photo Kevin Crockett Hamilton with other teachers who also share a love for music.
Exceptional education teacher, Suzanne Hamilton, has attended over 200 concerts over the course of her life. Most of the concerts she has attended are those in the rock or grunge genre.
“I think I became drawn to concerts because of my love for music, and I love loud, head banging music,” said Hamilton.
Hamilton has seen her favorite band, The Foo Fighters, nine times in concert. However, her favorite band to watch in concert is The Queens of Stone Age.
“I really like their music, and my favorite drummer, David Grohl, used to play with them,” said Hamilton.
Hamilton can recall a time where Grohl broke his leg, and used a throne out of guitar pieces. Grohl’s throne reminded her of the Game of Throne’s throne.
“I remember that despite his injury, he was still up there rocking like a maniac sitting in his throne,” said Hamilton.
Growing up before the late 1980s and early 1990s, Hamilton loved classic rock bands such as Pearl Jam, the Smashing Pumpkins, Bon Jovi, and REM. In the mid-1990s, Hamilton found herself not enjoying classic rock as much.
Nirvana was a major influence in her change of tastes. Their music opened the door for her to grunge style music.
“Once Nirvana came out, I could never go back to classic rock bands,” said Hamilton.
But music is not the only aspect to a concert. A concert’s venue also has appeal to Hamilton, and there are some that have really caught her eye.
The 9:30 Club in Washington D.C. is one of her favorite places to attend concerts due to its history.
“The 9:30 Club has so much music history. It has a special vibe. It has been a music venue in Washington since 1980… big for punk rock scene,” said Hamilton.
The NorVa Theatre in Norfolk is another one of Hamilton’s favorite venues due to its location.
“I like the NorVa theatre because it is just fun to get out of town once in a while. Norfolk downtown is just such a cool place to visit,” said Hamilton.
In the future, Hamilton plans to broaden her concert watching in order to see even more crazy spectacles like Bruce Springsteen sliding across the stage at age 64, or Eddie Vedder standing and swinging from a hanging light.
Hamilton loves the memories she has made over the years. She hopes to continue her journey as long as possible.
“I love singing along to the songs, and everyone is singing as well, and everything is like kumbaya except with really loud music,” said Hamilton.
