In The Crowd...

Thought it might fun to document some of my most unforgettable concert experiences. Truth be told, I don't go to many concerts these days. And it's not just a matter of convenience; I generally don't feel all that excited to attend "shows" any more. Oh, of course, there's a list of greats that I'd go see, but for the most part, my concert days are over.

But I used to go a lot. Well...maybe not a lot, but I tried to attend and many as humanly possible.

Now, before we hit my "unforgettable" concerts list, you'd do well to remember that, as a teenager, I was actually pretty devout. I never had much of a wild-phase in my life. (That's not to say I haven't had phases where I acted completely selfish and unfaithful to God, though.) You would also benefit by knowing that I loved Christian music. Loved it. Many of the shows that make this list are probably from random festivals or multiple-act shows I tried to attend.

So, in no particular order, here are my unforgettable concerts.
#1. DAKODA MOTOR COMPANY
I think I found these guys first on radio. When I got the chance to attend "Atlanta Fest" as a teenager and I heard these guys would be there, I got really excited.

For me, this band represented a whole new phase of pop/rock in Christian music. In fact, this was probably one of the first "Christian" bands that I had heard that didn't necessarily sing that many Christian things. I was intrigued by their sound (what I'd later learn as "California rock") and their overall approach to music.

I was fortunate in that they played a great deal at the "Edge Stage" at the Festival. This was basically a building at Six Flags (where "Atlanta Fest" was held) that they turned into a club-like venue. I'm not sure why Dakoda played so many times...maybe they didn't have a lot of other bookings...I'm not sure.

I just know that I loved them and I found their laid-back, random approach to humor and performance to be something I had been missing. (And I didn't even know it!)

I did a little searching and found out that Dakoda got back together in 2007 for some reunion shows and seem to be planning a new record. I found some of the reunion clips on YouTube. Can't say that I necessarily dig those tunes as much as I used to, but the fact remains that I will never forget seeing a band that impacted me so much in a very close, live setting.

Anybody else remember this band?