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Those who know me well know that, for only being 28 years old, I sure love a wide array of music. From blues and jazz to 50’s rock and roll, from classic rock to 70’s disco and R&B, and from crooners like Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett to the alternative rock of the 90’s, I have a deep appreciation for all sorts of music.
When I’m out with friends or family and there happens to be a jukebox, I usually become the hero of the evening because I can please just about anyone’s taste. I’ll load it up with a seemingly odd but workable mix consisting of Bill Haley, Chuck Berry, Credence Clearwater Revival, Jimi Hendrix, The Allman Brothers, George Thorogood, Blondie, Al Green, Lenny Kravitz, The Who, Simon and Garfunkel, Sinatra, and just about everything in between.
Even though much of the music I enjoy goes back decades - indeed, up to a half-century or older now - I don’t care. To me, good music doesn’t know what time is. Good music is good music, and that’s all there is to it.
That said, it was no surprise then that I could be found this past Sunday evening, August 5, taking in “The Happy Together Tour” at the Wisconsin State Fair.
For anyone wanting to relive the 60’s - or, in my case, wanting to live through the 60’s for the very first time - this was the concert to do just that. Featuring The Buckinghams, The Grass Roots, The Association, and Mark Lindsay (of Paul Revere and the Raiders fame), and headlined by The Turtles, the concert took place on the Potawatomi Bingo Casino Main Stage and was sponsored by Oldies 95.7 .
The weather could not be better for the nearly three-hour-long concert.
And though there were plenty of jokes tossed out by the performers about growing old, don't let them fool you. It's clear that these guys still have it.
Jensen Lee
3:12 pm on Monday, August 8, 2011
In a pack of 1960s songs that glamorized drug use, Paul Revere & the Raiders’ “Kicks” had a definite anti-drug message; the Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” and the Byrds’ “Eight Miles High” had some of the more obvious references to drugs. Rockaeology at http://bit.ly/e3EQ8n tells how some were not impressed with the Raiders’s track. In “Crosby, Stills & Nash: The Biography,” ex-Byrd David Crosby called “Kicks” “a dumb anti-drug” that took “a falsely adopted stance. With ‘Eight Miles High,’ we were talking about something very near and dear to our hearts.” The Raiders made “Kicks” one of their biggest hits; it’s been called one of the best examples of the garage band sound.
Carol Gerard
6:50 pm on Monday, August 8, 2011
Excellent account from reporter Aaron Robertson. Nice to know a younger person appreciates the "oldies"!
Aaron S. Robertson
7:50 pm on Monday, August 8, 2011
Thanks Jensen for sharing your insights! I can see you certainly know your history. And thanks to you, Carol, for the kind comments! This was definitely a fun concert, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to be able to capture a piece of it to share with so many others.
Bob Chorba
9:19 pm on Monday, August 8, 2011
As I Heard the music it was a bunch of 60 year olds sounding like 60 year olds. AND I do not go to concerts to hear jokes.
Bob Chorba
9:21 pm on Monday, August 8, 2011
These acts definitely did not sound like Gary Puckett, Spencer Davis or Hall and Oates.
Bob Chorba
12:34 pm on Tuesday, August 9, 2011
AND all of you "Old Farts" (as I am) who gave these mediocre performances standimg O's, YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES.
As Ricky Nelson said " If memories are all there is I'd rather drive a truck!".
Aaron S. Robertson
3:13 pm on Wednesday, August 10, 2011
For anyone who is interested in learning more about those who are participating in the Happy Together Tour, following are their Web sites:
The Buckinghams: http://www.thebuckinghams.com
The Grass Roots: http://www.the-grassroots.com
The Association: http://www.theassociationwebsite.com
Mark Lindsay: http://www.marklindsay.com
The Turtles: http://www.theturtles.com
Aaron S. Robertson
10:18 am on Monday, August 15, 2011
Here's an interesting news clip from the 1980s featuring The Buckinghams' Nick Fortuna (bass player) and Carl Giammarese (rhythm guitar player/backup vocals in the 1960s, lead singer since 1983). They are sharing their thoughts on their hit tune "Kind of a Drag": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Su4DUo3MhQ .
And here's an interview with Giammarese and Fortuna in August 2009: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LMRSAn5xjI
Aaron S. Robertson
6:29 pm on Monday, August 15, 2011
Fun vintage clips:
The Buckinghams performing "Don't You Care": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATPqm9agIr8
The Grass Roots performing "Temptation Eyes": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29gt1fD4abc
The Association performing "Along Comes Mary": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYJhhKSXOBo
Mark Lindsay with Paul Revere and the Raiders performing "Just Like Me": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XitnLPapkBw
The Turtles performing "Happy Together": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFlNxDGPlvA&feature=related
Also, here's an interesting 1966 Dick Clark interview with Mark Lindsay: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i03lagI0DCo