Today the official Rock and Roll Week has been declared by Ohio and Cleveland officials, a lot of formal proclamations (and Bootsy Collins in full Parliament Funkadelic regalia) to usher in a celebration of the music that’s always been about stirring things up!
I kicked off my own celebration a little earlier this week with The Eagles concert at The Q. Glenn, Don, Tim, Joe and an impressive assemblage of musicians had a packed to the rafters arena singing along to their hits and laughing (some of us a little nervously) at a joke about it being “The Assisted Living Tour.” Rock and Roll has no age, and there was all the proof we needed on stage. They exceeded expectations. They were absolutely GREAT!
This was not the first time I’d seen The Eagles, but it has been a long road out of Cincinnati since the last concert – The Eagles opening for Yes at the Gardens in-I think- 1974. I also saw them once at Dayton’s Hara Arena, opening for Ten Years After. And a longtime friend recalled a record store in Cincinnati giving out free tickets to see The Eagles in 1971 before anyone knew who they were.
I don’t just “enjoy” music. I LOVE music – I remember feeling early in my life that it somehow really mattered in my overall sense of well being. Now decades past the days when concert going was a premier activity in my life, the same music I loved then still resonates. New artists continue to join my CD collection (yes, I still buy CDs). And spending a few hours taking in the live performance of one of rock’s greatest bands ever fills me with an indescribable joy – and makes me smile until my face hurts.
Cleveland Rocks! And it’s going to be a phenomenal week. More surprises in store – stay tuned!
