Ah, to be 21 again, what would that be like?

What would you do and think if you could roll back the clock and have another shot at your twenty first birthday celebration?

Or, in other words . . .

What would you do, if you knew then what you know now?

That would certainly be an interesting proposition, to be sure.  Sometimes I think that I could change a lot of mis-steps in my life.

Chances are, I would find another way to get it all wrong. ;(

In the end however, no matter how my musical career evolved, I know for sure that I have enjoyed each and every show that I have played. (honestly, some more than others)

But each one has been rewarding in some way or another.

Ah to be 21 again . . .      the possibilities are nearly endless!

Bumper’s Landing is lucky to be a party destination on lots of Saturday nights, and this night was no exception.  By 8:00 the bar was filled with young party-goers bent on making this night super-special for one of their own.

As we played to this group of vibrant young people, we felt many emotions during the long evening.  Calm, care and protectiveness.  Optimism, patience and potential.  Fun, frivolity and festiveness!

While they sat and chatted with each other and their phones during our first two attempts at reaching through to them, the alcohol eventually broke through those barriers and let us reach them with rhythm, rhyme and eventually song.

By the third set, they were fully enguaged and virtually part of the band!

Each oldie we offered was another excuse to sit in and join us for a dance, a song or a drink.  Sometimes, all three at once!

The birthday party was not the ONLY thing going on that night; but it was the most interesting, to say the least.

While there were lots of other patrons at Bumper’s that night, they didn’t seem to mind being part of a larger voyeuristic experience.

They watched the goings on’s with the same fascination, awe and intent that we did, captivated at every turn.

Eventually, the crescendo of the night arrived and swept everyone up into a maelstrom of musical magic.

Looking on at the ritualistic enchantment was a young couple who did all they could to take it all in from afar and not become scarred for life.  They witnessed they entire gamut of craziness, as we did, with a smile on their faces and delight in the youthfulness on display.

For an evening that began so quietly with calm detachment, it was certainly a delight to enjoy the honest enthusiasm and genuine affection these Millennials had for us, in the end.

The music of course is the message, and it still resonates as much today as it did when these songs were first written.

That is why the music is what has always been important.  No matter what we think of ourselves, whatever age we have become, it is the music that is timeless.

We realize the music is the message.

The music is the time machine that returns us to our youth, by simply hearing its magic.

Rb


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