Here's some good advice for you pre-retirement youngsters out there.
Free advice from a certified old guy. A geezer. An “old Boomer” commonly accused on Facebook of “yelling at clouds.”
Travel as many miles as you have to, pay whatever you have to for a ticket, and stand in line for as long as it takes to see the musicians you love, in their prime, live and in person. The treasured memories are worth it.
(My wife has done this, attending 79 Elton John concerts since 1998. I am not kidding.)
Singer, songwriter and movie star Kris Kristofferson died last month, and I'm glad I got to see him when he was in his prime, performing with The Highwaymen. It was something special to see the guy who wrote “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” along with (I might have to stop here and breathe into a paper bag until my head clears) Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Johnny (OMG) Cash.
A critic for the Chicago Tribune called them “The Mount Rushmore of Country Music” in his review. The only downside that night was the woman with the beehive hairdo seated directly in front of me. So I'd lean left and see Waylon and Willie, then right to see Johnny and Kris. Legends in both directions. What a night.
Over the years, my wife and I have seen some of the greats. Vern “The Voice” Gosdin, Conway Twitty and the great George Jones in a single unforgettable concert – just weeks before Conway died. We saw Randy Travis when Alan Jackson was his opening act. Two greats for the price of one.
I saw Willie Nelson when his “Whiskey River” album was just out. He kept apologizing for singing more songs, extending the concert late into the night. The crowd at Moby Gym in Fort Collins was on its feet, ovation after ovation.
I've seen Willie in Casper, twice in Cheyenne, in Loveland, and that night with The Highwaymen. What a treasure. At the Loveland concert he appeared with Merle Haggard and Ray Price. Three legends.
I saw Gordon Lightfoot late in his career, at the Civic Center in Cheyenne. His voice wasn't as strong as in his prime, but it was special seeing the man Bob Dylan said “never wrote a song you didn't hope would go on forever.” The finale was “Song for a Winter's Night,” with sleigh bells at the end. When we left the theater, snow was falling.
My wife saw Garth Brooks in Las Vegas, and he was spectacular. (Check out his “Blame It All On My Roots” DVD.) She grew up in Stillwater, OK, where Garth went to college.
I got to see Merle Haggard four times. His health was failing at that fourth concert, and he said it was the first time he'd toured with a nurse on the bus. Merle was my favorite, because he wrote and sang so many great songs. (I loved “Silver Wings.”)
In Ken Burns' 2019 documentary series on country music, Dwight Yoakam talked about Merle. Yoakam said one song, Merle's “Holding Things Together,” taught him “more about songwriting than anything.”
The song is about a dad raising his daughter after his wife has left them. He writes this to his wife:
“Today was Angie's birthday. It must have slipped your mind. I tried twice to call you, with no answer either time.
“Today the postman brought a package, I mailed some days ago. I signed it, 'Love from Mama,' so Angie wouldn't know.”
Yoakam said, “That's all you need to know about Merle Haggard.”
In an interview with Dan Rather on 60 Minutes, Yoakam said of that song, “It's like you only need that one verse. Gate closed. Any other verse than that and we might as well put a gun in our mouth.”
Country music is different today, and I guess that's to be expected. But this old Boomer doesn't see much of the heart Merle brought to “Holding Things Together” in today's country music, and that's sad.
That said, take my advice and go see the stars you love – whatever they sing - while they're in their prime.
Trust me on this. The memories are priceless.
