A COUPLE of weeks ago, I invited readers to share memories from their favorite musical concerts.
The most enthusiastic response came from Christina Dolan of Park Ridge, who had enjoyed seeing many of the top rock groups of the late 1960s.
Her list of favorites included the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Buffalo Springfield and Iron Butterfly, with its "unforgettable drum solo in 'In-A Gadda-Da-Vida.'"
"I feel very lucky to have grown up with such wonderful music," Dolan wrote in an e-mail. "It was the best time ever.
"The one person I wish I could see again is Janis Joplin. She was amazing. She was gutsy and unique."
Dolan wrote that she saw Joplin perform with Big Brother & the Holding Company at an amusement park called the Lagoon near Salt Lake City in 1968.
She recalled that Joplin, who died of a drug overdose in 1970, ended the concert with a classic, "Ball and Chain."
"I remember just being amazed," Dolan wrote. "I was immediately one of her biggest fans.
"I wish she had been given a second chance. I still listen to her last album, 'Pearl.' I think she opened the door for other female rockers. She left us with her amazing voice, lyrics and a little of her sadness. Oh, what might have come next from her?"
My column also prompted an invitation to the Stafford Regional Choral Society's summer performance at Colonial Forge High School. That concert, "Decades: The Music We Grew Up With," featured society members performing some of the best songs from the '50s, '60s and '70s.
The show included music from the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Aretha Franklin, Elvis and a disco medley.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend. But it didn't take much investigative reporting to figure out that the joint was jumpin'.
"I think the concert was awesome," wrote society member Mary Jo Hiles, who estimated the attendance at about 300. "We had a lot of fun performing those songs."
"The costumes were wild," wrote Jeannine Moss. "The choreography was a tad erratic (at least on my part), but the singing was inspired."
Barbara Perry, the society's founding director, deserves credit for the theme.
"And we knew immediately it would be a winner--perfect for a fun summer concert," wrote Kevin French, the chairman of the society's board.
French said the "deejay" of an imaginary radio station introduced the background of each song and tied it to the big events of those rock 'n' roll years.
"We even challenged the audience with trivia and it almost didn't work as well as planned," he said. "Because so many people knew even the most obscure questions."
French said the Choral Society has a mix of both younger and more mature singers, and even the high-school and college-age members had strong opinions on how certain songs should be performed to remain authentic.
For example, he said, there was some debate as to whether the group should do the live version or the studio version of the Beach Boys' "Barbara Ann."
"And I saw plenty of people singing along--from elementary age through seniors," French said of the audience. "Clearly, the music had wide appeal."
That's good news. Somehow it is comforting to know that rock 'n' roll is alive and well in Stafford.
By the way, the Stafford Regional Choral Society's next performance will be the annual Christmas concert Dec. 18 at Colonial Forge.
Since 2000, the group has presented a variety of programs in the Fredericksburg area. A nonprofit group, the society also sponsors scholarships for local college-bound musicians.
For more information, check out the society's Web site at staffordchoral.org.
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