by Betsy, Norristown, PA

I lived in Athens, GA. for about twelve years, and we were lucky to have access to really incredible live music through what was probably the indie/college band heyday. All the R.E.M. “surprise” shows, the B-52s coming home to play the 40 Watt, the Replacements, Nirvana (missed that one, but saw a post-Nirvana Dave Grohl drum for Mike Watt (Minutemen)), young Old 97s, Uncle Tupelo, and the list goes on…

But one three-minute moment still stands out as proof of G-d for me. Sometime in ‘93 or ‘94 (I think), the Continental Drifters came to town. The most well-known members were Peter Holsapple (the magical dBs*, and at the time, the “fifth R.E.M-er”), his wife for a spell, Susan Cowsill* (The Cowsills, of course), and their friend Vicki Peterson (The Bangles), who was touring with them. After a lovely show, the gloves came off and the covers came out for the encores. I’m sure they were all wonderful, but all I can remember is at the end, Mike Mills (R.E.M.) stepping up to the stage to join his friends; Peter, Susan, Vicki and Mike sharing two mics between them; and the sound that poured out was like a beam of aural light from heaven. I’ve only seen The Mamas and The Papas on television and listened to them on the stereo (how dated!), and think they were amazing, but I can say with no hyperbole added that the rendition of “(This Is) Dedicated To The One I Love” I heard and saw that night at the 40 Watt was incredible. The blending of those four voices swooping and twining in the moving air was sublime. If I could put a stream of that memory in the dictionary under “harmony”, I would.

It is at moments like that one that one becomes sure there is a kind and loving G-d. Just transcendent. So I’m more than a little reverent about this… It’s just because, 13 or so years later, I can still recall the feeling of breathing the same air that was momentary, fleeting greatness.

(**Two other moments: 1985-6ish - The dBs encoring with “Suspicious Minds”, with Mike Mills (again) and Bill Berry doing the female gospel-choir voices, and Susan Cowsill’s (2004?2005?) recorded version of “Who Knows Where The Time Goes” — it, yes I’m saying it, surpasses Sandy Denney’s)