Franklin Delano Rosevelt once said, “We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.”  And though those words were first uttered in 1933, the echoes still haunt us to this day.

We believed that if you go to school, work hard, play by the rules acquiring all the amenities that this bountiful land can afford you and yours; optimism and good fortune will undoubtedly follow.  Indeed, that should be true.

Until something like a pandemic changes everything, and all of us in its’ wake.

We are born and come to believe that we have our own time to achieve what we were destined to accomplish.  That our tomorrows shall always hold promise for us.

Until fear crept back into our psyche.

The whole world seems to be holding its collective breathe as we anticipate the passing of this black pall upon us.  Optimism is on hold while we await the “All clear!” that will signal our return to some sense of normalcy.

Everywhere in the world.

Everywhere, except Bumper’s Landing.

At Bumper’s, they just seem to keep enjoying each and every moment like the treasure that it ultimately is.  They pour into this oasis in the heart of pandemic raging right outside it’s door, looking for their well-earned respite from the stress and cynicism that lies in wait.

And while today, (Halloween) has always been a special day, it’s not any different  than any other, here. This venue is immune to the slings and arrows that the cruel world assails us with.  The real-world attitude of aggression, hate and fear, washes off right away as the patrons walk through these doors.  They check thier doubts and worries at the door, leaving it all behind at the Landing.

The real world can wait, because tonight, nothing else matters.  Not temperature, not politics, not logistic, linguistics or latitude.

“It’s Halloween twenty-twenty, and it’s time to party!”

Now, partying is something that Bumper’s knows a little bit about.  No matter what is going on outside in the real world; inside, it’s always a happy place.

And, sometimes a little scary!

What do you expect when your waitress is a ghost, and the guy sitting next to you just happens to be the devil himself!

We were set to play a bit later this weekend, Carl and I, starting our first set at eight.  When we got to Bumper’s the last wave of Trunk Or Treaters had just left, and it was a bit like the calm before the next storm.

We set up and got into our costumes for the night, ready to take on any spooky occurrence that should pop up to haunt us.  All too soon, the room was full of goofy goblins, sexy cats and floating phantasms!

All of them ready to party like it was 1999. (you know, way before this nightmare appeared)

When our first song of the night rang out, there was defiantly something crazy in the air.  Tail feathers were shaking, pizza was rolling and start cats were strutting all around the bar.

It was an ominous sight to behold.

The owner’s table right next to us were into it big time, and requesting Johnny Cash and some Everly Brothers among others.  Fine with us.

Between monster mashing, and werewolves walking, we still were able to take a stab at throwing some other tunes into the cauldron.

A big hit seemed anything slow from any musical era.  Interesting.  Apparently even zombies feel alive when they’re holding a warm body closely on the dance floor!  Every time we got slow and sultry, the hardwood was full of mutants, mummies and ghouls.

The musty hoard stayed until the last hound was hung, just after the witching hour had passed.

Twenty twenty has been full of surprises every step of the way so far; scary, crazy and unpredictable.  Kind of like this entire night.

But at some point, after this shroud of darkness lifts, we must realize there was nothing really to fear all along.

Darkness must always give way to the light.

So, go into the light!

Rb

Sometimes, nothing else matters.  The calendar, the weather or anything going on around this crazy world we live in.

There are some places immune to it all.  Places where no matter what, it’s always a great day.

And we can all use another great day!

And so it goes at Bumper’s Landing in Harrison Township.  More great days than most anywhere else actually.  I might be biased, but on most every days we are lucky enough to entertain there, we have a great day.

It usually begins the moment that we arrive.  Carl and I have gotten in the habit of looking for whatever additions and or changes that had been made in the interim since we had been there last.  More than not, the improvements have been coming all summer.  Some noticeable, and many not.  That’s how it’s been actually at Bumper’s, they do things for their customers each and every day, whether they notice or not.

It’s just what they do.

As summer had officially exited for the year, we were still reveling in the warm temperatures, albeit short lived.

The afternoon was seventy six when we began to set up our equipment.  (A far cry from last weekend when it was in the fifties!). However, there are some things that even bad weather can’t dampen.  Like the happy faces and relaxed smiles on display around the boardwalk.

Every customer seemed like they were enjoying the warm temps to the utmost; knowing full-well that winter is looming around the corner.

Setup went well, though it was earlier than we normally accomplish the task.  We were scheduled to start earlier, as it gets darker outside sooner now, and we want to take advantage of the light and warm winds.

We set up without a hitch, and got a chance to check in with the staff and the regulars which makes us feel right, and ready to rock and roll.

Time to make the magic happen!

Our first sets this summer have really set the tone for the entire night.  Because of the crazy year, Carl and I just seem to unconsciously work twice as hard trying to prove ourselves to the customers. It’s almost as if we are auditioning every time we begin our evening, now.  Trying to prove ourselves to the patrons who have never heard us before.

It’s kind of a Bob and Carl trademark thing, I guess.  On many nights, we actually work harder during the first set of the night than we do the rest of the evening.  Our philosophy, is that once we win over the crowd, they will be fans forever.  So to do that, we bend over backwards to prove ourselves from the very first song.  We accomplish this goal by playing all styles of music, in ever flavor we can think imagine.

Tonight’s first set was very eclectic.   Some rock and Roll, some Island and a few Johnny Cash and assorted country offerings.  Something for everyone, to be sure.  That is always our goal during our first set.

To, show them what we got!

During our first break, we checked out the boats and the folks who piloted them, as we waded through the crowd, meeting and greeting the regulars. Offering “Hello, and welcome!” to the faithful.

For a business of this size and stature, there is hardly any drama to speak of.  On this evening, smiles were all we could see, no matter where we looked.  Smiles, and beautiful people.

Now that our second set was in full swing, we were beginning to get some requests.  And if you know anything about us, you know that we love requests.  They give us a chance to really connect with the audience on a whole new level.

We played requests after request, and won over any last hold-outs in the crowd, who might have been thinking that we were simply your ordinary, run-of-the-mill bar band.

Nope, we may not be a lot of things, but ordinary; we don’t do, ordinary!

During our next break, we met some great people from down Detroit way, who really enjoyed our music.  You can certainly tell when they do, because most of the time they can’t stop singing along with the songs.  I sat down and got to know them better, and to my amazement, they ran a Jimmy Buffett party during the year.  They seemed that they really wanted to have us entertain next year for their events.  Time will tell if its in the cards

Like someone turning a switch, it suddenly got about ten degrees cooler.  On the water, with the wind chill, ten degrees is something that you feel.  People didn’t exactly scatter, but they more or less migrated inside.

We put it in high gear as the end of the night loomed and it was time to play all the hits that we still had yet to unleash.  Much to their credit, still sitting at the tables and singing along, several groups were right there with us.  Some of them dancing in the dark as well.  (Bruce Springsteen himself would have approved)

Nine O’clock seemed an odd time to end, but we had played five hours at that point, and the temps were beginning to plunge.

It was another great night at Bumper’s Landing.  By now, it seems almost a cliche, I realize; however there is no other way sometimes to describe it.

Carl and I expect a great night.  A great performance with great people and a great time to be had by all.

Doesn’t that sound  . . . .         great!?!

Rb