A year ago last weekend, I found myself in Indianapolis, Indiana for POST.fest, a three-day celebration of all things post-rock. It was a wonderful weekend, and I got to see more than few fantastic bands.

But truth be told, I was there for only one reason. I was out of my mind to see just one band. All the way from Sydney, Australia, We Lost the Sea — my favorite post-rock band of all time^ — was headlining for two of the festivals three days. I had to be there.

And so I was.

Both sets were absolutely glorious. And I got to experience them from the photo pit! My favorite band was less than ten feet away from me! They even played the whole of my favorite album, Departure Songs. To top it all off, I got to spend a little time idly chit-chatting with a couple of the guys during the afternoon before their second performance.

It doesn’t get much better than that.

Not long after I got home, I got to thinking about the shows I’ve seen over the years, particularly since I moved to Chicago from St. Louis in 2020. I was a little shocked by the amount of ground I’ve covered. In fact, where artists are concerned, I think I’ve covered pretty much all of it. And I’ve gotten to chat for various amounts of time with just about everyone I’ve wanted to talk to.

I’ll say it again: it doesn’t get much better.

I’ll be sixty years old in a few months. My sister is in her mid-fifties. We’re pretty much the only family we have, so we’ve started having difficult conversations about how each of us wants things handled when the other passes on. I’ll spare you the details. But that conversation took me back to the gigs.

I started to rack my brain: what artist do I still need to see before I pass on? Who’s on that bucket list?

The more I thought on it, the more I came back to the same answer:

No one.

It was a stunning revelation, but an accurate one. If it was possible to see them, I have.

Of course, there are artists I’ve missed for reasons that couldn’t be helped. The Seconds Out era of Genesis played when I was 10. I didn’t get deeply into Miles Davis or Frank Zappa until they were either off the road or not playing anywhere near me. This applies to a few other acts as well. But I’ve seen everyone else. As far as I’m concerned, every show I see from here on out is gravy. Pure gravy.

Adrian Belew is my musical idol. I’ve seen him several times, be it with King Crimson, The Bears, Remain in Light, the Crimson ProjeKct, Beat, or as a solo artist. Between all these shows and interviewing him for my first book, we’ve gotten to know and befriend each other. That’s a rather pretty feather for my cap.

Another hero is Mike Keneally. It started with yer another book interview that evolved into a friendship. I go and see him nearly every time he’s in town between St. Louis and Chicago. Now I think of him as a friend, a mentor, and a brother.

While I detest large venues, I’ve always said I would suspend my self-imposed rule to see Tool, Radiohead, and Peter Gabriel. Check, check, and check!

All of the post-rock bands I love. All of the jazz artists I’ve admired. Tribute bands. Solo performances. Duets. Clubs, theaters, and Red Rocks. Even. Couple of shows I never expected to see. They’re all been there, done that.

I’ve had a good run.

I suppose Stephan Thelan is still a must. But his ability to travel to the U.S. is severely hindered. There’s not much that can be done about that. But as much as I love Stephan’s music, it’s a little okay that I haven’t seen him, just because of our locations. Such is life.

My focus has gone to my bucket list venues. I saw a show at Red Rocks a couple of years ago. That was the biggest domestic locale. Hopefully, I’ll be able to cross off three or four more in New York City this October.

I’m giving serious thought to going to the Dunk! Festival in Belgium next year. I’d like to see Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club. I want to see a show at the Baked Potato in Los Angeles. But my musical world doesn’t come to an end if I don’t accomplish these things. I’m good.

I know it seems like I’m bragging here. I assure you I’m not. All I’m saying is, I’ve had a great run. I really have. I’ve met nearly every one of my musical heroes. Those I didn’t meet I’ve at least gotten to see perform. And there are several artists I deeply admire that I’ve also been able to see or meet, even though I never thought it would happen.

Obviously, I never got to meet Miles Davis, but I’ve met a few people who played with him, like John Scofield and Jack DeJohnette.

Same goes for Frank Zappa. In addition to Mike Keneally, I also had some great moments with players like Ray White. And I met and spent some time chatting with Frank’s son, Dweezil. It was great to be able to tell him how much his father’s music means to me.

I don’t geek out when I meet musicians anymore. They’re just people. But I did have to do a tiny bit of work holding it together when I got meet and have lunch with Chester Thompson, one of my favorite drummers. He played in Zappa’s Roxy era band and with Genesis on my favorite live album, Seconds Out. I was a little beside myself.

Like I said, I’ve had a great run.

I’m still going tonight gigs. That will never change. I’m still happy to meet and interview musicians. That won’t change either. For those of you who still play CD’s, you’ll remember how cool it was to find a hidden bonus track or two at the end of the disc.

I’m in the bonus track section of my musical life.

Yeah … that’s it.

^ Calling We Lost the Sea post-rock might be a bad idea, as they’re not overly fond of being placed in the genre. But since that’s where everyone seems to be able to relate to them best, I don’t think I have much of a choice for now. Sorry, guys.

#cirdecsongs

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