Joe and Tom

I was lucky enough to attend a concert on Saturday night that included Joe Cocker and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, two of my favorite performers for the last 30 years or so. Boy, does that make me feel rather "long in the tooth" as my mom would say.

I have always wanted to see Joe Cocker but never had gotten the chance until now. I first saw him on Saturday Night Live sometime in the 1970's and was fascinated. It's so great that I can dial it up on YouTube and watch it again. It's hilarious that John Belushi comes out on stage and does a perfect imitation of him. He sings beside him and is dressed exactly like him. Classic tv.

Joe put on an exceptional show. He had a talented, beautiful-to-look-at band with him and they sounded perfect. The saxophone player was especially good, and Joe is like a fine bottle of wine. He just keeps getting better.

I had forgotten that the Oakland Colossium is not really that big of a venue, which was nice. We had great seats and almost didn't need our binoculars. I was happy as a clam after seeing Joe perform, but there was much more to come.

There was about a 45 minute break in between bands and it was fun to be out in the crowd on the club level, where our seats where and talk with people who were all there for the same reason. The energy was fantastic.

Tom and the boys played for about 2 hours and did 2 encores. They did not disappoint and have definitely still got it goin' on. They keep getting better and better too. I loved hearing their new music and a lot of old stuff that shaped my teen years and all the years since. Every one of the songs they sing brings back a good time and good memories of where I was when I would listen to it. They have been rockin' out for over 30 years. Amazing.

When I put myself in a room with that kind of intense music for a few hours, it takes a few days to get myself feeling "normal" again. It seems to rearrange all the cells in my body for a little while, and of course the sound blasting through my brain and my ear drums messes me up for a while. But it's all worth it. I have such great respect for people who put their passion out there with such um.... passion :)