Your single most incredible musical experience

[M Peasley]

What's your single most incredible musical experience ever? Not just listening, but perhaps playing. Or like me, just listening to the music I make up in my head, that maybe, someday, I will figure out how to realize on actual instruments.

 

My #1 experience was probably hearing Hendrix's Are You Experienced for the first time. It was a new album at the time. It's impossible to describe just how the sounds were totally from some other plane of existence. My friend and I were so amazed, we just started laughing - what else could we say?

 

Close runner-up was hearing The Rite of Spring for the first time. These huge dissonant cluster-chords churning out that primeval, unpredictable beat. Hit somewhere waaaay down deep I'd never known was there at the time.

 

M Peasley

 

M Peasley

[YourMotherShouldKnow]

I'd have to say the 2002 Paul McCartney concert was the best thing for me associated with music.

 

As far as my own playing, when I was at GIT 3 of us played Rush's "La Villa Strangiato" on the big stage and we really rocked the place. People were coming up to me giving me their cards and goin' crazy. Funny thing was, we made like 3 little mistakes and I was more focused on the mistakes than the good stuff. But after watching the video I realized that we did a hell of a job.

[Tedly Nightshade]

Couldn't pick any one single most.

 

Too many.

[Dr.Fuzz]

I'll actually split this into 3..

 

Single most moving musical experience I have seen - watching video of Jimi Hendrix playing, it made me want to play guitar

 

Single most moving personal performance experience - the one or two times I actually played a solo that came out the way I meant it to

 

Single most weird experience - fixing breakfast one morning and having this Kansas-esque prog rock song pop into my head, fully orchestrated and sung... I wished I had a brain-to-recorder connector then

 

drfuzz

[stanner]

man ya took my answer!

~are you experienced~ altered my life.

back in '67 i think it was, i was rummaging thru the instrumental section of the record dept. at woolworths in york,pa. and i pulled out this wackee looking record, brought it home and put it on the record player and the world just changed forever. i had never heard any sounds like that(i dont think many had) and the way the guitar and the bass and the drums just wound around each other while maintaining a strong, spiritual, individual sound just blew me away-what genius-and *that* guitar thang!! it sounds as fresh and inventive today as it ever did. my all-time favorite record!

s

[Shars]

I dont play but i do listen.

I think the memory that most sticks in my head was when for the first time when i took on the job of managing my band i went to a rehearsal.

It was mid winter and freezing and when i parked up i could hear the music coming from from the studio.

I remember sitting there and feeling really heart warming feelings happening and thats when i knew i had found a true place to be.

I feel that feeling every time when i hear them live or rehearse or even when i stick on a cd.

I really do feel a lot for this band and they know it!

[LiveMusic]

Originally posted by LanceMo:

I'd have to say the 2002 Paul McCartney concert was the best thing for me associated with music.

That was the first thing that popped into my head. Except I saw him in 2003, I think. 2:45 of pure bliss.

 

The second thing was a couple of months ago, I finally did what I had always thought was impossible for me. I dreamed a song. I was watching a band play in my dream and I could hear it so purely. Guitar riffs, everything. I got up, put my hands over my ears so I couldn't hear anything in the house (the t.v. was on), walked outside (it was daytime), cranked the lawnmower and mowed for 20 minutes so I could hear nothing but that droning mower. I went over and over the melody in my mind during that 20 minutes, memorized it and the lyric, came in and wrote it. Surreal.

[antimatter]

It was 1984.

The days of Van Halen; metal mania was rampant.

Well, one night, I believe it was a Thursday, no, wait, Friday, well, I played the most amazing air guitar solo ever played. Now some may argue that they've done better, or seen better, but I was on that night. My fingers a blur, my three stoned friends were mesmerized by the flurry of fingerings, the amazing 10 finger tapping, behind the back, with my teeth...

 

You had to be there. I wasn't touched by the finger of God that night. I had his fingers that night.

 

sorry, cant help myself. Somebody get me a doctor. My face has been stuck in this position for 37 years-->

[where02190]

It was the summer of 85, and I was on yet another adventurous tour with Miles Davis, the Prince of Cool. (I spent 4 1/2 yrs as his production manager and monitor engineer)

The stop was Seville, Spain, on a hot, dry dusty day, where you could hold your hand infront of your face and blow as hard as you can, and not feel the breeze.

The venue, as many are in Spain in the summer, was a bullring. and the smell of life and death hung heavy in the air as we sweat our way through the day, setting up the massive rig for the sold out show..

as is typical with summer festivals in latin countries, we didn't go on unitl well into the everning. the moon was full, and whispy clouds would from time to time obscure it, creating the errie feeling of a b rated horor flick.

Miles dressing room was the chapel where the matadors went to pray before they went into battle. the sense of another pressense was heavy in there, as if you could almost hear the voices of the dead calling....

Into the evening, there was little relief from the heat. During the Ballad "Jeanne Pierre", about 2 hours into our typical 3 1/2 hour show, I'm confering with our stage manager, when we notice these little whimsical whisps of air swirling around Miles in the low lights of his silloette, as if dancing with him in some crazed waltz. as we wtched, his muted trumpet enveloping inot the depths of that place only Miles could go, these mcro twisters continued to dance around him, as if posessed by his calling. the local promoter approaches us, and whispers over our shoulders, ("Miles congers up the spirits fo those who have been sacrificed here, they dance for him".

It was one of those moments where every hair on your body stands on end, and time stops. As Miles continued his musical congering, the audience and the band became aware fo the spiritual moment we were experiencing as well. this went on for several minutes, until, in one mighty blow, Miles removes the mute, signaling the end of the tune. the sounds shatters the stillness, and the ghosts are summoned back to their afterworld, gone as quickly as they appeared.

Just writing about this brings back that chill up my spine of Miles dance with the spirits. It ws indeed, magical.

[Bbach1]

I was much younger, and a lot crazier, maybe a bit insane. I was in the Army stationed in Kaiserslautern, Germany. I was high on something I will never admit to and my kids are not to go around at all. I had spent the last part of a few hours putting on one album after another and just laying there listening. When I put on McCartney's "Red Rose Speedway", I couldn't believe how smooth the music was. It struck me that Paul Mc. might be some kind of musical genius. To this day, that album still does it for me. Granted, there is such an incredible amount of wonderful music out there but that album flows in direct sync with my brain waves.

[TheFunkman]

From now on I guess I'll have to call it an "Antimatter Moment:" Much like Antimatter, I was channeling the lightning of the gods, on my Oberheim OB-X. DAMN, that was one ballsy synthesizer! After one tune and solo, the crowd started chanting my name. CHILLS! I must admit, I don't generally seek out or even need the approval of strangers, but now I can at least understand why certain performers crave that kind of attention.

[skipclone 1]

Holy crap-well no way can I follow that!

But...

#1-headlining a multi-band bill and not one wrong note the entire set-and this is at the same club, on the same stage that I have seen Chick Corea, Neal Schon and Bad English, Steve Morse, and Allan Holdsworth. The crowd went totally nuts.

Getting our photo in the newspaper didn`t hurt either.

 

#2-Playing guitar accompaniment to a drum circle with a Strat, the body was once owned by Jimi himself-and playing it in his former residence in Woodstock, N.Y.

 

#3-Finishing a set in Taipei and having someone whisper in my ear `The best bluesman on the island`. Aside from the fact that I wasn`t really a bluesman at all it was great.

[Jon Doe]

Janice ...

[Mr.WOW]

I heard Voodoo Chile and had to be put in the hospital from shock.

[Programgirl]

OK this is going to be very wierd but...

 

I was in Jerusalem in 1984, and I was standing out on a balcony at sunset watching the city turn to gold, when they suddenly started up the call to prayer over the loud speakers of the Dome of the Rock. I got chills. Maybe it was the combination of the single voice wailing over the silence of the gold colored city - I don't know what it was, but ever since then I've learned to be a better listener, which in turn helped me find my path towards musical appreciation. Ever since then, all music heard for the very fist time has been my most profound musical moment.

[Tedly Nightshade]

GodDAMN!

 

Originally posted by where02190:

It was the summer of 85, and I was on yet another adventurous tour with Miles Davis, the Prince of Cool. (I spent 4 1/2 yrs as his production manager and monitor engineer)

The stop was Seville, Spain, on a hot, dry dusty day, where you could hold your hand infront of your face and blow as hard as you can, and not feel the breeze.

The venue, as many are in Spain in the summer, was a bullring. and the smell of life and death hung heavy in the air as we sweat our way through the day, setting up the massive rig for the sold out show..

as is typical with summer festivals in latin countries, we didn't go on unitl well into the everning. the moon was full, and whispy clouds would from time to time obscure it, creating the errie feeling of a b rated horor flick.

Miles dressing room was the chapel where the matadors went to pray before they went into battle. the sense of another pressense was heavy in there, as if you could almost hear the voices of the dead calling....

Into the evening, there was little relief from the heat. During the Ballad "Jeanne Pierre", about 2 hours into our typical 3 1/2 hour show, I'm confering with our stage manager, when we notice these little whimsical whisps of air swirling around Miles in the low lights of his silloette, as if dancing with him in some crazed waltz. as we wtched, his muted trumpet enveloping inot the depths of that place only Miles could go, these mcro twisters continued to dance around him, as if posessed by his calling. the local promoter approaches us, and whispers over our shoulders, ("Miles congers up the spirits fo those who have been sacrificed here, they dance for him".

It was one of those moments where every hair on your body stands on end, and time stops. As Miles continued his musical congering, the audience and the band became aware fo the spiritual moment we were experiencing as well. this went on for several minutes, until, in one mighty blow, Miles removes the mute, signaling the end of the tune. the sounds shatters the stillness, and the ghosts are summoned back to their afterworld, gone as quickly as they appeared.

Just writing about this brings back that chill up my spine of Miles dance with the spirits. It ws indeed, magical.

[phaeton]

It was the summer of 85, and I was on yet another adventurous tour with Miles Davis, the Prince of Cool.

...snip....

Just writing about this brings back that chill up my spine of Miles dance with the spirits. It ws indeed, magical.

 

All i can say is *WOW*

 

Aside from hanging with Miles Davis, to the spiritual uprising in a hallowed place.... shit, even the telling of the story is incredible...

 

just.... *WOW*

[fantasticsound]

The alia, or blessing, before and after reading from the Torah is one of the most recognized blessings in Judaism, just behind the Sh'ma. Jews hear this blessing at least several times per week at services.

 

It is quite a short pair of blessings, separated by the reading itself. (Which, of course, is different from week to week.) You might think it's beauty could easily be taken for granted by many.. and you would probably be right.

 

In 1987, at my younger brother's bar mitzvah I was called upon to sing an alia before the reading of the Torah. The alia is one of my favorite Hebrew songs to sing. I'm a decent vocalist, but more than that I take great pride in my singing. I sang, first, the blessing prior to the reading, waited as the Rabbi chanted the Torah portion, then sang the second prayer.

 

As I exited the stage I could see the nearest section of relatives crying. Apparently they were moved by my performance more than I could ever have imagined. (I certainly didn't expect to affect anyone with my singing.)

 

I'll never forget the sight of all those people, too overcome to keep their composure.

 

It ranks up there with the birth of my daughter... and that was simply amazing!

 

As for concerts, and speaking of Lilly, when I began my first road gig as Lila McCann's monitor engineer in 1999, Lilly was 6 months old. Lila's then new album had a song that, coupled with pictures of Lilly on the board, never failed to deeply affect me. The song is When You Walked Into My Life. I can't claim to be a music mogul, but I was disappointed to hear Lila's management was pushing several fluff, pop country songs that went nowhere. I'm convinced that song could have been a career song for her, much in the same vein as The River or The Dance were for Garth Brooks.

 

As an audience member, attending Harry Chapin's last Chicago-area concert at Ravinia Park in my hometown of Highland Park, IL will always be incredibly special to me.

 

In part because he died not long afterward, leaving a rich musical and human service legacy, though I'm sure we lost so much great music and an effective force for good in the world.

 

In part because Harry, realizing that everyone on the lawn had left due to near torrential rain, left the stage with little more than a, "one moment please", only to return a few minutes later, sopping wet, exclaiming, "Man that felt great!" We could relate, having been on the lawn that night and, only a song or two before this incident, had sat down on benches ("The cheap seats" that Harry loved to acknowledge. ) that had cleared out because the rain was still hitting them under the pavillion.

 

Some memories stay with you like they were yesterday, and these three qualify for me.

[Programgirl]

Originally posted by fantasticsound:

The alia, or blessing, before and after reading from the Torah is one of the most recognized blessings in Judaism, just behind the Sh'ma.

Great, now it's going to be stuck in my head all day.

[fantasticsound]

Originally posted by Programgirl:

Originally posted by fantasticsound:

The alia, or blessing, before and after reading from the Torah is one of the most recognized blessings in Judaism, just behind the Sh'ma.

Great, now it's going to be stuck in my head all day.

Which? The alia before the Torah or the Sh'ma?

 

And is that really a bad thing, Programgirl?

[songrytr]

So many....I'll keep it to three:

 

1. Getting home from school on my 15th birthday to find a brand new Rhodes Suitcase 73 set up in our living room.

 

2. Opening for the Eagles at Glen Helen in '95. That was good for a few years of local semi-celebrity.

 

3. Hearing Phil O'Keefe's mix of the song we wrote together earlier this year. First time I ever had a song (and recording) that thrills me like those of so many others have over the years.

 

Thanks Phil.

[Programgirl]

Originally posted by fantasticsound:

Which? The alia before the Torah or the Sh'ma? And is that really a bad thing, Programgirl?

All of the above with an Ayn Kelohanu thrown in. And no it's not bad, it's nice to remember my Evrit every so often

[the stranger]

Originally posted by where02190:

It was the summer of 85...

This does help. One of the coolest stories I ever heard.

[ryst]

hhmm.....Listening to "damn it feels good to be a gangsta" from the Ghetto Boys while engaging in an adult consenting activity with a woman who didn't speak much english and had no idea what the song was saying. Does that count? I considered it a more musical experience than sexual. It was pretty damn funny, regardless.

[Chip Curtis]

Did a set with Rod Price from Foghat a couple of years ago. I even got to back him with a gospel like organ riff while he did the slide solo thing. I remember thinking to myself, "I wonder how many keyboard players have gotten a chance to play with this guy?" Pretty cool.

[eh steve]

What's your single most incredible musical experience ever?

 

My most incredible moment was a dream. The radio was off. It was all in my head but it was flowing and intense. I'm like a riff-0-matic on guitar but this shit was over the top.

[Lee Tyler]

Playing 1st French Horn at the age of 14 on the stage at Carnegie Hall, in the annual NYC Borough-Wide Music program concert. That was an incredible experience. ---Lee

[ernest828]

Did a gig last year and sang a song I wrote for my wife with a real simple chorus that just repeats...on the last chorus I told the crowd to sing along. Within seconds the bar was singing along to a song I wrote! Pretty cool moment for me that I always imagined and it actually happened.

 

Ernest

[schmee]

Playing 1st French Horn at the age of 14 on the stage at Carnegie Hall

you go! how awesome.

[KenElevenShadows]

There's a few....some jamming where we were all really in sync, and it flowed beautifully.

 

Playing in a headlining band in front of 2000 people, many of whom were singing the lyrics.

 

Recording and mixing bands and having it come out super beautifully because everything came together - awesome musicians, songs, sound, mix, vibe, emotion.

 

Getting played on MTV, NPR, the radio, etc.

 

Demo of the Year or Music of the Year a few years ago for the U.K.-based publication "Future Music".