I have seen my share of shows over the years. The question I’m often asked is, “What is your favorite show?” Not a question with an easy answer. In fact, my response tends to change depending on my mood. What I can pinpoint are the shows that have informed my outlook. Some might even surprise you. Below are five concerts shaped my love of live music:

1) Barry Manilow at the Hollywood, FL Sportatorium, 1980 – Laugh all you want. It was my first concert and I was 6 years old. The Sportatorium was a giant barn with bad acoustics and terrible parking. But it was one of the few places large enough to hold a megastar, circa 1980, with a deep catalog of schmaltz to make the ladies swoon.

2) Billy Joel, Somewhere in South Florida, 1984 – Billy Joel could have been a member of my family, considering how often I saw him as a kid. Every two years he’d come back around, and my family would be there. I can’t recall the location of this show – my first dance at an Italian Restaurant with the Innocent Man – but I do remember sitting in the balcony and going apeshit when Joel kicked into Only the Good Die Young.

3) Queensryche, Miami Arena, 1991 – Arena rock from masters of bombast. It was the Empire tour but the band played Operation: Mindcrime in its’ entirety. Awesome. But the most memorable part of the experience was when my friend Dan and I brokered a deal for tickets from a scalper. Upon asking the fine gentleman if the seats were close to the stage, the man said, “You’re so close the muthafucka goin’ to spit on you.” Good enough.

4) Nirvana and the Breeders, Bayfront Park, Miami, 1993 – The Breeders were a nice opener, but it was Kurt and Co. that brought the fury. This was the show that introduced me to music as catharsis. My ears rang for days.

5) The Posies, Schubas, Chicago, 2000 – My favorite band of all time. I’d seen them play a short set once before, at SXSW just before the release of Amazing Disgrace. I figured I’d have more opportunities, yet somehow they didn’t happen and the band broke up. But then Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow, the two singer/songwriters of the band, got back together for an acoustic tour. They stopped in Chicago and I was there. Watching them that night was one of those moments when you realize how far you’re willing to go to see the music you love in a live setting.

Go to a show. Your soul will thank you for it.