Today’s assignment: publish a post based on your own, personalized take on a blogging prompt.
Day 11 six days late. I experienced writer’s block. I was also overwhelmed by trying to herd the information swirling around in my brain, as well as physically compiling the stuff for photos I wanted to use and then putting out the blog that I had envisioned would be a typical rocksandy blog: a story of the past triggered by a story of the now.
The daily WordPress prompt on the day I started this blog asked us if we recall a time in our lives when the wool was really pulled over our eyes. I am going to give you a convoluted stretch of random connections in order to make the Day 11 prompt be about what I want to write about. I want to write about an ’80s L.A. band called Hurricane, as well as about the Kid Rock and Foreigner show I saw this past weekend.
I can think of two distinct occasions, looking back now, where the wool was really pulled over my eyes. Yep, a lot of wool was being pulled over eyes in L.A. in 1986-87. But when I think of that time, I also think of mostly fun times and going to see a band called Hurricane with my roomies Tami and Randee.
The old singer for Hurricane, Kelly Hansen, is now the singer for Foreigner, who opened for Kid Rock this past Saturday night. So following the prompt: woolly eyes – to ’80s – to Hurricane – to Kelly – to Foreigner – to Kid Rock show – to this concert review. It works.
So back then Kelly would call us on the home line (no such thing as a cell phone) to tell us when they were playing – this was the pay-to-play era so bands did what they had to do to get the people there. For awhile, when you called and got our answering machine you heard the Hurricane song The Girls Are Out Tonight (lol).
I remember seeing a Hurricane show at Gazzarri’s on Sunset. There is a pretty good article on Gazzarri’s on Wikipedia that also explains the pay-to-pay thing that went on then.
I specifically remember the Gazzarri’s show because of the Necklace Incident. It was in a February, because my awesome mom had just sent me a new matching necklace/bracelet set – white pearls with a red heart dangling from each. I still have them. I wore them to the Hurricane show, and while I was rocking out up front, the necklace flew off me and onto the stage. I saw it laying there and thought “oh, man,” and then watched as Kelly grabbed it and stuffed it in his pants pocket. More “oh man” because I really wanted my mom’s gift back! I had to go find Kelly after the show and ask for it back – I recall he said something like “Well, why’d you throw it up there then?” and I had to explain I didn’t. He seemed upset that he didn’t get jewelry thrown at him – or maybe he had planned on giving it to a girl – but he gave it back ;o)
I want to say that Penelope Spheeris was filming for her documentary The Decline of The Western Civilization, Part II – The Metal Years that night. I don’t know why I remember that detail with my CRS issues. I’m not necessarily a big fan of this documentary – I haven’t watched it in a long time – but I would like to watch the entire documentary series to put it in context. I just read the Wikipedia page on this film and it’s interesting reading – the “Influence” section sure does make for some intriguing hypotheses that may require my exploration ;o) Something for another blog. I also learned that Ms. Spheeris was the director of Wayne’s World – did not know that. But I digress.
I have no idea how, but I’ve managed to save these Hurricane fan club flyers that we used to get in the mail. Luckily I’m a lot better at organizing than at remembering. Back then bands would have a hot girl or guy walking around with a clip board getting names, addresses and phone numbers.
I’ve always loved Kelly’s voice and the songs on that first album. I’ve tried to buy their first album before but it isn’t sold on iTunes, although you can watch some videos online. I often hear their song I’m On To You on SiriusXM Hair Nation and his voice always makes me smile – good times, good times.
Apparently there’s a new version of Hurricane playing out in L.A. these days. I’ll check them out if I’m ever in town and have the opportunity,
Back to the show Saturday: I forget that Foreigner had so many hits – it was a singing crowd so that was cool. I bought Foreigner’s Head Games album in 1979 – a good album but not one I listened to over and over. Foreigner is one of those bands I like on the radio. So it was cool to hear Kelly sing with Foreigner. He has the perfect tone for this gig and pulls it off pleasantly – even though he has a very distinctive voice so it is still Kelly. Which is awesome.
The show was sold out, of course, because Kid Rock puts on such a great show and you will always go back to see him. Also, pursuant to Kid Rock’s affordability arrangement with Chevrolet, the Cheap Date Tour only cost me $24 ($4 parking fee) and featured $4 Busch beers (normally $12) at MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheater so that was cool. FYI, it’s $22 for two shots of Absolut on the rocks.
Kid actually stopped and thanked Chevrolet for making the tour affordable to fans and played his Born Free Chevrolet commercial song, complete with Chevrolet logo on the video board. It was like a commercial in a concert – a first. I have no problem with it whatsoever – cobranding and advertising is what it is today, and concerts are getting expensive. Thanks, Chevrolet!
A fun-loving mainly mellow crowd – mostly all 40-50-somethings with a few 30-somethings sprinkled in…a few kids. I recall reading an interview with Kid in Rolling Stone (February, 2015) and Kid said something to the effect of knowing his fans were “45-50 year old girls” in XL T-shirts, and he was going to bring a bunch of big, black rhinestoned t-shirts to sell at his shows (lol). He is so wrong about Florida women – he needs more tank tops for the Florida girls ;o). But I digress again.
We had lawn seats and there a threat of mud, but it all ended up being perfect. If you don’t mind humidity, which I don’t. The sky had stormy overcast shades of blues and grays, and oranges and yellows, with a sliver of a new moon clearly visible. There was an occasional breeze. We had lawn seats – I love to stand and rock out with all my friends around and not be trapped in a seat area. There was an amusing couple next to us – the guy had this uncanny and patient ability to keep his wife upright the entire show – whether she was momentarily passing out or trying to rock out and not fall over.
I love the rhythm and blues groove of a Kid Rock show, no matter how rap-py it gets. It’s got to be amusing to see a large crowd of 40-50-something females fist pumping out “You never met a motherfu#*er quite like me” or “Get in the pit and try to love someone” (lol), but it can’t be helped.
I read or heard somewhere, I think on VH1 Behind the Music, that Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic Records sent Kid out to find his rock-n-roll roots after hearing his rap stuff. Thanks, Mr. Ertegun! I wanted to like Kid Rock with his early stuff, but didn’t really get into him until 2003 Kid Rock, and then I loved 2006 Live Trucker and 2007 Rock N Roll Jesus – GREAT southern rock. That was the car CD era and I wore those CDs out. The live stuff is top-notch and to me, makes the studio stuff sound lame in comparison. I saw my first Kid Rock show at Ruth Eckerd Hall and I got high without getting high…Kid can consistently whip up that positive primal energy that is the power of music – that makes us keep going back for the live experience. It’s cool to go to a show that guarantees that experience;o)
The Hurricane flyers that I have somehow managed to save all these years are below. They sure had a good publicist in Storm Betty.
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