Jim and Ian Byrne
About
My name is Pat Moriarty. I am a fan of live music and have been attending concerts for over 30 years. I started this website as a way of sharing some of my concert going experiences and a few pictures I have taken over the years. This is actually the third version of the website that I stared in 2004.
I have grown up with an appreciation of live music dating back to hearing my father play Big Band music on his Ampex cassette player and the radio. My first 8-track tape was a hand me down from my oldest brother that he did not like all that much. I thank god that 8-track was Born to Run as this was my first introduction to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
My sister took me to see my first concert at the Rosemont Horizon to see Country legend Charlie Daniels. My first real big festival was the first Farm Aid held in Champaign Illinois in 1985. My favorite festival is the annual Milwaukee Irish Fest.
I really enjoy all types of music. I started out getting into what is now often referred to as Classic rock listening to people like Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, and Billy Joel. Being from Chicago my music listening was really influenced by blues musicians like Buddy Guy and Lonnie Brooks. About twenty years ago I really got into Celtic music after seeing a couple PBS specials with Leahy and the Elders featured. This was sealed within minutes of first seeing Leahy at the House of Blues in Chicago in 2003.
The great thing about live music is sharing it with friends and family. I have been to over 100 concerts with my friend Jim Fidler ranging from Kansas to that first Leahy concert. He has probably been one of the single most influential people in my music appreciation over the years. He is constantly introducing me to new bands. Jim is also a great photographer and has allowed me to feature his work on this website.
You will probably notice that I have attended a lot of REO Speedwagon concerts through the years. This would be my brother Pete's doing. He is a huge REO fan and has a gallery or two of REO on the website.
I always welcome hearing from people who have visited the Concert Stage website or any of my other websites. You can email me at pat@TheConcertStage.com or give me a call at (630) 557-9723.
