More great shows...more great memories...

As I figured, I was very sad to see Wicked leave the Majestic. It was so entertaining and so riveting, I was sad to see it go. I only got back one more time to see it before it left so I saw it a total of 6 times. Not too bad. Each time, I noticed different things that I had missed and each time, I was faced with a unique and diverse audience to help seat. I was able to work in the orchestra for all 6 shows so I didn't miss any of the performance. The audiences kept us on on our toes, and we had to stand for the entire show since they were all sold out, but it was well worth it. I had thought about buying tickets for at least one performance, but decided I was too cheap to do that.
After Wicked left, Lynyrd Skynyrd came. I went with Dawna and we were excited for this different experience. Wow, talk about a DIFFERENT experience! It was a CRAZY audience! The crowd ranged from "older" rocker type people to businessmen trying to reclaim some of their youth. There we younger people there too. And I would have to say that a lot of the people were "feeling no pain" as they watched the concert. I was in the orchestra section again and this was quite interesting. Seating people was a real challenge since many thought that they could sit wherever they wanted to sit since it was a concert. There were a few people that I had to send back up to the balcony or mezzanine. One couple thought they could stand in the front row and pretend they had those seats until I asked to see their tickets. They never showed them to me. They just picked up their stuff and returned to their balcony seats.
The show was interesting and LOUD! But  then again, what do you expect from Lynyrd Skynyrd? They were OK, but could tell they had aged and struggled with some of the songs. We actually got to sit near the back after we were done to enjoy the music. Watching the audience was just as entertaining to me. We also could smell something"funny" there but could never locate the person or persons using the "funny stuff." Almost got a contact "buzz" from it!!
A week after Lynyrd Skynyrd came to the Majestic, Jon Anderson, the lead singer of Yes came and performed with the San Antonio Youth Orchestra. I was thrilled to be able to attend that show as Jon Anderson's voice has always intrigued me. I went alone to that show, and was excited to hear him sing some of the songs of Yes as well as his solo songs. Each one showcased the talents of the Youth Orchestra as well as Jon Anderson's amazing talent.
Later, it was West Side Story that came to the Majestic and wowed audiences. Again, this show was completely sold-out and entertained all who came to enjoy it. West Side Story has long been one of my all-time favorite movies and I had never seen it performed on stage. The actors and dancers were spectacular and they kept the audience (and me) riveted from beginning to end. Sadly, the ending was the same although I have always secretly wished that Tony would have lived and that he and Maria would have walked off to a better life away from the city and life of gangs. I thought of how long ago that play was written (concept by Jerome Robbins and written by Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim) and how things have not changed much over the years. Cities and towns still have problems with gangs and they still fight over territory. Innocent people are still being killed and young lives are destroyed for such insignificant things. It's sad; just like West Side Story's ending. Many who live like this will see a tragic end to many lives and may find out too late what a waste it was to be involved.
Recently, I have begun to really take it all in and think about what I had done at the Majestic for the past year and a half. I also thought about all the concerts I have been to over the years and why I am so interested in attending them. I pondered (and this is where it gets deep, so you better put on your wading boots, HA, HA) what music means to me and how much of a role it has played in my life over the years. Every memory, every aspect, every experience in my life has been marked by songs, performers and music. These songs conjure up fond memories for me and how my life has evolved over the years. In my youth and teen years, it was all about the Osmonds (no surprise to all of you people who have known me for so long). I lived for their music and how the lyrics spoke to me. I also enjoyed many other performers (surprise for those of you who have know me for so long. You thought I only listened to the Osmonds). I loved the music of Elton John, Genesis, The Who, Yes, Queen, Pink Floyd, The Eagles, Chicago, Kansas, James Taylor, Billy Joel, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton and The Bee Gees to name a few.
Each of these bands had lyrics that expressed how I was feeling and what I wanted to say. I was afraid to speak my mind too much but the songs helped me to understand my feelings and relate to the rest of the world. Suddenly my life was not about living on Bonsall Avenue in Aldan Pennsylvania. I saw a bigger picture. I saw others who felt like me, who thought like me and who wanted to be heard like me. They had the talent to share it with many and to help us all see that we really are the same no matter where we come from, what we do or how much money we make. I began to look beyond the four walls of my home and look outward more beyond Bonsall Avenue, Aldan and Pennsylvania. The music spoke to me and made me want to make a difference in the world.
I continue to look for music today that will do that for me. Today, my preferences seem to be more in the country genre but, I still find solice and peace as I listen to music by people like Rascal Flatts, George Strait, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley or Garth Brooks. I still go back to "my music roots" and pull from all the songs that shaped me and continue to influence me in my life. I think of a quote at the end of Jersey Boys that says, "...when everything dropped away and all there was was the music." That is what music means to me. Everything else can drop away for me and I can still have my music to make me have good feelings and memories.
I will continue to enjoy my music, my plays and my entertainment that makes me a better person because someone somewhere took the time to create and use their talents to inspire others. I will go back to the Majestic time and time again and enjoy and get lost in all of the music and entertainment they have to offer me and its thousands and thousands of patrons who enter their doors year after year.