And Now for Something Completely Different

I'm going to wax nostalgic this weekend, and step back to a day when laptops meant something you placed a TV dinner on, and cell phones didn't exist. There were cars, but gas was less than fifty cents a gallon. Let's all step back to 1977.

Some of you might only know of this year through history books. I pity you. It was a fun time to be alive. I was attending Otterbein College, after being too wasted to remember most of my time at Ohio State University.

I invited the woman I was dating back then to go with me to Cleveland to see the World Series of Rock at the Cleveland Stadium. Cleveland Stadium has since been torn down, and replaced with Jacobs field.

To quote Wikipedia: "The World Series of Rock was known not only for its arena rock spectacle, but was also notorious for the rowdiness, rampant drug use and drunkenness of the crowd. One concertgoer fell through a hole in the backstop net while sliding down it and landed on the concrete of the lower grandstand, suffering a fractured spine. The Cleveland Free Clinic maintained tents on site staffed with volunteers."

Yes, the World Series of Rock was like heaven on Earth for any 21 year old.

I'm not sure which event we actually attended. I remember that the drink of choice was anything you could sneak in the stadium in your hip flask, and the drug of choice was marijuana. All you had to do is sit long enough and a joint would be passed to you every few minutes.

I remember a group of women who were sitting in the upper part of the stadium holding a sign up to the group on stage that said "Show us your Tits". The rockers yelled, "Show us yours first and we'll show you ours!" The women showed theirs, the rockers showed theirs, and a fun time was held by all!

I'm only guessing, but I think was saw, Peter Frampton, Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, the J. Geils Band, and Derringer. I was only there for the crowd, and to...well, you know....

Friday night Keely and I stepped back more than forty years to the mid 1960's. We went to a local ballroom and saw "The Neighborhood Boys", "The Gas Pump Jockeys", "Hurricane Johnny and the Stormfront" and most importantly the "Dantes"!

I'm surprised at the number of people that I know who are coming out of the closet and letting it be known that they used to play in a band. I didn't know for the longest time that a friend of mine was a member of the band "The Ohio Express". You might remember "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy (I got Love in my Tummy)". I'd known Tim Corwin for probably 20 years before I learned of his past.

Keely used to work for Valerie Hayden. Keely found out that Valerie's husband was the lead singer for "The Dantes"! So, when we found out they were going to be playing a reunion concert, we had to go!

The music was great, but I must admit I'm going to have to start therapy. I'd never seen so many people in their late 50's and 60's trying to subtract 40 years or more off their lives! It was truly a sight to behold!

Just to give you an idea. Remember in 1977 the drink of choice was anything in a hip flask and the drug of choice was marijuana. Last night people were drinking "lite" beers, and the drug of choice was "Geritol".

The sign being held up wasn't "Show Us Your Tits", it was just one word "Midol". Why Midol I have no idea, but one woman pointed out that there probably wasn't any one in the crowd that needed Midol. Now if it was "Prevedia" or some other menopause drug....

I decided that I was going to have to call a therapist this next week, when the overweight man in his mid 50's, wearing shorts, a "Jethro Tull" t-shirt, and dark socks, shook his ass in my face.

Oh, and I can't forget the other guy in his 50's who showed up with what looked like a really bad blond toupee, wearing a "bright blue, seersucker, zoot suit"..... I really need help.

Now don't get yourself upset. I wasn't the only one laughing at everyone. The group standing at the railing next to us were trying to figure out if there was anyone there under fifty! Of course Keely had to raise her hand...SHOWOFF!

The night was meant to be fun. It was a night to step back and relive those days of fun in the sun, trying to make it in the back seat of a '56 Chevy, when the local drug store had a soda counter where everyone gathered after school. It was a chance to remember chanting "Hell No We Won't Go", and sneaking out after your parents went to bed.

It was a great night to escape, release, and remember...

Its just too damn bad that those same people have lost their will to stand up to the establishment today, and yell at people in Washington, "HELL, NO, OUR KIDS WON'T GO!". At one time they had the courage to demand an accounting of our President. At one time they had the courage to force a man from office who had a higher approval rating than Bush has today!

OK, if you really must know, while I was out to impress that day clear back in 1977, it didn't work...