Song For The Day - January 27, 2015 Dan Fogelberg. Yes, another of the great ones on my long list. One that left us far too soon. Dan died December of 2007. I felt like I had lost a good friend. The first time I ever heard his name was at an Eagles Concert back in early 1974. Glen Frey came out at the beginning of the show and told us that a friend of theirs, whod just put out his first album, was going to come out and play some of his songs for us.... His name is Dan Fogelberg. There was a piano on stage and a stool. He came out when the lights went down and brought an acoustic guitar with him. A little more than an hour later I was a huge fan and Im pretty sure I wasnt alone. For that whole hour that was without a doubt the quietest concert hall Ive ever been inside. The strength of his performance that night is still stuck in my head. I can still see it and of course we (me and David) were right up front. The second time I got to see him live was in the 80s. He played in Grand Rapids and I remember most of the time he was at the piano. The songs were different. life was different. I was married by then and we were both more mature. The 3rd and final time I got to see him live was in South Bend in 2002. At this point it was the 30th anniversary tour, so there was no way I was going to miss it. The fact that Cidny Bullens was the warm up act just added to the whole night, but more about her later...... Dan pulled all the stops out for this tour. It was the first time Id ever gotten to see him with a full band and he used them to their full potential. For people who only know the Fogelberg hits, he often gets the rap of being a mushy, ballad singer and thats not at all fair. This boy could rock and that night he did. It was great. Later on that year there was talk about another tour next year just like in 2002, but then all the talked stopped. And then, the news that cancer had arrived. In between that horrible news and the end of his life, he had time to produce one more album. An album made knowing full well that this was going to be it and he made it go full circle. The last chord, on the last song, of his last album, is the exact same chord of the first song, on his first album. Full circle. In-between hearing him that first time in 74 and the last time in 2002 there hadnt been very few weeks where there wasnt at least one Fogelberg song played around here. After he passed it was too hard to listen to his music for quite awhile, until that last album appeared. And then, things were ok again. After that first concert in 74, both me and David bought the record and started learning the songs. One of our favorites back then was called Looking For A Lady. We practiced it to perfection and played it many times around the campfire. Occasionally a lady would appear, if only for a brief time. There is a memorial and an annual get-together in his hometown in Illinois that Im hoping to get to this year, if all goes as planned. Its a two day affair with a lot of fans, where music and stories are welcomed and shared. Im taking a pic of David and my Eagles story if I get to go..... Some people tell you Theyre trapped in the distance And cant get what they want most They throw up a wall And then call for assistance And make no attempt to get close https://facebook/pages/Fogelberg-Foundation-of-Peoria/312903794749 danfogelberg/ thelivinglegacy.net/ youtu.be/vM9U52onO58
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 07:39:16 +0000
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