The Perfect Memory

While dining with our kids in the arts district of Memphis, my wife almost didn't notice an advertisement that would initiate instant drooling on my part.  She did thankfully and sent me a picture of the handbill as a text message.  Small but recognizable - a painting in hues of blue and grey of an empire era clipper ship carving through a canyon of water, white sails bloated and outlined by roiling seas squally and pitch .  At the bottom, a gold cloth banner with "Westwinds" written upon it.  I knew the painting well.  It was the cover art for the latest release by The Real Mckenzies.  Monday, June 18th - The Real McKenzies in concert.  The band hails from Canada - but is loosely defined as a Scottish punk/folk/rock-n-roll outfit. They love their scotch and wearing their kilts the highland way.  Commando.  Tartan butterflies did acrobatics in my stomach.  Finally, a band worth seeing in this god forsaken town.  I saw them in the early 90's half past the 10 O'clock news.  The bar was called The Green Onion.  Imagine a tractor-trailer sized enclosure reeking of cheap beer and twist-tied with Christmas lights.  A charming establishment filled with charity furniture and dotted with patches of bare earth where flooring should have been.  Twenty strangers, I included, slam-danced the night away.  We left the bar best of friends caked with sweat-soaked mud and entirely less sober.

Recollections of that evening bounced about in my mind transforming to thoughts of reprising my role as a human pogo.  The last show I had been to was The Sisters Of Mercy in Detroit 2 years ago.  And here was an opportunity in my town no less.  To go see a band I actually cared about.  A thought occurred to me soon after the winged anticipation left my stomach and calm returned.  Trying to relive a spiritual memory such as mine would have been a disappointment.  That evening all those years ago was perfect and remains the candle to which I judge all others.  It is for that reason I didn't attend the The Real McKenzies concert this past Monday.  Perhaps I missed out on a better than perfect experience.  It wasn't worth the risk.