Emotional

[Ian Townsend]

It's August and even Mumsnet is quiet so it's a good time for an emotional thread as very few VG+ers are hangin' around to point and laugh at my tears.

Burt
So DW ( that's Dear Wife) told me yesterday she had desperately tried to get Burt Bacharach tickets for my birthday but failed. I was really touched and emotional, not because it was a beautiful thing to do nor that she had failed, but because I know full well I'd be a blubbering wreck hearing Him playing His own compositions. Just dwelling briefly on what it would feel like to hear various intros to his songs 'live' with an orchestra made me fill up. I came to the conclusion I would never be able to handle it.

Todd
I saw Todd on my 40th birthday. Thoroughly enjoyable, he ripped through great tracks from various LPs and I even had the pleasure of him shaking my hand and wishing me a happy birthday afterwards. It was truly awesome but not emotional.

Fast forward to a few years ago and Todd at Hammersmith. A friend got the tickets and I wasn't paying attention so had no idea that for the second half of this particular gig he would play 'A Wizard, a True Star' in its entirety. Realising this in the foyer was exciting, the reality was tear-streaked emotion. All lovers of 'Wizard' will know it's great but one of the most poorly recorded albums in history because of the overdubs and pressing (Todd played everything on it)

Hearing sparkling, in true hi- fi live, with his experienced backing band playing it straight and Todd in fine, fine voice was just overwhelming. Blubbed for England at various points, as did the burly West Ham fan next to me who listened exclusively to Todd all his life as obsessively as he supported the Hammers. Mad.

Elvis
I was 15 when Elvis died and distinctly remember being dumbstruck that various Teddy Boys who lived down the road cried all day and were inconsolable for weeks after. I didn't understand then but I think I do now.

It's quiet and there are not many people reading so please to share truly emotional musical experiences of your own.

Organised catharsis is good.

If revisiting emotional experiences is overwhelming shake it off by reading this old Mumsnet thread to discover the true meaning of 'Drink from my fountain', 'My Foo Foo is blowing you kisses' and learn a novel use for the Theme From The Sooty Show.

[Expiry2011]

I'm going to desert VG+ for Mumsnet if its all like that

"like a starving dog on a tin of Chum"

Had me laughing out loud!!!!!

[treeboy]

As I get older, the blub factor has crept up on me at an alarming rate. I find it hard to even watch athletics on the telly without having to disappear into the kitchen to "put the kettle on". Standing at the finish of The Great North Run waiting for Mrs Treeboy to finish is a complete other thing, everybodys at it!
Musically, I was quite unprepared for the effect Love Forever Changes at the RFH had on me. Hair standing up everywhere at the start of Alone Again Or, when the brass came in it was all over. I wasn't alone either. A proper "moment".
David Axelrod was pretty emotional too. More to do with the man and where he had been physically leading up to it I suppose.
This is what I mean, just thinking back to those nights I get misty eyed.
Better out than in!

[pitch]

I was at the Burt Bacharach concert and it was quite emotional. My girlfriend had invited her (elderly) parents too - so it was rather wonderful watching them loose 30 years, get all giggly and silly and totally involved in proceedings - they were fans back in the day - knew all the songs backwards. The music and performance was beautiful, just made that bit more poignant sharing the experience with lovely real fans of all ages.

Was blown away seeing Eels live the day after Burt. Had never seen him / the band before and was amazed at the gloriously melancholic, witty and observant lyrics to his songs. I never really engage with lyrics normally - but this was spell binding. Amazing musicians backing him up too. At one moment he paused and said to the audience - "let's have a group hug!" - he raised his arms and gave us all an imagined hug..... but this wasn't enough. To the horror of his minder / mamager, he proceeded to leave the stage and went to hug an audience member, and then another - at this point people were running acroos the auditorium for their hug. He disappeared under a crowd of huggers, surfacing a few moments later with the help of his minder / manager, clambering up to the stage. "Wow - that was amazing.." he said, then as an aside "but a tip to any musicians out there - don't follow my example - it's f**king scary!" But the point is he was emotional - moved by music and audience to do something spontaneous and that was heart warming to see.

[LDJB]

I had one of these moments when I went to see the very briefly reformed Velvet Underground - oddly it occurred when they launched into 'Venus in Furs' - never my favourite song of theirs but I remember thinking that I'd never ever see the original band, a band which meant a great deal to me and had a huge influence on me growing up, do this in the flesh again.....sadly I was right.

Also the moment when Edwyn Collins took to the stage at ATP after recovering from his stroke. Amazing!

[d7bohs]

When the Blades, a band most of you won't have heard of, took the stage in the Olympia in Dublin last December for the first time in 27 years and 1,900 of us (probably) got very emotional as we were transported back to a time when cities had their own scenes, when you could be enormous in one place and mean nothing in most other places......