When I worked in the music industry throughout the 1980’s I frequently attended music concerts. Some of the shows featured artists I worked with at record companies and others were ones I was a fan of. Over the years I’ve gone to my share of shows, but 2024 was the “year of years” of  extraordinary music.
 
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN aka The Boss at Kia Forum

If you haven’t been to a Bruce Springsteen concert, in my opinion, you’re missing out on one of the greatest entertainers of any musical genre.  Over the years I’ve been to almost every one of his tours.
 
I was almost going to pass on going to his latest tour, but at the end of March 2024 a friend asked me to watch a sweet movie, Blinded By the Light (released in 2019). The movie is about a teenager who is inspired by the works of Springsteen during a seminal time of his life. My friend had never been to a Springsteen concert so I couldn’t resist wanting her to experience the show and for me to live vicariously through her fresh eyes. 

The show began with the thunderous roar of the audience chanting Bruuuce!  With the first note of the first song it was nonstop hits that included “Thunder Road”, “Hungry Heart” and “Born to Run”.  Bruce’s wife Patti has limited her time performing on stage due to health issues, but she joined him and fellow E-Street band mates for a couple of songs. In Bruce fashion, after two hours of non-stop energy, that's when his show really gets geared up. The E-Street Band is composed of some of the best musicians in rock ‘n’ roll. It was my privilege and joy to know some of the band members personally, specifically Little Steven, Roy Bittan and Clarence Clemons (passed away 2011). Clarence’s nephew Jake has filled his spot on lead saxophone. Toward the end of the show, tribute was paid with pictures on the big screens for Clarence and Garry Tallent, another E Street band member who also has passed away, My friend was blown away by the show and glad she got to experience it. We had a blast!

One of my most memorable experiences during my years in the music business was when Gary Gersh, the record company executive I worked with for over twelve years, signed Steven Van Zandt, aka Little Steven, to a solo record deal.  Steven is known as Springsteens guitarist and collaborator and TV’s Tony Soprano’s confidante. The album by Little Steven called "Men Without Women," was released with a movie by the same name. When Steven got married, Gary and I attended his wedding in New York City and Gary gifted the couple a book of New York City takeout restaurants (this was long before Uber eats!). The day after the wedding we hung out at the hotel with the newlyweds, Bruce and his then girlfriend.  We ordered take out from many of the restaurants in the book. We feasted on a smorgasbord of every food you can imagine.  It was a “once in a lifetime” day I’ll never forget.

 

My first concert outing of the summer/fall season was in July, when one of my dearest friends, who I met when we both worked at Geffen Records, treated me for my birthday to the Outlaw Tour.  It included performances by John Mellencamp, Bob Dylan, and Willie Nelson set at the beautiful Hollywood Bowl.
 
 In the 1970’s, when I lived in the Pacific Northwest, I first saw John Mellencamp perform in a tiny club in Portland, Oregon. I remember announcing to my group of friends that some day this guy will be huge!  Luckily a few years later when I returned to live and work in Los Angeles, John and I again crossed paths.

When his daughter Teddi Mellencamp decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue entertainment and leave behind her years as a national horse champion, John sent her to live with me for a few months to help her get acclimated. I’m pretty sure John showed his appreciation for his daughter being with me by becoming an investor in Malibu Kitchen, a deli/bakery that I opened with my partner William in 2000.

It was very serendipitous when I recently attended the Portuguese Bend National Horse Show and witnessed Teddi‘s daughter, Slate, win top ribbons in her classes throughout the weekend.  I can say “I knew Teddi when,” as she became one of the Beverly Hills Housewives. Following her departure from that TV show she became a wellness and lifestyle coach, social influencer and podcaster.  She uses her “celebrity platform” to admirably share more than 15 surgeries she has undergone for melanoma skin cancer.
 
 Back to the show! John put on an outstanding performance with his bandmates, since they’ve been performing together for several decades.  Hearing his song “Jack and Diane” with the recognizable lyrics, “ little pink houses for you and me” never gets old.  I missed most of the performance by Bob Dylan, age 83, since I was visiting backstage with John and his family. Willie Nelson‘s performance, which included the recognizable “”On The Road Again”, was remarkable considering he’s 91!  Age has no limits when you’re doing what you love and these artists exemplified that.

 

While operating our deli/bakery, my partner William, who had been a music tour manager in a previous career, couldn't get away from the business to accompany me to concerts. So I was surprised when he asked me if I'd like to see Tom Jones at the outdoor Greek Theater this past fall. I called in a favor with a friend from my music years and we were given great seats to hear one of the most legendary iconic voices of all time.  We had seen Tom perform and had the pleasure of meeting him 25+ years ago before we opened our business. William told me that when he closed his eyes, he could hear young Tom Jones, instead of Tom, still a miraculous singer at the age of 84. He sang many of his familiar hits like “It’s Not Unusual” and “Pussycat” with the entire audience singing along. He also sang songs that touched on the theme of aging, such as “when I’m dead please don’t philosophize or feel regret, just remember me when I said I had one hell of a life."

Needless to say, it was a very exciting and entertaining performance under the stars on a beautiful and magical early fall evening. As an added bonus, we had free parking next to the venue which made up for the eight dollar tiny can of water!

 

William and I both hail from New York, so along with Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel was and still is one of our favorite artists. His music has been the soundtrack for the 30+ years that William and I have been together.

Once again, I called in a favor and Billy‘s road manager gave us incredible seats, incredible parking, incredible club passes at the new incredible Intuit Dome (at the old Hollywood Park location), which made for an incredible evening of music.  Did I mention "incredible" enough?!
 
 Billy's show was a set list of hit after hit of his songs.  A couple of guest highlights were guitar player John Mayer joining Billy onstage for one song and Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses singing his band's version of  “Live and Let Die” from their 1991 Geffen album. It was very touching when Billy’s young daughter, Della Rose, joined him on stage for a rendition of ”My Life.” Throughout some of the songs the whole arena came alive with colorful lighting that engulfed the audience. It was spectacular and moved both William and I almost to tears to be listening to music that took us back to our New York years. It was a glorious and nostalgic evening.

 

Robbie Robertson is another legendary artist I was privileged and lucky to know. He passed away in August 2024 at the age of 80, but leaves behind an outstanding legacy. He was the lead singer and founder of the band called "The Band." His iconic songs, “Up On Cripple Creek,” “The Weight,” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” will be in the hearts and minds of his fans forever.
 
Martin Scorsese filmed and directed the last performance of The Band and called it "The Last Waltz." The film returned to theaters in 2024 for its 45th anniversary. Robbie had a lengthy history of collaborating as a composer, music supervisor, and music producer on many acclaimed Scorsese films, such as: Raging Bull, Gangs of New York, Casino, Wolf of Wall Street and Killers of the Flower Moon, to name a few.
 
 The star-studded event I attended in October, "Life is a Carnival: A Musical Celebration of Robbie Robertson" was also being filmed by Scorsese. It was held at the Kia Forum and had a lineup of artists that went on for five hours. The show  opened with a Native American blessing and song. Some of the artists who performed were Eric Clapton, Eric Church, Van Morrison, Taj Mahal, Margot Price, Bob Weir (Grateful Dead band), Mike Campbell (Tom Petty band) and Don Was. Between sets, clips of Robbie appeared on the big screen that evoked bittersweet memories for me. I had the honor and pleasure of working with Robbie on a couple of his solo albums for Geffen Records, Robbie Robertson (1987) and Storyville (1991).  Both of the albums had the flavor of Robbie’s Canadian/Indigenous heritage.
 
 In the summer of ‘69 I experienced the historic Woodstock Music Festival not knowing that music was in my future. Six months after Woodstock, my family moved to the Rolling Hills area and I finished my senior year in 1970 with the first graduating class at Miraleste High School. After spending the 70’s in Oregon and returning to California I began my career in music in 1981 as executive assistant to Gary Gersh.  One of my greatest experiences was joining Robbie, Bob Clearmountain (recoding engineer) and Gary, in Woodstock, New York to mix Robbie’s first solo album. I never imagined that 20+ years later when I returned to Woodstock we would be invited to stay at the home/farm of Michael Lang, the founder of the Woodstock Music Festival. It was definitely a full circle time in my life!
  
 Sidenote: The first story I wrote for Stroll magazine was called "Woodstock to Rolling Hills."
 
 There was no better way to pay homage to the career of the great songwriter, guitarist, and composer Robbie Robertson, than with an evening dedicated to his music. RIP Robbie.
 
 ENCORE

 It’s difficult to say one concert experience was better than another, as they were all special and unique to each performer. This past "year of years" brought back so many memories about significant times in my life that I will always cherish. It all makes my heart sing.  Long live rock 'n' roll!