Hitting the road, following the band...

The following is based on a similar story I read on the internet a few months ago. I forgot who the author's name was, but that piece had inspired me to write on what I had experienced myself during the last couple of years and thought I would share that with you.

Living life on a bus, plane or driving behind a wheel, every road can feel the same and every airport can look and smell just like any other. There is no day or night and everywhere feels strange, yet slightly familiar. As street lights pass by like fireflies in the dark, you become locked in a trance somewhere between wake and dream, and all you can think about is standing among the crowd again, hoping for something magical. Sometimes you can still hear the crowd from the last time you were there, and you live that moment over and over again as the wheels turn mercilessly beneath you, spinning towards your next destination. Or perhaps you look out the little window and see the clouds under you with tiny lights or communities below those clouds as you recline back on a seat while flying to another city. It's those moments, those real heartfelt moments, that make every mile, every sleepless night and every starving second just disappear. You crawl into them, you live with them and you always pray for just one more because this is all you've ever wanted to do. Following a band from city to city is a sacrifice, not so much an obsession as some would like you to believe, but a love and passion for the music emanating from the speakers at each gig and it's the little payoffs of being there, meeting old and new friends before, during and after the shows that make it all worthwhile.

Rustling through my bag in the dimly lit room at the hotel I was staying in not too long ago, I found some of my ticket stubs from past Hall & Oates shows of years gone by, which brought back some fond memories.

"Daryl Hall & John Oates made me listen to pop music. MTV enhanced my love for pop music in the 1980s. Working in the radio business expanded my horizons on the pop music culture beyond the 1980s". I wrote something like that a few years ago on a scrap piece of paper, which I had lost not too long ago, but I can still remember those words that I had written at the time.

Flashback to early 2003, almost 22 years from the first time I first heard "Kiss On My List" by Daryl Hall & John Oates on WIFI 92 in Philadelphia, I had a sore neck, feet killing me from standing all night and clothes soaked in sweat from the hot lights beaming down, however, I still felt the fire that was ignited under me that night in New York City over 2 years ago. That's why attending A&E's Live By Request with Daryl Hall & John Oates back in March of 2003 meant so much to me.

The 2003 A&E event was filled with moments that will echo through time long after they are buried under corporate agendas and "forgotten" on other pop music programs. That night, Daryl Hall & John Oates not only gave the audience a show to remember, but they gave every single fan who follows their music (or at least anyone who had a shred of passion) the rarest gift one can receive. Hall & Oates, for over 2 hours, made us all feel like fans again. They reminded one generation of the past, and showed future generations what real music was all about. I know for me, that event served as a refreshing confirmation that what we do isn't for nothing...we "Do It For Love", as their #1 hit from 2002 exclaims. The long miles, dining at the luncheonettes, every flat tire, crashing out at either some fancy 5 star hotel or a roach motel, long layovers at the airports, delayed or missed flights and sacrifices fans make still means something, because despite being buried by critics and pessimistic armchair internet writers, pop music is alive and well, screaming, pulsating, and going into convulsions trying to break free to show everyone it's still here.

If it's anything I learned on that Monday night during the live broadcast, it's the feeling and the magic is still out there and if we keep pushing forward, the miles are eventually going to lead somewhere. Daryl Hall & John Oates may own the keys to the car, but it's the fans that provide the fuel the engine runs on, and I believe the memory of that show on March 24, 2003 will keep that engine running through the course of time. The feeling of that evening cannot be ignored forever, because not only did it breathe new life into those working in the band, but it took some casual fans that had been brainwashed by the corporate "mainstream" music business and showed them for the first time how it's supposed to be done.

And on that day, wherever and whenever it happens, when shows like A&E Live By Request are not just one of those "once in a lifetime" events, I will look back on March 24, 2003 and say the words that every Hall & Oates fan would say. It was the same thing I said as a 14 year old in May 1981, the time I became a music fan at heart.

"Thank you Daryl Hall & John Oates. You made us believe that good music is still out there."

Looking back over the past year

Reflecting back a day before my birthday on the accomplishments I have made in the past year, it has been nothing short of exceptional. When I look at what has happened to me in the last 365 days, I have nothing but fond memories of the life I had with the many friends I've been in contact with and the many roads I've traveled to get to this point.

One of the things I've done in the past year was visit a friend named Jody out in central Pennsylvania. She was a survivor of the tornadoes that touched down on her family's house last year and I was so moved by her story for the fact that she made it out okay and would not let something so terrible stop her from living her life. Back in August 2004, she was unable to walk, but was going through some physical therapy to get her moving again. Jody was determined to walk again and eventually, she did, as I found out when I saw her in Atlantic City last December, smiling and dancing around at a Hall & Oates concert like many of those who had attended the shows at The Borgata

I also took a trip out to middle America to visit Christie and her family in Omaha, Nebraska. A whole bunch of us, including her family and friends went to the Hall & Oates show in the neighboring town of Council Bluffs, Iowa where we all had a terrific time. Christie was very kind enough to show me around Omaha and believe me when I say this...this city knows how to cook their steak--it's that good! The next day, Christie, her daughter Lily and I took a 2 hour road trip to Des Moines, Iowa to catch another Hall & Oates show. Being so used to the city and suburban life, it was very fascinating to check out the vast farmlands and clean air surrounding Route 80 as we headed east towards our destination. The whole experience of being out there in the middle of the U.S.A. made me appreciate the country in which I live in...it has much more than the typical metropolitan cities like New York, Philadelphia, Miami, Los Angeles, etc. to which I had been accustomed to.

October brought me a change in my career life for the better and I celebrated that change with a trip to the Pacific Northwest. My first stop was Portland, Oregon, where I stayed with my friend Debbie. During my stay in Portland, I managed to briefly meet up with my cousin Geny and her family at a local mall and we spent some time together that day before I had to leave and head to the arena where another Hall & Oates show was happening. The next day, Debbie and a bunch of us took a road trip for another Hall & Oates show to Everett, Washington...just outside of Seattle. I found that the Pacific Northwest was not much different in climate terms as it is in the New York metropolitan area. During this trip, I met so many nice people too numerous to mention, but it was an adventure that I enjoyed very much. One thing that I never got used to was the time difference...you see, it was 4:30 in the afternoon when I arrived at the hotel room in Seattle and when I turned on the TV, the first game of the World Series was getting started. Outside my window, it was sunny but on the TV, the baseball game was being played at night. Very weird for me...I guess I had been couped up too long in the northeast. The next day, my friend Beth and I headed to the airport for the long plane ride back to Newark, NJ and as we were waiting for our flight at 10 a.m., an NFL football game was playing on the TV monitors above. Too bizarre...that's when I realized I needed to travel more.

In December, I went to Atlantic City to catch a couple of Hall & Oates shows that my friend Beth had invited me to go to. Doesn't seem like a big deal to some, but to me it is. Throughout the 1990s, I had worked down the Jersey shore in the radio business. I had decided in 1998 to pack it up and leave for greener pastures in New York. I made the trip down there for the first time in 6 years and I had such a blast. I ran into a couple of old friends who were working at The Borgata and it was almost like a mini high school reunion of sorts. During my short stay in Atlantic City, I made the most of the time I spent there, enjoying life like it was my first visit there.

For New Year's Eve, I decided to do something different than what I had done every time the ball dropped to ring in the New Year. In the past, I would either go home to my parents' house and watch it on the TV, sit at some bar with my best friend Pat pouring some alcohol down our throats before the turn of the New Year or help a friend DJ a party at some tavern with over 100 drunken patrons. This time, I decided to take in yet another Hall & Oates show, but I had to travel to Hollywood, Florida for this event. It was more than just a concert for me...it was a chance to meet up with some old and new friends and experience New Year's Day in 70+ degree weather. As brief of a stay and as expensive as it was for me, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I would survive the rough winter of early 2005 before embarking on to Las Vegas and Reno in April for a couple of Hall & Oates shows. Many of my friends were coming in from all over the place and this was an opportunity I didn't want to miss. Believe me...Las Vegas is truly a city that never sleeps. Once I landed there, my friends Vicky, Stacey, Chrissy and I checked things out for a bit before winding up at Denny's for some late night breakfast at 4 a.m. Turned in at around...I forget what the time was, but eventually I did get to sleep, if only for a couple of hours. Got to see things out on Las Vegas Boulevard during the afternoon...lost some cash in the casino, but eventually making my money back at a blackjack machine. The next day, I flew up to Reno with my friends Jan, Dana and Laurie and caught the Hall & Oates show there. After that, a bunch of us headed to the bar where we were pretty much drinking the whole night, knowing I had a flight to catch the next day. I think I had more fun in Reno during that trip out to Nevada back in April...

As the summer approached, I wasn't too sure as to where I was going, but I eventually decided to keep my feet grounded and stay close to home. I started working on my tan again, going to the local parks where it's peaceful as opposed to the beaches where sand constantly kicks into your face and...well, you get the picture.

So here I am...one day before my birthday and I have to say that I've had a wonderful year.

What do I anticipate in the next year?

Well, I'm hoping to hit the road, train or air again to cities that I haven't been to yet. I also want to try to visit countries that I had been meaning to go to for a long time, like England, Japan, Canada, Australia, etc. I also would like to visit the Philippines...my ancestors' country as it's been over 30 years since I was there. The problem I had at the time I had visited that Asian country is that I was too young to really appreciate what that country offered, so I lashed out at everything around me with my horrible behavior. I'm sure that if I go this time around, I'm going to fully enjoy it for what it's worth.

I also foresee a major change in my personal life...definitely for the better. I can't get into details yet, because nothing's really set in stone and I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch, but I'm praying to God that this will work out for me. I do hope to write about it someday.

Here's to the next year!