The Musical Fountain of Youth

When I was in high school I loved attending concerts with my friends. I had a bulletin board in my room with all of my ticket stubs on it, that I wish so much I hadn't tossed along the way. In the years after college when I was working for a CPA firm, getting married, and having children, I stopped doing this and kind of forgot about how fun it was. Well about 5 years ago I heard Tom Petty and Heartbreakers were touring, and being a big fan in high school, I got tickets and went. I was hooked again! Since then I have seen The Steve Miller Band (several times), Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, Elton John, The Rolling Stones (twice), Tom Petty every year, Journey, Bob Dylan with my Dad, Crosby, Stills & Nash (with Young once), Chicago, Jackson Brown, and in my 40's I finally had a coveted back stage pass to see (and meet) The Doobie Brothers. There is something about the music from our youth that can take you back in time. (especially if the band sounds the same). I have found these events to be so much fun. I think everytime I would tell my Mom in the last years I was going to a concert she kind of wondered what I enjoyed about it. If it was part of a mid-life crisis, I really didn't care! Well, she and my Dad went last weekend to see Paul Anka who was a teen heartthrob when she was young. The next day she called to tell me that it was GREAT! My Dad sent an email to the family titled 65 going on 16 that said:

"At the end of a wonderful performance, Paul Anka asked the "all senior" audience to come down to the stage. I looked over and Sharon was gone. I saw her running down the aisle toward the stage, waving for me to follow. So, I did. It was so cute seeing her standing at the stage holding her hand out, trying to touch her teen idol.

The scene reminded me of a photo Sharon showed me after I met her in high school. She was standing with her best friend, Sydney, in front of the Cornell Theatre in Burbank, all of 13-years old. Sharon and Sydney had been waiting in line since 6 am to see Elvis's first movie "Love Me Tender." They were each wearing pants they had made just for the occasion. The pants were black with pink felt lettering running down each leg. The letters on one leg spelled "Elvis," and the letters on the other leg spelled "Presley." I'll never forget that photo.

I will also never forget the image of her at the stage last Saturday night, just being a kid again. I got a bit teary-eyed seeing this, and still do when I think about it. Paul Anka choked up too, and could hardly hold back his tears. These are the childhood memories that we cherish in our gray hairs."

She is in Las Vegas this weekend seeing Donny and Marie with a group of high school friends for her birthday. She gets it!