Sunday, May 26, 2013

my date with daryl and john

the lights came down, the crowd cheered, and it was 1983 all over again.  last night i was transported back to my high school/early college days.  you know, when mtv actually played music videos, when big hair and bubble-gum bands were all the rage and when i officially became a "groupie".  hall and oates came to town on saturday night and for a couple of hours, i forgot about my troubles and sang and danced the night away.  i've been a fan since i was 17 years old.  I, along with my best friend Jeannie (to this day)  were huge fans.  HUGE.  so much so that we got to meet them twice.  ok so the first time, my friend almost ran daryl hall over as he was getting off the tour bus and another time we staked out the four seasons hotel all day and endured glaring looks and threats of calling security (they said we were loitering) from the hotel staff.  neither of which happened, and because of that stake-out, we got to meet kirk whalum and the late marvin hamlisch as we waited for daryl and john to come out.  -which they finally did, eight hours later.  somehow, word got to them that two crazed  fans (we were harmless) were out waiting for them.  they told us as much when the finally emerged and thanked us for being so devoted.  they happily gave us their autographs and posed for pictures with us.  one of the best times of my life.  and last night, i was that crazy groupie again.  dancing, screaming and singing to every single song.  literally.  the venue they played in was small and intimate, making it easy to have perfect view at any angle.  plus my lack of height got me moved all the way to the front of the stage.  i don't know what it is, but people see me and automatically say, "ohhhh, you can get in front of me honey, you're so little!"  who am i not to oblige?  quickly, i had inched my way to the very front of the stage.  i was so close i could see daryl hall's wrinkles and john oates' beads of sweat!  and i think daryl may have winked at me -or it could have been a squint from the bright lights.  meh, i'll go with the wink.  :)  they played all of their hits from the very beginning of their career to now. timeless hits such as private eyes, sara smile, rich girl, kiss on my list and you make my dreams.  with each song they sang, the crowd got louder and louder, singing along with them.  time seems to only have enhanced their voices.  daryl hall's soulful sounds, hitting all the high notes still and john's crooning kicked some serious ass last night. but alas, all good things must end. they belted out their last song of the evening, waved to the crowd and walked off the stage.

and that, was how i spent my saturday night.  what about you kids?  what's going on in your world?





8 comments:

Alessandra said...

I remember those guys, that is some way to spend a Saturday night, good for you. I'm just enjoying this almost over long weekend and counting down the day till the 15th..

Red Shoes said...

Wow! Did that evoke some memories!

I LOVED them!! I ran into and met T-Bone Wouk a few years ago just before he died... he was their bass player back in the day.

I'm betting my money that he winked AT you!! HA!!

My favorite song was 'You Make My Dreams Come True.'

~shoes~

Belle said...

Wow, it is so fantastic when you meet your idols and go to their concerts! Glad you had such a good time. Saturday night I watched "Silver Linings Playbook." It was good.

Yvonne said...

Alessandra- It WAS way cool! :)

Red Shoes-Aww, I remember T-Bone, he was amazing! My favorites are Wait for Me and You Make My Dreams. I really wanted them to sing "Me and Mrs. Jones" but they didn't. Yeah, I've convinced myself he winked at me too. That whole "almost running over Daryl Hall" thing? Water under the bridge. :)

Belle- Yes it's awesome! I loved that movie, it was so good!!!

David Batista said...

After perusing through my 80s iTunes playlist the other day, I was surprised by how many Hall & Oates songs I had on it. For me the early 80s remind me of grade school, so I do consider myself an "80s kid" and to this day love the music from that era most of all. It could also be because my mother, in her early 20s during this time, listened to the radio day and night. So these songs formed the soundtrack to my early childhood. Memories which I cherish to this day.

Sounds like you had the most amazing time, Yvonne. Wow! :)

Slyde said...

awesome awesome awesome...

you cant be a child of the 80's and not love some H&O.

Yvonne said...

David- it just means you have good taste. heh. :)

Slyde- i know!!! ha!

'Yellow Rose' Jasmine said...

My friend and I used to have what we called picnic table songs. That means songs we would jump up on the picnic table at the playground and sing our hearts out to! Our favorite was Maneater. Hey, were 8 and we loved watching Solid Gold on Saturday nights so we thought we were the bomb. ;)
I can't believe what huge fans you and your friend are! That sounds so fun.
I once grabbed a handkerchief off the edge of the stage for my mother from a Lionel Ritchie concert, so I guess we all do crazy stuff sometimes!

Chapter 56

The sunlight peeping through the curtains, stir her from her sleep.  Her eyes open and she rubs them a bit before sitting up in bed.  Eyes n...