Back in the 1980s I went to a lot of concerts in Boston, all over New England, and Canada. My tastes then, as now, are eclectic in that I like just about every type of music except opera, rap/hip-hop, and most heavy metal. Here’s a list of bands or performers I’ve see in concert. Again, not for bragging rights so much as to also hear about who you’ve seen performing live.

GRATEFUL DEAD – OMG I was a Deadhead there for a few years when I was a teenager. I saw them many times in concerts. Total trip, man. O! The hippie-ness of it all! I have maybe a dozen of their songs on iTunes but I don’t listen to them ever anymore.

BOB MARLEY – I was only 16 but I’m glad I got to see him before he died.

JIMMY CLIFF – A couple of times.

PETER TOSH – A couple of times. Yeah, I like Reggae music.

ELVIS COSTELLO – My first date ever with a guy was to an Elvis Costello concert. I remember practicing how I would ask him to go with me and being all jittery when I did finally get up the nerve to ask him. We had a great time and we became hump-hungry teenagers in love for a year or two – my first boyfriend.

PATTI LABELLE – Three times that I remember… She was over-the-top incredible as a live performer. Amazing set of pipes.

DIANA ROSS & THE TEMPTATIONS – They played at an outdoor concert on Boston Common (Park). I watched the concert with some friends from a balcony of an apartment building right across the street from the concert, so a bird’s eye view from like 10 floors up.

CHAKA KHAN – Same scenario as outdoor Diana concert – watching from balcony across the street. Chaka was sooooo trashed (booze? drugs?) she barely was able to function. Not that great a concert.

PATTI SMITH – She was so trashed that she actually had to be escorted off the stage halfway through her first song because she couldn’t perform. Though I liked her album “Easter” I wasn’t a big fan and, besides, she was just the opening act for… you guessed it… the Grateful Dead.

SYLVESTER – Saw Sylvester perform at a seedy club in Boston’s “Combat Zone” (Red light district). And then again, in NYC.

CAROLE KING – Yup.

DIZZY GILLESPIE – Saw the jazz legend perform one very snowy, cold evening in a surprisingly small old jazz club in Vieux Montreal. There were just 3 tables-worth of people at the whole club, not a lot had ventured out in a raging blizzard. The management moved everyone to the front because, you know, why not. So front row seat. Our table was celebrating a friend’s birthday and Mr. Gillespie did songs for the birthday girl and he came down and sat with us during intermission. Amazing.

RANDY TRAVIS/TAMMY WYNETTE/K.T. OSLIN – This was a triple header classic country concert. I was in it totally to see Tammy Wynette.

I know I’m forgetting some other ones. Maybe I’ll remember one day.

Feel free to leave a comment about concerts you’ve seen!