Like other posts, this one will have to include events prior to starting this bucket list. I guess life is just too short - and my plan keeps getting interrupted by other things.
1. Billy Joel (Phoenix AZ) 1980's. Score 5/5. When I was a teenager with too much paper route money to spend and a desire to impress too many young women, I went to several big name concerts. I believe this one was held in the old Phoenix Municipal Stadium (state fair grounds.)
2. Elton John (Phoenix AZ) 1980's. Score 5/5. Another awesome concert at "The Mad House on McDowell."
3. Air Supply (Mesa AZ) 1980's. Score 2.5/5. The music was great. Jeannie Henninger was a great date. But being in an outdoor pavilion during a rainstorm did not make for a pleasant concert experience.
4. Saturday's Warrior (Phoenix AZ) 1970's. Score 4/5. As a child who grew up in rural Snowflake, this family outing was a very big city experience. This musical play was written and produced by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I can still sing just about every song by memory (we bought the album!) Many have tried to duplicate with updated plays and movies...no one really could.
5. My Turn on Earth (Phoenix AZ) 1970's. Score 4.5/5. There was a trend at the time, I guess, to do these church related musicals. This one became another LDS pop culture icon. Great music and very entertaining for a youth my age.
6. BYU Men's Chorus Concert (Provo UT, St. George UT, Salt Lake City UT) 2016-2017. Score 5/5. Our son Daniel was one of the singers, and chief media officer. Several of his videos played in the background of the concerts. We followed him as best we were able to many of his concerts. Very high quality...with the Spirit.
7. BYU Ballroom Dance Company (Surprise AZ) 2019. Score 5/5. World Champions for several consecutive years, this dance company is amazing! The concert was entertaining for youth, playful for kids, and very high level precision dance for the trained eye.
8. Lion King (London UK, Tempe AZ) 2009, 2015(?). Score 5/5. There is a reason this play became an international phenomenon. The script, the props, the talent, the music...all extraordinary. Whether on a smaller stage in London, or a large state at Gammage, this was one of the best I will ever see. The first time I saw this with my ASU doctoral cohort. The second time Suzanne and I took the kids.
9. Wicked (Tempe, AZ) 2017(?). Score 5/5. Another amazing musical that earned international acclaim for good reason. Our seats were less than ideal, but worth being in the building.
10. Les Miserables (Los Angeles, CA). Score 5/5. Epic!
11. Phantom of the Opera (Tempe, AZ) 1990(?). Score 4.5/5. Robert Goulet as the the Phantom was not what I expected, but what a voice! This performance was still close enough in the show's shelf life to be intriguing. Too often a play is recycled so many times it loses its splendor.
12. Kenny G (Sun City AZ) 1980's. Score 3.5/5. Remember the Sun Dome...a 6000 seat auditorium that has since been demolished. Another date night during my teen years. You just can't compare a clarinet concert to a Billy Joel concert. It was nice, but not extraordinary.
13. Dysart High School Dance Concert (El Mirage AZ) 2017(?). Score...a very admittedly biased 5/5. Our daughter Caitlyn performed her senior solo on stage after several years of other concerts. She absolutely nailed the dance. The best part was helping her rehearse in the dance room late a night and on weekends - I had a key to the school.
14. Savior of the World: His Birth and Resurrection (Salt Lake City, UT) 2012. Score 5/5. Performed in the newly constructed Conference Center Theatre on Temple Square, this musical production was one of the most inspiring and engaging version of Christ's life I will likely ever see on stage (not that I have seen any others.) Two memorable take-aways: 1. the music 2. the angels that looked over the stage the entire show.
15. Babes in Toyland (Wickenburg, AZ)
16. The Rockettes (Tempe, AZ)
17. Leahy (Wickenburg AZ)
18. Brian Regan (Tucson, AZ)
19. Millennial Choir (Mesa, AZ)
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