Bands You Wish You Could See, But Can’t

Do you ever have those moments when you hear a certain artist or band from days gone by, and wish you could have attended one of their concerts while they were still on the road and in their heyday? Lately I find myself in that situation, especially as I get farther along with writing again. Most of my wish list is around awesome bands that will sadly never come around again largely because members who were at the forefront of these bands have long since passed away. Here are four bands that I would give my eye teeth to see but will have to make do with concert videos and vinyl records. I would love to hear who you would love to have seen - please add your picks in the comment section below.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Growing up I was exposed to 60s, 70s and 80s country music with little exposure to anything else, so I came quite late to the party where Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are concerned. Their music is true, heartland American rock and roll. No matter what song you hear from this band, you cannot help but feel uplifted and good. These guys have been the soundtrack to summer road trips for the last 40+ years. The sudden and much-too-soon passing of Tom Petty hasn't tempered interest in their music. Man, I wish I was tuned into this group in my younger days and had a chance to attend one of their concerts.


The Band

The Band came together during the period of 1958 to 1963 as one at a time Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel joined together to back Ronnie Hawkins as The Hawks. They left Ronnie in 1964 to venture out of the Toronto music club scene and had a storied career that led them straight to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Band has earned their place in musical lore as a group that is now widely considered to have been among the first Americana musical acts - long before the term Americana was considered as a genre. With their ability to blend their influences, which ranged from rockabilly, country, blues, soul and classical music, The Band recorded timeless and genre defying material. They remain one of the most influential music groups in history. I was only three years old in 1976 when The Band, in its original version, called it quits. Thank goodness we have The Last Waltz concert movie to capture their final show. 


The Highwaymen

Waylon Jennings. Willie Nelson. Kris Kristofferson. Johnny Cash. Not that I need to say more, but I will. Four of the greatest country singers and songwriters that ever lived. Willie and Kris are the only surviving members today. With dozens of number one hits and millions of records sold individually, they came together in 1985 to record and release "The Highwayman", an album that would be certified platinum that same year. Country music's first super group was born. All four are members are in the Country Music Hall of Fame and have influenced more artists in several genres of music than can be counted. 


The Allman Brothers Band

Formed in 1969 in Jacksonville, Florida with brother Duane and Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Butch Trucks, Berry Oakley, and Jaimoe Johanson, The Allman Brothers Band successfully blended rock, country and jazz to become arguably the first successful southern rock band. They are, for sure, the pure definition of a jam band as evidenced in their legendary live performances where songs would last for nearly 20 minutes with improvised guitar solos at the forefront. You can feel the energy this improv style had on a crowd when listening to the landmark 1971 landmark live album "At Filmore East." While the album only has seven tracks, it has a running time of more than 78 minutes. It doesn't take much effort to feel the soul and energy captured in The Allman Brothers signature tune "Whipping Post", which runs for over 23 minutes on the album.