FUV Five Favorite Concerts: Corny O'Connell
Corny O'Connell's Five Favorite Concerts include a whirlwind trip to Nashville and a missed romantic connection.
During the 2014 FUV fall member drive, we're shining a spotlight on live concerts and performances. The FUV on-air staffers compiled individual lists of five memorable and marvelous shows that have stayed with them over the years, for one reason or another.
Corny O'Connell's Five Favorite Concerts:
The Police, Brendan Byrne Arena (April 1982)
The Police were four albums along and riding a huge wave of popularity. They had the audience locked in a pulsing, hypnotic groove from start to finish. It was amazing to see this concrete structure moving in unison with the crowd. Afterward as the mass of people flowed out, I had one of those missed connections with a beautiful, brown-eyed brunette—it still haunts me.
John Hiatt, The Town Hall (November 16, 2001)
The city was still reeling from the attacks of 9/11. Many of us turned to music for consolation. John Hiatt closed this show with a new song we all needed to hear, repeating the line "New York had her heart broke." This concert was also my first date with the woman who is now my wife and the love of my life.
Wilco, The Ryman Auditorium (October 1 and 2, 2011)
Yes, my wife and I flew to Nashville to see Wilco with Nick Lowe as opening act at "The Mother Church of Country Music." Seeing these two acts was a dream bill for us, so we attended both nights they were there.
The New York Philharmonic, Avery Fisher Hall (October 4, 2013)
I've always loved the films of Stanley Kubrick. And like Alex in "A Clockwork Orange" I developed an obsession with Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125. After cranking it up for years at home, I finally got to hear it the way it was intended to be experienced: live in concert by the New York Philharmonic at a world class venue. It was exhilarating.
The Replacements, Forest Hills Stadium (September 19, 2014)
Rumors of a Replacements reunion have swirled for years, so it was great to see it finally happen, at least with two of the original members. Paul Westerberg fronted on guitar and vocals with Tommy Stinson on bass and comic relief. This was just a great show that lived up to a lot of hype.
