Monday, August 8, 2011

Concerts as Music Therapy

Over forty ago, just after I met the man who was to become my husband we went to the Simon and Garfunkel concert in St. Louis.  But we each went with a different person.  A couple weeks later we went on our first date to see a musical group, Brooklyn Bridge, a band I’d never heard before.   

If it weren’t for my spouse’s efforts I would still be listening to Simon and Garfunkle’s 1960’s album, “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme”.  I don’t mean now and then.  I mean that is the only music I would be listening to.  At all. 

Instead, a couple of years ago, during a time of loss and turmoil for me, rather than lock me in the loony bin or put me in therapy, my psychologist husband, took me to concerts.  I saw live performances by a variety of musicians, some of whom I recognized both their names and some of their songs: including Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot, John Prine, Arlo Guthrie, David Crosby and Steven Stills.  Others were unknown to me: Steve Riley and the Mamut Playboys, Over the Rhine, Josh Ritter, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits and Lyle Lovett.  In the process, I found my musical ears.

For example we enjoyed, and I mean really enjoyed, Lyle Lovett and his Large Band.  Before the performance I knew Lovett only from the supermarket tabloid photos as the one-time fiancĂ© or very brief spouse of Julia Roberts.  I’m not even sure which.  Lovett’s long face and bad hair style put him, if we are being generous, at about ten percent of Robert’s attractiveness quotient.  Their pairing left me wondering how the two had ever ended up together, albeit even for just a tiny fraction of their lifetimes.  After hearing Lovett sing I wonder how Julia ever let Lyle get away.  

Lovett’s hard-to-box-into-a-musical-category performance, ranged from country to bluegrass (though he denied being born to bluegrass), rock and jazz, and a whole lot of gospel.  His performance brought tears to my eyes and took me to places I had forgotten or didn’t know existed. 

And did I mention Lovett’s deadpan humor?  Shortly after Lovett took the stage with his Large Band, an audible buzzing sound mildly disrupted the performance.  Lovett asked that the lights be brought up and someone help with the sound problem.  

In the meantime, Lyle took obviously impromptu questions from the audience.  When someone called out Jimmy Buffet’s name as a total non sequitur, Lovett asked, “Are we playing word association?”  He then responded, “Kenny Chesney.”  Waiting a brief moment, Lovett added, “Your turn.”   Lovett then wondered aloud if the Q & A session should be added as a regular part to the program.  

Lovett has a special quality in his voice, his music and his deadpan humor.  Regardless of the style of his performance you feel the connection to Lovett as a person.  But you mostly feel it in his music.  My vote is yes on the Q & A’s, so long as they do not subtract from the musical performance. 

As noted in other recent posts, our concert going continues.  In my next post I’ll recount how Tom Waits exorcised some of my old ghosts.


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