in this life there are musical bucket lists...musical moments that defy the ordinary...as you grow older and look back...you realize that you've experienced some of those moments...although at those times in your life you were unaware of how transformative they would be...for me...Barbra Streisand belting out "Don't Rain on My Parade" in Funny Girl on Broadway...I was almost 5 (thanks Mom and Dad)...Ramones in Central Park...Simon and Garfunkel in Central Park...Tina Turner at the Ritz ...Paul McCartney at both Citi Field and Yankee Stadium...more recently...when those "moments" appeared I truly appreciated what was before me...and could turn to Mike and whisper...bucket list...Bob Dylan and Mavis Staples at Forest Hills (oh, and she proved to be the one that truly moved me)...Robert Plant at Forest Hills closing the show singing "Whole Lotta Love" (heaven)...and last night at Jones Beach...for me...seeing Carlos Santana live for the first time...a man who doesn't just play the guitar...he is the guitar...and then a few songs into the set..."Oye Como Va"...oh, yes...bucket list...the music...the breeze off the water cutting the heatwave...it doesn't get more perfect...Carlos talked a bit in between the songs about love...and music...and the power of music in a world that is harsh...and I think we all agreed as he shared his gifts with us and we shared the music...that he was giving us a little strength to keep fighting the good fight for humanity...maybe not cut off the driver trying to merge getting out of the Jones Beach parking lot...and maybe...to carry it forward even more...Santana did a great cover of Heavy D's "Now That We Found Love" last night...the line from the song is "now that we found love what are we gonna do with it?"...when you find that love in music...bucket list or small live show ...how do you pay that feeling forward...oh yes, Carlos...the message and conundrum...
