First, you might be saying, "Hey, CoolGuy's birthday isn't this week." That's right, it is next week, January 15th. However, we will be on the road next Friday going to Utah to spend the weekend with our kids and grandchildren. So, we went to the concert this week.
It turned out quite fortuitous to have chosen this Friday, too. #1--opening night...everyone in the show was at the top of their game. The performances were terrific! #2--it was Elvis's birthday yesterday. What do I know? I didn't realize that, but it figured into John Fogerty's life in a big way. In fact, the show started by playing a video of "Proud Mary" by Elvis in concert in Vegas.Then Fogerty comes out on stage and pointed out how big a deal it was for him to have his song covered by The King. Then, his group played it. It was a great start.
The concert had a lot of great parts. His son is part of the back-up band. Fogerty had talked about his earliest memories of music--sitting between his parents in the car as they drove and sang harmonies. And how he got introduced to composition, and how music is just something that was always part of his being. Then, he pointed out one of the band members on guitar, brought him forward and presented him as his son, Shane! The two of them played a couple of duets, and the son was featured on several other songs. But, he emphasized how satisfying it was for him to be able to play music on this level with his own son, after all the career successes he'd experienced. So, the concert was full of all kinds of good things.
Even more than the good performances, and learning details of his life, was the amazing trip to the past that we experienced listening to the music. CoolGuy leaned over during one song and said, "Wow...right now, I'm in a yellow Camero, driving too fast to Utah." One day, a group of buddies ditched school, and Tony Call (RIP) drove them down to go skiing. They'd listened to the same CCR 8-track tape all the way down and back. I realized that almost every song sent me back to milking in the warm summer evenings, listening to our Mom's radio in the barn. The station we could get during the daylight played a couple of hours of rock and roll during milking time. I needed my sister Patricia to be there at the concert, to enjoy all those songs with me, again.
We weren't the only ones tripping in the past, either. Most of the concert goers were apparently fans since the beginning of Fogerty's career, like us. Talk about Geezer-Land! CoolGuy wondered if there would be supplemental oxygen offered at intermission, or if they had to have added extra seats to accommodate all the walking appliances, etc. etc. Actually, we fit right in! Truly, we were surrounded by our peers. And all of us had a FABULOUS time! The old geezer up on the stage rocked out all night, as we all sang along to every song. He loved that we knew all the words. We loved that he was willing to sing all those songs again, for the four millionth time, as if it was the only thing he lived to do. Mmmm, maybe it is the main thing he lives for...We sure appreciated his skill and enthusiasm.
So, anyway. Birthday celebrated. Trip back to high school memories completed. Nostalgia for friends and family members no longer with us was bittersweet. After 42 years of hanging out with CoolGuy, we had another fun time.
No comments:
Post a Comment