Inside Gigi's World

Music has always been an integral part of my life.

Some of my earliest memories are standing around my Mem’s piano at family-get-togethers. The family would loudly be singing along as her fingers—which were normally painted various shades of red— stroked the keys, changing tempo and rhythm as the song changed.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey.

Do. A deer. A female deer. Ray, a drop of golden suuunnn. Me, a name I call myself. Fa, a long, long way to ruuunnn.

There were Christmas carols and songs that I never knew the names of but still somehow knew all the words. Words that have escaped my mind over the years, replaced by other songs that probably aren’t nearly as memory-invoking as the other songs.

I wasn’t very close with my father’s family—I’m still not. I don’t even think most of my cousins could tell you what my children’s names are, however, when we were together we made it count.

I loved tuning in on Saturday mornings to listen to Casey Kasem’s Weekly Top 40 where I eagerly sat with my cassette in my boombox and my finger on the record button, just praying that I’d be quick enough to capture a whole song. I’d avoid going to the bathroom at all costs, fear of missing one of the songs I so desperately wanted to hear causing me to nearly piss my pants on more occasions than I care to admit.

One Christmas, after my love for R&B music blossomed, I asked for a cassette single of TLC’s Baby-Baby-Baby, which Santa begrudgingly brought. My parents couldn’t believe that Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez had a condom over her eye. That cassette still had nothing on my original Dirty Dancing soundtrack.

The first C.D I ever purchased —Boy, does this one hurt to admit out loud— Millie Vanilli’s Blame it on the Rain at some kind of yard sale.

My best music era was while I was in middle school. Middle school, I know what you’re thinking but I said what I said.

Oasis- WonderWall

The Cranberries –  Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?

The Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

TLC – Crazy, Sexy, Cool.

Janet Jackson – Janet.

Of all the things I hoped to do, going to a concert was one that I dreamt of every night as I laid in my bed that was nestled in my red-brick apartment where I listened to music all night long. I’d imagine myself sitting in the front row, by myself, with no one else there. Just me and the music.

It would take years before I would actually see my first concert—August 2013, about a week before my 29th birthday. It was Fortunate Youth, Iration, and Through the Roots at the Brighton Music Hall in Boston. What a first show. I was hooked from that moment on. I knew that as much as I love music, because I really do, nothing was ever going to hit the same as live music from that point on.

I have seen so many concerts that I can even remember them all at this point. I couldn’t even count how many shows if I tried. I’m not saying it as a flex. Are you kidding me? There are some people who have gone to more shows in a month than I have my entire life but it did feel great to cross that off of my bucket list.

Every December I drudge up a rough draft of my New Year’s resolutions that I typically abandon by January 2nd. This year I decided to do a bucket list for 2025 with what I felt were more obtainable goals. I wanted to go to six concerts this year. 6—one concert every other month.

I can happily say I am well on my way.

In March I saw Tribal Seeds in Boston and Roots of Creation in Westfield.

In May I saw Fortunate Youth in New Hampshire. (Full disclosure, I think I have seen them pretty close to two dozen times now and this was by far the best set I have ever seen them perform and that should say a lot because they are epic every time).

Up next on the schedule for June is Slightly Stoopid and Tribal Seeds with The Movement.

I’m well on my way to crossing off this one little line on my 2025 Bucket List and it makes my heart want to do a happy little dance. So here’s to live music and everyone who is lucky enough to hear it.

Who’s your favorite person to go to a show with? What was the first concert you seen?