Missing A Great Opportunity Because of Chronic Migraines

I grew up in an unusual little place called Rochester in SE Minnesota. When people think Minnesota they usually think of Minneapolis and St. Paul - the twin cities as it is frequently referred to. Those who have heard of Rochester probably only know about it because it is the home of the Mayo Clinic. In fact, if not for the Mayo Clinic, Rochester would be nothing more than a small farming community just like everything else surrounding it.

I love this place so much, but with a population around 110,000 it's not the sort of place frequented by musical acts, especially back when I was young and the population was even smaller. I did manage to see Bryan Adams three times during my teenage years and that's when I realized how much better music is when performed live. No matter how good of a sound system is, there is just no comparison. Live music has a magical quality that reaches into some otherwise untouched place in our core and stirs us. Well, assuming it's good music.

Of course, I don't go to concerts anymore. My body simply can't manage the experience. The parking, walking and getting seated. The waiting for the concert to start, putting up with the opening act and then waiting again for the main event. The extremely loud volume, the flashing lights the screaming fans all around. The standing for hours and then the crush of people all trying to leave at the same time. The pulsing and ringing in the ears for days to follow... And that's if I can even pull myself together enough to go at the scheduled time of the concert. Everything about it is a migraine trigger.

As much as I love live music, the years of living with chronic migraines has made concert going sound like no fun at all. So what's the problem? Well, now I live in a bigger city, the kind of place everyone stops when they go on tour. I'm watching commercials and seeing billboards around town promoting all the wonderful musicians I would love to see perform. The list of musicians I love, who are still performing, is fairly small: Pink, The Moody Blues, Bob Seger, Fleetwood Mac, Nora Jones, The Beach Boys, Pat Metheny and I would see Bryan Adam again so long as it was acoustic. Of the 8 acts I listed, 5 have been or are scheduled to come through here in the 3 years since we moved to the area.

Knowing I have the opportunity to see these amazing artists perform and NOT being unable to go makes me sad. Many of these artists are old enough that you have to wonder how many more times they will go on tour. The opportunity to see them is fleeting and I feel like I'm missing out. Sure, I can listen to their music any time I want but it's not the same. I wish I could have the experience of seeing the musicians I love play the music I love. So much so that I actually wonder if I should just go and do it, even if the migraine price is high.

What do you think?