Well, kids, summer has arrived. If you have ever noticed, all the good concerts seem to come during the summer -- with May being more like a pre-show.
My parents, when I was younger, took me to many concerts at some of these venues, mainly Contemporary Christian concerts. I myself had only been to the Sam Houston Coliseum twice, once for Steve Camp when I was five and lastly, a concert with Margaret Becker and the late Rich Mullins at age seven.
As for Hofheinz Pavillion, I went there once and that was when I graduated from the University of Houston in 2010. I have also been to the old Summit twice, both times were for the Handels Young Messiah tour back in 1992 and 1995.
Some of the best ones that I went to were in the summer. I can clearly remember as a child going to Joyfest at the Southern Star Ampitheater at Astroworld back in 1994 and twice in 1997 -- once to see Jars of Clay and another time to see Point of Grace -- my version of Wilson Phillips and the Spice Girls.
In more recent years, I have attended other summer concerts such as Wilson Phillips in Galveston, Stevie Nicks's In Your Dreams tour in August 2011,and Journey with Cheap Trick and Heart back in July 2008, both at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavillion.
However, I still wonder what it would have been like to be at some of the more legendary concert tours that have either come through Houston or elsewhere.
Woodstock '69
Ahhhh...the motherlode of all concerts. This concert made history like no other. With a lineup that included the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, the Who, Country Joe and the Fish, Santana, Jefferson Airplane, and countless others -- who wouldn't want to be at this festival?
The US Festival in San Bernadino, Calif., September 3-5, 1982/May 28-30, June 4, 1983
The US Festival had one of the greatest lineups in music history next to Woodstock '69. The first half, which took place over Labor Day weekend, featured such acts as The B-52's, Oingo Boingo (Oscar-winning composer Danny Elfman's old band), Eddie Money, The Kinks, Pat Benatar, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Police, Fleetwood Mac and Talking Heads.
The second half, which took place over a Memorial Day weekend, featured such acts as the Divinyls, Missing Persons, Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest, Van Halen, U2, Stevie Nicks, David Bowie, and the Pretenders.
It was a festival that was both financed and planned by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniack. In many ways, from what I know about this festival, it was a little like Summerfest. Either way, it would have been fun to be there in person.
