Musical Nostalgia

October 2025

My wife and I just got back from a long weekend in Las Vegas. It’s sort of an annual thing for us. We enjoy Vegas for a variety of reasons.  There’s gambling of course, which used to be the primary purpose for our visits. But it’s not so much about that anymore, as we have a casino very near our home that allows us to scratch that itch.  So, for us, Vegas has just become a bit of an escape.  We love the choice of restaurants, which are amazing, as well as just walking around the strip and taking in the whole vibe of the place.  There is always something to see and do.  The last several trips have been more focused on music, albeit unintentionally. This trip certainly was, and it turned out to be an incredibly emotive experience for both of us. So much so that it has made me ponder why.  Specifically, why music itself can draw out so much emotion. Literally, to the point of bringing people to tears. Including me!

I guess I’ll start with what made this trip make me ponder this.  First, The Wizard of Oz was playing at The Sphere.  We booked our tickets well in advance, so we could sit right where we wanted, to maximize the experience.  We had been to this venue previously for another show and knew where we wanted to sit.  If you are unfamiliar with The Sphere let me tell you, it is really something special. 

The Sphere is a next-level entertainment arena named for its shape and massive LED screen that wraps around the audience. It is home to a variety of “immersive” shows and concerts. It has a 168,000-speaker sound system which is beyond compare.  It also has seats that vibrate and rock. All of this, along with the addition of wind, aromas, and other physical effects, helps create a 4D experience. It is really cutting edge.  The original Wizard of Oz was adapted to the Sphere’s complex format and truly created an astonishing production, even if you are not a fan of the original movie from 1939.   

But the lasting impact for me was not just the production, but how the show, especially the music, impacted both me, my wife, and almost everyone sitting near me.  Probably many of the people that were in attendance.  When Judy Garland, Dorthy for the cinematically naïve, started singing Somewhere over the Rainbow, there was not a dry eye anywhere.  I am tearing up now as I type this.  My wife was crying, the woman on the other side of me was crying.  I was fighting tears.  I looked around and nearly everyone, that was over 40 anyway, was wiping away the tears. It was so emotional.  It left me to try to understand why this happens. But we were not finished experiencing this sensation.

That same evening, because my wife and I like to stay busy in Vegas, we attended a Paul McCartney show at Allegiant Stadium.  Along with about 60,000 other fans. It was truly a last-minute thing.  We didn’t even know he was playing there until several days before.  But what good fortune it was, that we were able to get tickets.  Because, just like the Wizard of Oz at the Sphere, it was an amazingly enjoyable and emotive experience.  At various times during that show, I couldn’t hold back the tears.  My wife was the same.  And again, I looked around and there were many, many fans in the same emotional place.  What I would like to describe as almost uncontrollably demonstrative.  But once again, why?

Not that it is a bad thing of course, but what’s going on here?  Reflecting on this from a personal perspective, I must admit that an emotional response, from hearing certain music, happens to me quite frequently.  On a previous visit to Vegas, I was watching the fountain at Bellagio and Time to Say Goodbye, by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman was playing.  I was a mess!  Another visit, we went to a show by the rock band Journey, and I fought back tears for just about every song.  I tried to sing along but I was too choked up to do so.  Even a Lady Ga Ga show, of whom I am not a giant fan, had me fighting back tears.  But I don’t have to travel all the way to Vegas for this to happen. It was just there, on this trip, that I witnessed the fact that this seems to be quite a common manifestation.  

Personally, I might be listening to music while driving in my truck, or on a plane, or in my house while I’m cooking.  It doesn’t matter.  With certain songs, it just hits me.  I might be singing while I play guitar, and I’ll just have to stop.  My throat tightens and I can't even think about the lyrics without choking up. I might be in a supermarket, and a song will come on the speakers and I’m fighting tears.  I'll frequently have to pinch myself to try not to cry.

Like I said, I know I’m not alone in this, but I once thought so.  However, this Vegas trip made it extremely clear to me that this is a fairly common phenomenon.  But again, the true cause of this has always eluded me.  Maybe that’s because I always tried not to dwell on it.  Yet, this time, as I thought for a while about this, it seemed rather obvious why this might happen.  Listening to music, old or new, must trigger a powerful level of nostalgia, basically sentimentality, that can lead to this strong physical response. 

Let’s face it, music itself is a time machine that is able to elicit feelings associated with the past. It might be about experiences, people, or even the memories of how you felt when you were your younger self.  Specific music might act as a soundtrack to a momentous episode in your life, and hearing it revives feelings that have long lain dormant.  All of this must overwhelm your nervous system with a chemical response leading to an involuntary flood of emotions.  Old music may evoke reminiscence for a past that is gone, a sense of what you might have lost or the person you used to be, which can be a very powerful and emotional experience. 

The song Time to Say Goodbye, for example.  If you don’t know the tune, the only lyric in English is the title, the rest is in Italian.  Yet it still chokes me up. I think music is a language all its own. We understand it, but often not at a conscious or logical level.  Yet, it speaks to something inside us that we don't fully understand. I'm pretty sure Andreas Bocelli and Sarah Brightman are communicating strong emotions through the music and lyrics.  Something inside me understands this.  And that is truly magical. Music makes emotions come to life.

If it were possible to watch a reel of the greatest scenes in movie history without their musical scores it would become apparent instantly how important music is in reaching and amplifying our emotions. I think of Star Wars, or almost any work by John Williams.  That music makes those movies come alive with emotional intensity.  But watch any movie without the soundtrack and its power pales in comparison.  Especially when the music is done well. The music breaks the seal on pent up feelings and emotions, connecting us with what is going on.

The bottom line is, all of us walk around with pain stored up inside us, suppressed if you will. Music speaks to that part of our brain.  The region where memories dwell. It stimulates the release of feelings buried so deep we don’t even consciously know they are there. As human beings, we have complex relationship with ourselves.  Especially when it comes to our past. For me, music evokes the past much more vividly than anything else. Feelings I have likely buried are exposed, and then pour forth in the form of an emotional reaction.  Almost like pain.

As I ponder this, especially about myself, I think when I hear music, and it can be any kind, or at any time, as I have said, what I begin to feel, is loss.  I know it doesn’t sound logical but that is what I believe I am feeling.  If you really think about it, nostalgia is a reflection.  It’s about looking back at what is behind us.  A reminder of what we have done, and what we have failed to do.  What we have gained, and especially, what we have lost.  Because we all have lost something as we age. Even if it’s just time.

So, I am not certain what science has to say about it but that’s my answer to the question “Why does it do that.” But really, who cares what the answer is? Because honestly, isn’t it ok to feel?  To cry?  It almost seems medicinal to me when I am able to allow these emotions to surface, resurrecting both the pain and the joy of the past.  Its cathartic and natural. It is what we, as human beings, have over and above the rest of the animal kingdom.  The fact is, maybe this is truly what makes us human.  And you don’t even need to travel to Vegas to find it!