Sometimes it feels like I’m writing this blog about fulfilling all kinds of childhood dreams. And maybe I am. Star Wars came out in the summer of 1977. Those were the days when a movie stayed in the theaters longer that 3 weeks before ending up on a streaming service. Star Wars was so popular that it was September before my family finally decided to see it. Though my brother fell asleep, I’ve always been the sci-fi geek in the family and was totally enthralled. Besides awesome special effects, the film had a musical score that was beyond anything I’d ever heard before. I loved it so much that my parents bought me the 2 disc LP album for a Christmas present. The composer of this brilliant music was none other than John Williams. I became a fan boy that year and found myself wearing out cassette tapes of his greatest hits.

Mark, Maria, Dillard and I are always looking for reasons to get together. If we can add music to the event it’s even better. Earlier in the spring I saw an announcement that John Williams would be conducting the Boston Pops at Tanglewood late in the summer and I knew this would be a perfect event for us. I bought the tickets for us to sit on the lawn and secured our place! Dillard decided it would be cool to rent a VRBO for the group rather than try for hotel rooms. He also thought it would be fun to invite a few other friends from his college days and Mike and Pam. I didn’t realize it was becoming quite the event, but the more the merrier.

The weekend finally arrived and some of us decided to add the Dr. Seuss museum in Springfield, MA to our journey. Janet & I met Pam, Mike, Dillard, and Lori at the Springfield museum complex and enjoyed the whimsical world of Theodore Geisel.

There was more to see so we also took in the city’s classical art museum and the science museum. Art is best enjoyed in small doses so we made our way to the VRBO in a farm community in upstate New York. Mark and Maria joined us later in the evening and we all had a great time getting caught up.

The next morning, Mark informed us there was an Edvard Munch exhibit at the Clark Museum in Williamsburg. Being only 45 minutes away, we thought this to be a great way to spend the morning. He’s a pretty complicated painter, but his works were fascinating to behold.

We took some time to enjoy the permanent collection and the beautiful grounds before heading onward.

The Norman Rockwell museum is only about 15 minutes from Tanglewood, and since many in our group had never been, we stopped there as well. Janet and I had already been there, but we enjoyed the Tony Sarg exhibit of marionettes and Macy’s parade balloons.

Finally the time arrived to attend the concert. We’ve never been to Tanglewood and didn’t know any of the traditions. I was amazed at the people who brought tables and candleabras, wine, cheese, and all sorts of things to make the event special. The shed seats 5,000 and the grounds seat about the same with everyone spaced out. Only John Williams can attract of 10,000 viewers to a symphony concert. And we were not disappointed. They played many of my favorites like Jurassic Park, Superman, Olympic Fanfare, and more. Though Williams himself only conducted the second half, it was worth the wait. At 91, the man is literally a rock star! He shared how some of the music we were listening to was composed just a few short miles from where we sat. Most of us knew he’d conducted this very orchestra throughout the 80s and 90s and served as conductor emeritus. He ended the concert with three encores. The first was a new piece written for the new Indiana Jones movie. Then he turned his head into the microphone and just bellowed ET while launching into the flight theme without losing a beat. Finally the night was about to end when out of the blue came the menacing rhythmic cadence of cellos and basses as they heralded the Imperial March from The Empire Strikes Back. My eyes welled up with tears and I began screaming YES, YES, YES, like the fanboy I readily admit to being. They saved this, my absolute favorite piece and iPhone ringtone, for last. My heart was full as I sobbed through the multiple standing ovations.

Many people my age group grew up with musical favorites like Boston, Kansas, Styx, and other bands of the day. They were fortunate to see their bands play in stadium events in their own cities. Being a John Williams fan has required a lot of patience. I’ve diligently waited 45 years for this moment, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Living in New England make attending events like this possible, and I love it!