling me something.
- You’re My Home…Billy Joel. Saw Billy and Elton John on the same stage. Surreal times.
- Not sure of the title…Mike Dawes…As soon as I hear the guitar licks, I knew it was Mike Dawes. That is the important part. Like Julie Ragins, he plays with Justin Hayward and does an AWESOME job. Look at Mike Dawes in Youtube. Hold your jaw before you start watching.
- This Girl is On Fire…Alicia Keys. Saw her in Greensboro on the way home after Spring Break a few years ago. Smartest thing I did that year. Wow. My kids at school thought I was much smarter when I told them that.
- I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends…Pat Monahan (Train) Matt Mathanson, Isaac Slade (The Fray)…Maybe the greatest live performance of one song I have ever witnessed. They gave it all they had and loved it so much you could tell they did not want to song to end. This was in Nashville in July 2015. Wow.
- Nights in White Satin…The Moody Blues. My dear wife is smart lady. She too enjoys The Moodies. She knows what is important! This is a timeless classic.
- Maybe I’m Amazed…Paul McCartney. I remember the noise she made in 2002 the first time we saw Sir Paul when he played this song. I thought she was going to faint. Who could blame her? We saw Paul four times. I doubt we see him again.
That is the set list of a lifetime. Thank you, Carrie. I was shocked to find this collection. I Love You!
Speaking the rights…
Danny Johnson