There’s a casino not far from where we live and during the summer they do outdoor concerts.

Many of the performers are great groups and singles from our past….. an awesome time in music history.

We’ve been avid concert-goers since these artists were on top, but even after all these years, it’s still a thrill to be there in live person and spend a couple hours with music that marked our lives.

And, they’re still rockin’ it!

It’s a fairly small outdoor arena, so really no bad seats.

Once we sat front row,middle seats and Lionel Richie stood smack in front of us and sang one of his amazing love songs…..to me……I’m sure of it!!

It was a sad time for me when because of a hearing problem, we had to stop attending concerts.  

I could hear fine and the music didn’t bother me but the screaming from the crowds did something between my ears that earplugs couldn’t help.  

We’d give it a try every now and then but finally realized, our concert days were over.

One summer evening while leaving the Casino (and our $) we walked by the outdoor arena to hear ZZ Top in high gear.

Had there been a roof, they would have been raising it!  

The entire crowd was up and on their feet and they were SCREAMIN’…..LOUD!

We noticed an open area where a group of party-people were enjoying themselves and the music without actually buying a ticket and going through the gates.

The stage was visible through the chain-link fence and the big screens were right smack there.

We hung around for a bit and watched.

What we walked away with is that if I wasn’t sitting right IN the screaming, it didn’t bother me.

And so…..we became parking-lot groupies.

Every once in a while, on a Friday or Saturday night, we’d go over and hang out with the parking-lot-people, listen to the music and dance to some of the songs.

And when the evening was over, we felt like we’d been to a concert.

This past week-end, Richard Marx and Peter Cetera were here.

Now, maybe you’ve never heard of them but we’ve been listening to Chicago with Peter Cetera’s voice and Richard Marx forever.

Over the years we’ve purchased and enjoyed their albums, tapes, CD’s and attended quite a few Chicago concerts.

Music is magic.

It’s an immediate, invisible transport through time.

You don’t have to move, but you go on a trip.

We’re not teenagers anymore.

We’re parents.

We’re grandparents 

and OMG we’re GREAT grandparents!

But, attend a concert and the magic happens.   

The emotions that music brought back then, push everything out of the way and becomes all you can feel, all you can hear and, whatever was going on in your life at that time becomes real again; the boyfriend you were crazy about or the boyfriend who broke your heart. 

The music brings it all back to life.

And so, we decided to join the parking-lot gang this past week-end.

Richard Marx was belting out “Angelina” when we found our spot.

There he was, up on the big screen or a peek through the fence showed him up on the stage.  

His sound was right on.

We watched people hurry past us with tickets in hand, mostly our peers; fans from another time coming to feel the magic.  

We didn’t hear much screaming going on and thought maybe we should buy a couple tickets, go inside, sit down and see if because of the artists and because of the type of crowd, not much if any, screaming was gonna happen.

A couple walked past us just as we were discussing which way to go…..stay right where we were or go inside and sit.

It happend in one swift move, one blink. 

As the couple passed us, the gentleman reached out and put two tickets in my hands and said something like, “we don’t need these.”

WHAT?  

They weren’t even gonna stay and hear Peter Cetera? 

They were leaving at the start? 

They gave us their tickets? 

Well…..wow!

There I stood with two concert tickets in my hands.

They had walked past us before it all registered in our brains, before we even said thank-you.

“Are these real?” was the first thing I said.

“I don’t know, let’s find out” was Bobfone’s reply and we walked over to the gate.

They took my purse, had me unzip it, took a look, gave it back, took my ticket and put a red concert bracelet around my wrist.  

Bobfone emptied his pockets, got his red bracelet and then he was on the other side of the gate with me.  

WE WERE IN!

From the moment the tickets were put into my hands to standing on the concert side of the gate…..we were lost for words and THAT doesn’t happen very often.

We looked around for SECTION 6 and found our two seats on the main floor.

Sitting right next to our two empty seats were the man and lovely woman who had given us the tickets. 

They were there! 

They smiled when they saw us.

We were still in a state of disbelief of the happenings from the past ten minutes but at least this time remembered to thank them.

We offered to pay for the tickets but he explained they were complimentary from the Casino and extra so they cost him nothing.

All we could do next is offer to buy them a drink to demonstrate our gratitude but he didn’t want that either.

Just sit down and enjoy the concert.

And we did.

These artists may be ancient to some but for many of us, when Richard Marx picked up his guitar, stepped close to the microphone and began “Right Here Waiting”; or later, Peter Cetera’s still perfect voice with  “Even A Fool Can See” and then a few Chicago heart-wrenchers like, “If You Leave Me Now”…..well, it was a transport and no longer 2018.

The four of us sat together and shared and enjoyed a couple hours of music.

Lisa Paris and Brian Hunting…..two delightful, awesome people.

Thank you again and Happy Birthday, Brian.

And by the way, “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?”

OR…..

”does anybody really care?”