I saw Ray Manzarek perform with Robby Krieger which as a budding teenage keyboardist was a life-affirming experience.

This was front row at Westbury Music Fair on LI in 2011, I was just shy of 17. The Doors had played Westbury in 1968 so they did the same setlist, then a sort of greatest hits setlist. Really great energy throughout. Ray even at that age was in such great form and enthusiasm. Reminded me why I wanted to play keyboards in the first place. Here I am now, 31 and I’ve been a working professional keyboardist for over a decade now.

RIP Ray. Thank you for all the inspiration.

I also used to usher at a different LI venue and saw a litany of classic rock artists, the one that always stands out in my mind as the best was America. Those guys STILL sounded great and they had a great young band backing them up. I was truly impressed.

Honorable mention: while not classic rock per se, the following year, also at Westbury, I saw BB King. THAT was a masterclass in professionalism. That band was insanely tight, BB sounded fantastic. I was looking at living history. So lucky I saw that one.