#WerestillwithyouJohn

So this weekend I had the privilege to see a true musical legend for the second time in my life - John Fogerty. This guy has been rockin out for twice as long as I have even been alive and he still doesn't miss a beat. His band, Creedence Clearwater Revival was a pivotal member of a very influential collection of musicians in the 1960s. A group of bands who paved the way for music today and who were lucky enough to have had the honor of playing the original Woodstock in 1969. Though it may not have been luxurious, and artists today would probably scoff at the conditions these bands were playing in, Fogerty spoke fondly of his Woodstock experience. He recalled how his band, originally scheduled to go on at 9:30pm, was delayed for several hours due to another band's set going over their time (another band being The Grateful Dead...no big deal). Fogerty said finally at 2:30am, CCR took the stage in front of a crowd of thousands of weary eyes. Of course, if something like this happened in today's world, bands may not tend to take the news so lightly - as was so elegantly demonstrated by Green Day's Billy Joe Armstrong this weekend. But John spoke fondly of this hi-cup and remembered the graciousness of the audience some 43 years later. Though a lot of the crowd had succumb to a fatigue by the time CCR's 2:00am set began, he recalled one fan who ignited his lighter, held it up high and called into the night: 'we're still with you, John! Fogerty shared this story with us as an intro to one of my all time favorite songs. As he played "Who Stopped the Rain", footage of Woodstock 1969 played behind him on the stage screens. The festival's audience swayed to the music with smiles from ear to ear. They danced in the rain and offered peace symbols to the world around them. Everyone just looked so peaceful and genuinely overjoyed to be attending this amazing event. I couldn't help but feel envious of their concert experience. Sure, more than half were likely feeling a lot of their happiness thanks to a little friend called LSD, but still. As I looked around amongst the glow of iphone screens and camera flashes, I noticed the man in the row in front of me checking setlist.com for about the hundredth time since we'd sat down. He then went on to check his Facebook account, and then snapped a picture of the stage show.

The obvious contrast between the audience on screen and the one I was a part of was a little disheartening. I mean - do we really need to notify all of our friends and followers of what Fogerty is saying/doing that second? And are you really ahead of the game if you've looked on setlist.com to see if you can guess what song might be next? Real lighters have been replaced by iphone apps during heart filled ballads. And is whatever phone call you're on or text you're sending that important that it can't wait until you're finished taking in this amazing concert that you paid to get into? I look at those people at Woodstock and admire the fact that they are just actually there. They are in that moment simply experiencing the experience. And that one lone fan, that one guy who John Fogerty himself still remembers to this day - what has become of him? The guy who held up his lighter and hollered his support into that New York night  might today be replaced by a tweet; @Johnfogerty, hashtag: #werestillwithyoujohn. When did we get so disconnected? All of this technology is supposed to be bringing us together, making the world more accessible, but it seems to be taking away from us actually truly feeling and experiencing art. Half the time I feel we are so busy trying to capture the moment that we're forgetting to take a second and just enjoy it. As a kid, I remember going to shows where cameras were not even allowed past the front gates as a courtesy to the artist. Do we need to start checking our cell phones at the door? At a show I attended earlier this year, Dallas Green of City and Colour specifically requested the audience put away their phones and cameras just for one song. He asked this of us so that, if only for a few moments, we could all just get the full experience of what we had all come here for. Most people did - and what a difference it made. What a peaceful audience we became. But, as soon as the song ended, the moment had passed and the phones lit up, the cameras flashed. 
We're all guilty of it. How could we not be? But seeing a legend, John Fogerty, and hearing those classic and essential songs coming straight from the source reminded me of a simpler time. It made me miss something that I'm not sure I've ever truly experienced myself.  Call me old fashioned or just call me a square. Maybe I'm a lot closer to becoming the old lady at the end of the block who throws cats at all the 'damn kids and their music' than I'd like to admit. But I truly hope that one day, I can go to concert where we can put away or phones, cameras, Twitter followers and Facebook friends and just enjoy. Just me, you, the band, some kindred spirits and the music.