The other day I was in a store and over the P.A. I heard the old Moody Blues song “Tuesday Afternoon” being played. Right away it brought back a great memory that made me smile broadly. Some songs do that you know.
It was the summer of 1988 and The Moody Blues were playing a concert at Poplar Creek Music Theater and while working at classic rock station 105.9 FM WCKG I was asked to host some listeners in one of the luxury boxes in the pavilion of the concert venue. I jumped at the chance because not only were these great seats but the fridge in the luxury box was stocked with beer and snacks, plus we had a food and drink tab we could run up as we entertained our six listeners.
As was custom, I was also given a ticket for a friend or a date and the first person I thought to take was a buddy from my days working for the Elmhurst Park District. He was a hard-working blue collar family man named Bernie. Bernie, eight years my senior, was my crew leader during my first summer working for the EPD and we became good friends since. I even vacationed with him, his wife Jan and their two young sons Chris and Alex one summer as we camped in the Rocky Mountains.
Bernie was a longtime fan of progressive rock groups like Pink Floyd, King Crimson and Emerson Lake and Palmer but the Moody Blues were tops on his list. He was thrilled at the prospect of this Monday night outing to see his favorite act and a fantastic time was had at an expertly performed concert. We’d seen several other live shows together including The Who, Doobie Brothers and Men at Work but this concert was a biggie for my friend.
A few songs into their set, the Moody Blues started playing, (you guessed it) “Tuesday Afternoon” and Bernie really got caught up in the moment. The whole crowd stood cheering, going nuts and my buddy turned to me with tears rolling down his cheeks. Bernie put his arm around my shoulder and told me how much that song and this concert meant to him. Outside of the time his mother was stricken with a heart attack, I’d never seen him so overcome with emotion. I too enjoyed the Moody Blues show but seeing my friend become so moved, THAT made the night for me!
Thanks to all my years in radio, I got plenty of friends and dates to join me at other shows and they too got off on such cool events. I liked these outings a lot but seeing others get so taken up in what was going on was the real juice for me. I often felt like Willy Wonka (the Gene Wilder version) when he opened his factory to guests so they could take in all of his candy wonders. Me showing others the wonder of a live concert or other special happening was a total blast. What fun that was!
I’ll get around to writing about other special concert times with my friends, but that night with The Moody Blues deserved a first mention. Bernie passed away a few years ago and while that’s a sad and serious drag, I’m sure glad we could share such a memorable night at Poplar Creek. “If you’ll just come with me you’ll see the beauty of Tuesday afternoon.”