Back in the day, there was this cool shopping center in Dallas called Olla Padrida and they had a theater in the round and we saw Carlin there, took my parents to the Glenn Miller show and saw Ricky Nelson there and it turned out to be a very special evening for one of us. Back in the older days, Ricky Nelson was the heartthrob of every young girl in America. He was on Ozzie and Harriet, his real parents, and was cranking out one hit after another. He was also "I hate him" handsome for every guy because when the girls could see him, why look at you? And he had this dreamy look he would get when he sang which made the girls swoon.
Well, he's singing and the guy's lost nothing and he's still got the look and every woman in the place is dreamy eyed and right after one of his songs, my wife said to me, but loud enough for him to hear, "if he sings Poor Little Fool, I am going to melt into this seat". He turns 90 degrees and starts walking toward her and says "OK, darlin', get ready to melt" and sings the song to her!!!! You talk about not knowing what to do. It's just the two of us and I am waiting for a refill, I can't even act disinterested and drink. Every woman in the place want to be my wife and every man is glad he's not me. To make matters worse, I try to lean out of the spotlight and the light tech moves it to keep me in it. I log the moment. If your life does flash in front of your eyes at the end, I don't want this in it or I'll accelerate my demise. Damned former heartthrob is seducing my wife right in front of me!! He finishes the song and leans down to kiss her hand, hell, I think he could have gotten what it took me marrying her to get. Then, he extends his hand to shake mine and said "I hope you don't mind". I thought that was pretty classy of him. I said "not at all (lying) but tell your light guy I'll see him after the show" and he just laughed because he was aware of what had happened.
If you were a teenage guy in the 60's, as I was, you competed with these dreamboats. Ricky, Fabian, Tommy Sands, Pat Boone and Elvis. The girls all screamed and you'd beg for a guy that looked like Roy Orbison to come along and give you a break. Then the Beatles show up and it's all out war with the moptops and the head shaking, we didn't stand a chance. Then there's the Dave Clark 5 and more cute guys but then the gift from the gods shows up. The Animals, Kinks and Stones had butt ugly members and the guys just gravitated toward them and they had a more raw sound to make it even better. They were preparing us for something, the next move in music, metal. Then they had to go and spoil it with the hair bands.
but I will give it a go. I have tried to save all my concert tickets I've been to over the years, so I have a stack of them somewhere. I will have to look later. I'm sure I am missing a few as well.
