Huevos Rancheros Rock!

I live in San Antonio. It's a great city of Living History. We have our links to the past, the Alamo, the Missions, La Villita, the River Walk. At the same time, we are ALIVE, in the present tense, letting our history serve as a backdrop to our current achievements and future dreams.

This morning, I had huevos rancheros at Mi Tierra, a San Antonio landmark restaurant with a long history of serving great food and great memories. As I enjoyed my breakfast, as I have done so many times before, I thought about they have maintained their high quality through the years. That's why I, and so many others, keep coming back.

It made me think about my favorite Live Rock Albums. Why do I keep returning to them over the years for another listen? Because they captured something special, a moment of greatness, preserved forever, to enjoy again and again. Just like my huevos rancheros, which were as excellent this morning and they were 20 years ago and, I suspect, they will be 20 years from now.

When you think of live rock albums, you may think "Frampton Comes Alive", "Woodstock" (or possibly some of my favorites, like Lou Reed's "Rock and Roll Animal" or the first benefit rock concert "Concert for Bangladesh"). I am sure that you have your favorites. Live albums are designed to be something like a souvenir for the fans; something to keep as a remembrance of good times.

Here are some of my favorite LIVE ROCK albums of the past few decades:

1970's

Rolling Stones - Get Your Ya-Ya's Out (1970)

Led Zeppelin - The Song Remains the Same (1976)

Genesis - Seconds Out (1977)

1980's

U2 - Under a Blood Red Sky (1983)

Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense (1984)

George Thorogood - Live (1986)

1990's

The Band - The Last Waltz (1990)

Nirvana - MTV Unplugged in New York (1994)

Pearl Jam - Live on Two Legs (1998)

2000's

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band - Live in New York City (2001) - which contains a spectacular version of "Land of Hope and Dreams"

U2 - Go Home/Live from Slane Castle Ireland (2007)

Kings of Leon - Live at the O2 - to be released October 13, 2009 - if the record is anything like the YouTube videos from their June 2009 shows at London's O2 arena, it should be amazing. Just like my huevos rancheros this morning.