EC Concert

Tomorrow night LJ and I are going to hear Eric Clapton in concert in Birmingham. Two other folks from the IT department are going, so that should be pretty cool. I'm really looking forward to it. Mom and Dad are keeping the young'uns for us, and I'm taking the rest of the week off from work (icing on the cake). This will be the third time I've seen EC in concert. My brother and I went to see him in Birmingham in 1992, when concert tickets could still be had for under $30. LJ and I saw him for our anniversary in 2001 at the Pyramid in Memphis, which was a rocking show. Robert Cray is opening for him, and I'm excited about hearing him too. Should be fun!

I always enjoy talking with folks about concerts that they have attended in their lives, especially if they have seen a few. Here are some concert highlights and lowlights from my past:

• Best Performance - James Taylor, Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, AL
• Best Opening Act - Taj Mahal (opening for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, AL
• Best Venue - Alabama Theatre, Birmingham, AL (Bob Dylan)
• Most Sentimental Show - John Denver, BJCC Concert Hall, Birmingham, AL (just months before he died)
  
• Best Song in Concert - "River of Tears" - Eric Clapton, The Pyramid, Memphis, TN
• Worst Concert - Reba McEntire, BJCC Arena, Birmingham, AL
• Most Pot Smokers - Dave Matthews Band, Oak Mountain Amphitheatre, Pelham, AL
• Best Christian Concert - Third Day and Michael W. Smith, BJCC Arena, Birmingham, AL
• Biggest Letdown - Ray Charles, City Stages, Birmingham, AL (only played for 30 minutes)
• Biggest Surprise - Kool and the Gang, City Stages, Birmingham, AL
• Closest to Stage (Whole Concert) - Tie: Taj Mahal, City Stages, Birmingham, AL; B.B. King, CityFest, Tuscaloosa, AL
• Closest to Stage (End of Concert) - Bob Dylan, Alabama Theatre, Birmingham, AL
• Farthest from Stage - Bonnie Raitt, City Stages, Birmingham, AL
• Most Singalong-Friendly Show - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, AL
  
• Most Enjoyable Show - Chris Isaak, City Stages, Birmingham, AL

Hope you enjoyed sharing some of my concert memories. Now, share some of yours!