Under Their Spell
Happily married for 33 years to the muse(-ic)
On 9 November 1991, Paula Abdul performed at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan, on her Under My Spell tour. I was there, alongside my mom, two sisters, and their friends. Seven women and eight-year-old Josh. I had begged them to take me. It was my first big concert.
We were seated on the floor of the arena, surrounded by thousands of fellow adoring fans. The lights went down, the crowd roared, and everyone stood up. I felt chills, a mixture of fear and excitement. What was gonna happen? I was so short, I couldn't see anything except the butts of the strangers in front of me. Was this what concerts were like?!
Fortunately for me, everyone sat down once Ms. Abdul took the stage. I stood on my seat, marvelling at how amazing she looked, her many costume changes and elaborate choreography. My favourite moment of the show, which I can clearly recall 33 years later, was "Will You Marry Me?" She introduced the song by coyly asking: was anyone out there interested? I jumped up and down, waving my skinny arms. I like to think that my mom lifted me up, so my tiny, curly-haired head bobbed above a mass of adult faces. Paula and I locked eyes. She blew me a kiss.
Okay, that last part didn’t happen, but I have a romantic imagination, I guess.
I was very fortunate to have parents that valued cultural experiences; they regularly took us to concerts, musicals, and plays. I grew up five miles from the Canada-US border, so it was normal to travel to Detroit and its suburbs to see shows. I visited The Palace of Auburn Hills many times. Another milestone there was seeing R.E.M. on their Monster tour in June of 1995. R.E.M. was the first music act I discovered and came to love on my own. Paula Abdul was exciting to eight-year-old me, but her kind of manufactured pop music was made for my sisters. Four years later, I had become a more discerning music listener, an experienced concertgoer. R.E.M. belonged to me.
Those early gigs ushered in my passion for attending concerts. Since then, live music has led me all over the world, facilitated dozens of friendships, disseminated my bank account, and brought me so much joy. I love many genres of music and I’m constantly seeking out the next great performance. Paula Abdul was my introduction to concerts on a large scale. My first muse.
On that night in November 1991, at The Palace of Auburn Hills, I was proposed to. And I accepted. 33 years on, I am still smitten with live music.
Last year, probably the most revered concert film and album of all time, Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense, was reissued for its 40th anniversary. I re-watched Jonathan Demme’s film in a boutique cinema in central London and it still holds up as a riveting document of an incendiary band and their innovative live show. The vinyl release is such a high-quality remix and remaster, I think it’s become the best sounding live album I’ve ever heard.
Last week, another long-standing favourite of mine, Portishead’s Roseland NYC Live, was remastered and reissued on vinyl for its 25th anniversary. It showcases the Bristol band at the peak of their power, alongside dozens of orchestral musicians.
The Talking Heads and Portishead live albums are similar (and incredible) in capturing new, emboldened arrangements of their songs, performed by expanded ensembles – rare, super-sized versions of each band.
Here is a playlist of songs from ten of my favourite live albums, two songs per release. Normally, I spend hours sequencing a playlist for maximum affect, but this was a difficult task, as the artists and live recordings are so different. I opted for arranging the songs alphabetically by artist name, and I think it works. Hopefully these two tracks are a gateway to hearing the full live albums, and you catch some of these acts in concert if you can. You might just fall in love!
You beat my first concert by 11 years! Nice read!