Music

Though I’ve always enjoyed music I’m not an a hard core music lover like some people. I have a wide range of taste and can listen to most types of music. Over the years I’ve listened to heavy metal, rock, rap, country, classical, and lots more. I certainly appreciate the work and skill it takes to be good at making music.

For a number of years as a child I played the trumpet. For a kid I think I was OK, but even then I knew I wasn’t a musician. Other people could hear the music and play be ear. I had to have sheet music in front of me and I could then play the notes. In middle school I decided to move on. Part of me wishes I didn’t though, or at least kept up some form of musical instrument. I often thought piano, guitar, or drums, would be fun to play, but I never actually put in the effort to learn any.

Live music is especially good, and I need to make an effort to take more of it in. I’ve only been to a handful of big concerts in my life. The variety of artists shows a bit of array of tastes as well.

My first big concert was Garth Brooks in 1996. A few close friends were going and booked tickets as part of a bus package. So we travelled there and back on a bus with a bunch of other fans, about a 1.5 hours each way. It was a good warm up to the concert.

My next concert wasn’t until years later. We took the family to see Ed Sheeran in 2018. We bought the cheapest tickets and were up at the highest point in the football statium. So high we couldn’t stay there and had to watch it standing down near the concession area.

In 2023 I went to see one of my favorite bands from my teen years. Guns N Roses came close and my brother in law went together. Even though there were much older now it was awesome getting to see them play live. I was also kind of suprised to really enjoy the opener Carrie Underwood. She also put on a great show.

I read a few years ago about some research around bands and songs from our youth and how they can trigger such a strong emotional response. That’s true for me. Even though I enjoy lots of newer music, there hasn’t been an artist who really hit me like those from my teenage years.

That was until Noah Kahan. I’m not alone in this, but I’m not sure what it is about him. I liked some of his early songs I heard on the radio but it was really 2022 when I really started listening. I can put on his whole discography and won’t skip any songs.

The fact that others in the family really like him as well is all the better. Members of our family have gone to see Taylor Swift and Benson Boone, both who are fine, but not at the top of my list. So having an artist who both me and two of my children really like made it even better when we were able to get pre-sale tickets for his concert back in February.

We just arrived back after a family road trip where Ella, Caile, my future son in law Nathan, and I, were able to see his concert in Toronto. It was an incredibly fun night and I’m so glad we could do it together.

I really want to make it to more concerts. Jen and I were recently going to go to a Goo Goo Dolls concert, but it was cancelled pretty last minute. Hopefully more bands both her and I like will come close to us and we can see them together.