Concerts with the oldest

A world without music would be as dull as dishwater. Music is love. Music is life.

My oldest loves music. He sang in the ALL-STATE NJ CHOIR. He was selected to sing in that choir twice in his high school career. He has also performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, NJ PAC, and Montclair State. He has taken trips to Orlando,Florida, San Antonio, Texas, Williamsburg, Virginia and Vienna, Austria to sing with his high school choir as well. Those trips were life altering.

Music is a gift given to him by my wife. She carries the talent in the family and has fostered it in all three of our boys. She is a product of many years of hard work and an Indiana University education. Our oldest has opened his world wider due to music’s allure. He has been able to experience some amazing places with fantastic people. He is more cultured than I ever was at his age.

I love music, too. I cannot sing like my oldest or like my wife, but I know the lyrics to so many great songs and can connect music to some of my happiest memories. Music is a gift. Imagine a world without it. It would be so dull and boring.

So it is fitting that as our sons are growing up, we continue to provide them with musical opportunities. On Saturday, my oldest son and I went to see a great concert at PNC in Holmdel New Jersey. We saw three bands that evening – A Perfect Circle, Primus, and Puscifer.

All three bands played a total of about 35 songs in an alternating fashion with Maynard James Keenan as a centerpiece of the event. Keenan is the lead singer in A Perfect Circle, Puscifer and Tool. I’ve seen Tool several times, but this was my first time seeing the other two bands he tours with.

This was all part of a 60th birthday celebration for Keenan. What better way to celebrate than to play music for your fans. The concert tour is called Sessanta V2.0 tour. Sessanta means 60 in Italian.

So my oldest and I got to spend some precious time together and bond over our love of music. I think as he gets older this will continue to keep us close. It is also a night like Saturday that I will miss most while he is away at college in the fall. It is nights like Saturday that I will look forward to when he returns from his first year away. Time is precious and time with those that you love is really precious.

Lots of changes are ahead, but our love for music unites us and bonds us deeply.

What kind of music do you enjoy listening to?

What is something that bonds you to someone you love?