celebrating books & the literary lifestyle
Today’s post is a tribute to Gordon Lightfoot, a Canadian folk singer who passed away this week.
One of his most popular songs “If You Could Read My Mind” is a favorite of mine. I once had it on a “create” playlist – songs that make me want to write or just feel inspired and appreciative of the beauty of music.
I’m grateful I got to see him sing this song (and others) in person several years ago.
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Back around the turn of the century (wow!!) I traveled to Memphis often because my hometown BFF lived there. (And she still does, more on this later.)
But I hadn’t been there for about 20 years (again, wow) so I invited myself along while suggesting that my mom finally make her pilgrimage to Graceland.
And by the end of the trip, I found myself to be just as big of an Elvis fan!!
We traveled with Timi’s Tours out of my hometown. You may know from previous posts that I love planning my vacations and obsess over every detail. I will admit, however, there were some nice things about having someone else do all of this for me.
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I don’t have a book review for you (yet) because I’ve been caught up in a slower, epic read that I will hopefully tell you about soon; and I recently spent a lot of my time watching all 10 best picture nominations (yay for CODA!).
Because travel planning is my other hobby besides reading I want to share my experiences and recommendations from a fun trip we took in March to Jamaica.
We went to Kingston and Montego Bay, very different cities, and together they made for a great vacation.
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This is a companion post to one from my archives: Ode to vinyl records.
In an effort to declutter and minimize, I have been going through my house: selling, tossing, and donating. This week, I ended up staring at the bookcase that held my CD collection.
Like many people, I have not listened to an actual CD for years…but going through my collection renewed my appreciation for my CDs. Because these CDs were really important to me at really important times in my life.
Continue readingI haven’t made it to any “real” concerts for several months, but I happened across two on Netflix that were well worth my time.
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I need to cover a few events in one post; this must mean I had a great summer!!
Though it may seem strange to lump concerts and book signings together, last year I realized they have many similarities for me and sometimes book signings are even better!
Both types of events support the artists we love and allow us to enjoy their work in a different experience – outside of our headphones and off of our couches!
I embraced the opportunity to see Alan Jackson in concert. This may seem random considering the last few concerts I blogged about were: The Killers, Tom Petty, and Green Day.
But it wasn’t random. I have loved Alan Jackson since the late 90s when I moved to Dallas and thought “Gone Country” might be my theme song. It wasn’t; I was never that “country” and have never owned a pair of cowboy boots. But that didn’t keep me from listening to the album “Everything I Love
In 2005, I listened to “Mr. Brightside” from the Hot Fuss album all the way to my sister’s law school graduation, about a 3 hour drive! This was the beginning of my – maybe obsessive – relationship with The Killers.
But my (perceived) personal relationship with them began when I happened across the recording of their live performance, The Killers: Live from Royal Albert Hall, on Palladia. This, to me, is the best concert ever, featuring many songs from Sam’s Town
“The stars are blazing like rebel diamonds cut out of the sun
When you read my mind” – from “Read My Mind”
Author’s Note: I originally wrote this post before seeing the band on their 40th Anniversary tour last May. I will forever be grateful I saw him and the band in person; however, I truly believe that a relationship between a fan and music is not fostered in a huge arena, but through a jukebox, or through a speaker in a house, in a car, or on a walk. At least that is how it was for me. Rest peacefully, Tom Petty, and thank you. – October 3, 2017
What’s your favorite Tom Petty song?
Ask this question to 10 different people and you are likely to get 10 different answers.
It’s a difficult question for many people to answer. But not me. I have my absolute favorite, and of course, several runner-ups. I’m sharing some thoughts and memories of these particular songs below.
Other people’s answers sometimes surprise me, and I at first think, Hmmm I wouldn’t put that one in my top Petty songs, but then when I listen to it again, I hear more of what they hear in it. I’m also sharing some of these below.
Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, who doesn’t look or act any older since releasing Dookie in 1994, expected a lot from his audience the other night. He demanded early on:
“Stand up! This isn’t a tea party; this is rock and roll!”
The entire audience agreed; everyone to the very top row was standing up for the entire concert.
Also he chastised a fan for taking a video, “When you are looking at me through your phone, you are not seeing me,” he said. So…I don’t have any videos or photos to show you because I was embracing the experience and giving them my full attention for the two and a half hours they rocked the State Farm Center!
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