I will NEVER stand for another concert

Sheryl Crow, these seats didn't suck, and my squat stayed popped.

I shall sit!

Last Wednesday I went with my friend Don Palazzo to the Grammy Museum (where he is a member) in downtown LA to listen to Sheryl Crow sing a bunch of her hits, as well as some new stuff. Live music is great. Live music with killer musicians is crazy great. It was an intimate setting with only 200 seats in the room, so we just sat and chilled for two hours soaking in some great tunes. The next night she was at the 5870-capacity Greek Theater. (This was better.)

The cool thing about this type of experience is it transcends the artist and show and music, and focuses you on the message. And you don't have to agree with the message to appreciate it. She is a left leaning liberal democrat and sings about related things, which I am not really on board with; but underlying her songs was a message of peace and love and authenticity.

That was the way to see a concert.

I don't think I will ever go to another concert where I can't chillax in my seat. Paying good money for seats and then not using them makes about as much sense as planting tomatoes in October.

Sabbath- Garden Box, feet crossed, hands laced behind my head

A few months ago my friend Craig Husband and I went to the Hollywood Bowl to see Black Sabbath in their career finale tour, which was kind of cool. (What the heck am I doing watching the Prince of Darkness Ozzy Osbourne.) Our friend Michael Miley is the drummer of Rival Sons, which was the opening act. He got us Garden Box tickets, which aside from constant drifts of marijuana smoke across our seats threatening to give us a contact high, were awesome. The folks in the box next to us had their wine and cheese out; it was all very genteel.

We had reservations at the nice restaurant The Backyard inside the Bowl before the concert, and I expected to see a harp playing in the corner as we dined and made polite conversation. Then a long-haired old-school metal head screaming, "Sabbath! Sabbaaaaath!" entered, apparently trying to generate some additional excitement.  He pointed at me and yelled, "Sabbath!" and also pointed at others in succession yelling, "Sabbath! Sabbath! Sabbath!"  We just stared back, uninterested, and passed the Grey Poupon.

Garth Brooks, box seats between the lower and upper bowls

My friend Dave Pacheco hooked my wife and I up with with some sweet box seats to see Garth Brooks, someone Tracy had wanted to see in the early 1990s. (Got to check that one off her bucket list, but it was her old 1990s bucket list!) So we jumped in the Prius and 6 hours and a buck-fifty in gas later, arrived in Sacramento. The parking lot was full of country folks pre-partying before the show, including impromptu groups of people line dancing. (If only I had learned the Achy Breaky.) Our seats were half way up, but dude; we kicked back for 3 hours slouched in our chairs, sodas on the table, and loved it. The people above and below us stood up the whole time. I had my shoes off to let the little piggies wiggle.

Berlin, seated right at the stage

Berlin. My buddy Paul Arbon and I, children of the 80s, jumped at the chance of seeing this New Wave group we grew up listening to. We showed up early to listen Sly's baby brother Frank Stallone sing, and he was pretty darn good. When he finished, some silver-haired ladies seated up front, apparently only interested in the opening act, bailed before Teri Nunn took the stage; so we were on those seats like white on rice. Good thing because the place was standing room only, packed with people our age who still think partially ripped inside-out day-glo sweatshirts and pegged jeans would be cool to wear in public. Act your age, people. Anyway, Teri has PIPES, and my favorite song, among all those I enjoyed as a teen, was her singing of "The Little Drummer Boy." It was Christmas time, and I loved it.

Eminem, first row in section so our rears were planted

So, my brother-in-law David Pipher and I were at LA Live in DTLA, about 10:30PM on a weekday, and we saw that the Staples Center was hopping. Unbeknownst to us, the E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) was happening, and Activision had Staples rented. David can talk a guy out of his last dollar, so we were able to sweet talk our way into free VIP passes. We expected to see a bunch of nerdy pocket protector wearing geeks donning caps with propellers on top. What we saw was the place packed to the rafters to see the new Activision games being announced, while accompanied by Soundgarden, Usher, Jane's Addiction, etc. Something surreal about Dave Navarro playing out a video game.

At the end, Eminem came out and performed. That dude is one angry human being. I never saw anyone completely captivate a crowd like pied piping Marshall Gathers. Those VIP passes got us anywhere in the joint, but we chose a nice spot at the boxes where, yep, we sat. Comfortably. Until we left. Early.

I will definitely not stand for another concert, but as Yoda would say, "Sit, I will."