ROCK ON, SAN ANTONIO

Geoff Tate and Queensrÿche at the Aztec Theatre, March 28, 2014

Make no mistake about it – San Antonio is a rock and roll city. If I had any doubts, they were dispelled last night at the Queensrÿche concert at the Aztec Theatre.

The roar of the near-capacity audience was louder than the music when frontman Geoff Tate walked on stage, and that’s saying a lot. The energy level of the crowd was off the charts; it was a mixture of sheer joy, excitement, mania, exhilaration and ecstasy. Tate owned the room.

The show took me back to rock and roll youth. I lived to go to concerts and loved the rush I got from being able to work my way up to the stage.

Those were the days when people held up real lighters to signal an encore, not an app on their smartphone.

When people smoked cigarettes, not e-cigs.

Bret Michaels at the Aztec Theatre, March 9, 2014

George Thorogood at the Aztec Theatre, March 4, 2014

I always considered myself a rock and roll kind of girl, but in the last 10 years or so, my tastes branched out and I got more into the blues and Americana genre. After experiencing live music on a more personal level at clubs like Sam’s Burger Joint and Luna, or even at a medium-sized venue like the Majestic Theatre, I swore off arena concerts. What was the point of paying an outrageous sum of money and then watching the performers on a big screen?

I figured the days of pumping my fist in the air and standing throughout an entire concert were behind me.

Buddy Guy at the Aztec Theatre, March 6, 2014

But then the Aztec Theatre opened up.

It’s a medium-sized venue with the energy of an arena. You can stand up against the stage or on one of the three tiered levels, or you have a seat up in the balcony. The acoustics are outrageously good, no matter where you are.

The vibes are so good at the Aztec, I feel like the rock and roll girl I once was. I may even go out and buy a lighter.

Eddie Money at the Aztec Theatre, Feb. 16, 2014

You can read more about the Aztec here in my story for The Rivard Report.