Rock and Roll Machine Reloaded = Endorphins

 

Mike Sorensen/Bad Wolf Media

I'LL BE WALKING around in a daze all day. Maybe all week. That's what happens when you get old and go to a great rock show.

A great, ass-kicking and make you wanna cry rock show.

Sunday night I took The Mighty Adam Yates to see Triumph and April Wine at the Hollywood Casino, the big outdoor place just outside St. Louis. I just wanted to see two of my favorite bands and get lost in a concert. Check and check!

April Wine has been around for more than 50 years. I was pleasantly surprised. Marc Parent has replaced the late Myles Goodwyn and Parent doesn't sound like him vocally, but man can he hit those high notes and play guitar. They were the opening act and they knew it and they simply cranked out one song after another.

High Roller, Enough Is Enough, and even the sappy Just Between You And Me were solid. Enough Is Enough is one of the great rock songs, ever. 

I saw Triumph 43 years ago (shudder). Back then it was all about explosions and light shows and drum solos and the in-your-face rock experience. Much has changed, obviously. Rik Emmett, my original guitar hero, is 72. He plays like he's 22. He. Just. Killed. It. 

It was loud but not earth-shattering loud, and pretty clear. Nowadays rock shows are about the video screens and images behind and beside the band as it plays, and there were some startling and creative clips. 

Gil Moore still plays drums and sings and still acts like he's having the time of his life. It's obvious these guys love to play and there was sheer joy on stage all night long. Mike Levine is no longer playing bass with Triumph, but here's where this version of the band got smart and has managed to stay relevant and deliver the goods live.

Todd Kerns is the bass player and did a fair amount of vocals. Brent Fitz played drums and keyboards and sang. Both have played with Slash and Alice Cooper, among others. Phil X of Bon Jovi, who actually replaced Rik Emmett in Triumph many years ago, is back on guitar and vocals.

Sure, Rik doesn't have that soaring tenor vocal range anymore. So you know what he does? He gets incredible players and lets them sing the high parts. The vocal harmonies were sublime.  And the guitar licks between Rick and Phil were ridiculous.

How do you get that good? By playing forever. I’ll play guitar forever but never remotely that good.

And the songs! Never Surrender, Hold On To Your Dreams, Lay It On The Line, Fight The Good Fight, Blinding Light Show ... Geesh!

The bowl was full but there was no lawn seating, so my guess is there was between 5,000 and 6,000 people. It was easy in and easy out. We bailed just as Triumph was finishing to beat the crowd and we were home by 1 a.m. That's late for an old guy like me, but I'll live.

If there is anything better than a great live show and hearing a great song start, please, let me know. The endorphin rush just surges through you and I'm going to keep getting the rush for a long time.

I am 61 and not even remotely in the class of the guys in Triumph or April Wine or any nationally touring band. But I do love to play and I have a blast playing. There are nights when I wonder if age is catching up to me and I really should be doing this.

Then I see Rik Emmett, 72, still at the top of his game and still having the time of his life.

I'm gonna keep going. Thank you, Rik, for the inspiration and the great songs over the years. Thank you Triumph and April Wine for great rock shows. Thank you Adam for letting me drag you along. Thank you Mike Sorensen of Bad Wolf Media for meeting us and taking more great pics.

What a night!

 

 

Summer Music Schedule 2026

  IT'S GOING TO be another busy summer and beyond for musical adventures. Here's a list for now - it will get updated and I'll try to post shows as they are announced.

As always, support live music and we will see you during another glorious Quincy summer!

Saturday May 23: Prospect Road at Spring Lake Country Club, 6-9 pm

Saturday May 30: HartHoff (Travis Hoffman and Rodney Hart) at Mayfest, Dick Brothers Brewery, 1-2:45 pm.

Saturday June 13: The Whatevers (Allison and Rodney) at Makers Market, Sixth Street Promenade, 1:30-3:30 pm,

Sunday June 14: Prospect Road at 19th Hole, Augusta IL, 2 pm

Saturday June 27: Just Be Cuz (Roland and Rodney Hart), Rock The Block in Douglas, MI.

 Saturday July 4: HoffHart, Quincy Brewing Company, 7-9 pm.

Saturday July 11: Prospect Road, Shorteez, Clayton IL, 7 pm.

Saturday July 18: TBA

 Friday July 31: Prospect Road, Sportsmen's in Mount Sterling, IL, 8 pm 

 Saturday Aug. 8: The Whatevers (Allison and Rodney), Quincy Brewing Company, 7-9 pm

Saturday Aug. 15: Prospect Road, Pour Haus, 7 pm. 

Saturday Aug. 29: Prospect Road, Sportsmen's in Mount Sterling, IL, 8 pm.

Sunday Sept. 13: Prospect Road, The Dock, 2-5 pm.

Saturday Sept 19: The Whatevers (Allison and Rodney), Makers Market at Sixth Street Promenade, 11:30 am

Saturday  Sept. 19: Prospect Road, 19th Hole in Augusta, IL, 3 pm.

Sunday, Oct. 18:  The Whatevers (Allison & Rodney), Baxter's Winery, Nauvoo IL, 3 pm. 

 

 

Big rock show and going back in time

  I HAVEN'T GONE to a big rock show in seven years. I'm going Sunday. I'm dragging the soon-to-be retired-chief with me.

And I'm going back in time.

We have tickets to see Triumph and April Wine in Maryland Heights at the big outdoor place named after a business I don't remember. I'm giddy about it, like a high school senior.

Triumph? April Wine? Aren't they like 100 years old? 

Well. So am I.

I just want to go. I just want to see a great band play great songs. Yes, we will geek out at the gear and critique the sound and wonder about the drums cutting through the mix. But mostly I just want to enjoy the spectacle. 

Did I spend too much money and get good seats? Yes. See? Being old has its perks.

Triumph is fronted by Rik Emmett. He's one of my original rock and roll heroes. He is a huge reason I got really into the guitar and playing music. And he's still out there killing it.

So let's go back in time. I looked this up to make sure it happened. Thanks to the Kalamazoo public library, I now remember it was March 16, 1983. Triumph and Foghat played at Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and my buddy Scott and I went. Tickets were $10.75, plus we had to pay a 25-cent surcharge for parking. We were seniors in high school. We probably had to scrape up the cash and gas money. 

I remember little about it, other than we were deaf for days after. We were on the floor not far from the stage. The pyro and light show blew out minds. People went nuts. It was glorious!

I'm not expecting to be deaf for days after Sunday's show. I think you make it what you want. You either want to be there or you don't. You are either gonna have a great time or you aren't. 

I'm gonna. I might even spring for premium parking so we can get in and out faster. I bet it's more than a quarter.

I'm young now, I'm wild now, I long to be free .... !!!!!!

 Here's to the Rock And Roll Machine Reloaded, and a trip down memory lane.

 

 

Hallway walking rules

 AS A COURIER for Blessing Hospital, I walk six to seven miles a day, 11,000-plus steps. I spend a lot of time in the lower level of the main campus by the 10th Street loading dock, picking up at the pharmacy and heading to the 927 building via the second floor skywalk over 10th.

It can be hazardous. There should be rules posted on walls. Not that anybody would look up from their phones to read them.

That's the No. 1 obstacle to safe hallway walking. Don't. Look. At. Your. Phone. Keep your head up while you walk. How I haven't run somebody over yet with my flatcart full of stuff is a miracle, but there's always tomorrow. That recipe you are looking at or Insta-Chat message can wait until you get to your office or cafeteria. 

So ...

1. No phones.

2. Stay in the middle. Don't hug the side when approaching one of many hallway T intersections. There is also a jog in the 927 Broadway second floor skywalk that connects the two buildings. I've had many a near miss there. I'd really like to have a chat with whoever designed the 927 building but it may not end well so we'll skip that bad idea.

3. Groups beware. When walking with a colleague or friend, don't hog the whole hallway. If you are coming up on a turn, be ready to line up single file. And it's amazing how many people I see talking to each other AND still glued to phones. Multitasking. Beautiful.

4. Say hello when passing somebody. There are a few people who prefer to stare straight ahead and not say anything, and that's OK. But really ... does it hurt to acknowledge your fellow human being?

5. Stop. Don't jump. Sometimes coming around a corner and finding somebody right in front of you is inevitable. "You scared me!" is something I hear at least once a week. Usually we end up laughing about it. And it's unintentionally hilarious when we both try to go the same way and almost collide again. Just do the Blessing Hallway Cha Cha and dance around each other. It wakes you up! 

6. Point them in the right direction. Going to the hospital can be intimidating. We see so many poor souls in hallways trying to find a doctor's office or department. Be patient and help them out. I got lost for a month straight when I started taking stuff around. 

That's it. Be safe in the hallways, Blessing peeps. Hallways are highways and highways always get your there - unless you don't look up from your phone.

Drivers using phones. Grrrr ....  

 

 

Falling down and getting up at Gem City movement

HEADS UP, SAM McElvie. I'm coming to your class this week. You'll get a workout too, from laughing at my lack of mobility and falling down. You've seen it before.

Sam just opened Gem City Movement at Eighth and State in Calftown. She had an open house Saturday morning, and the place looks amazing.

The thought of going to a fitness center or gym can be intimidating. Gem City Movement is anything but intimidating. Everybody is invited and everybody can do it. The idea is to move, however much you can. Or, in my case, can't.

Actually I'm in decent shape right now, mostly from walking six-plus miles a day as a courier for Blessing. I'm trying to eat better. And I quit drinking, a huge reason.

I don't know Sam that well but I have immense respect for her, and she is one of the few people I follow on social media. A while back she wrote about her decision to not drink anymore, and it resonated. It's not about having a problem or getting a DUI or relying on it to get through the day - it's all about not feeling like crap after you drink.

Haven't missed it a bit.

Saturday morning at her studio, I was talking to Judge Tad Brenner, himself a great story about moving and coming back from a serious injury. Sam came up and made a joke about me being so tall. I told her I can't jump or move that well so it all evens out.

"Oh, I've seen you fall off a stage. You can move," she said.

True. She's referring to the legendary YWCA lip-sync contest, which our little group won, by the way. It was worth busting up the ribs and it was all for a good cause - I showed Sam the photos of my rib cage a few days after the event and even she was impressed.

This morning I'm reminded why I do need to move more. We had glorious Prospect Road gigs over the weekend - Saturday night we played a private 50th birthday party, and Sunday afternoon we were at the Dock.

The party was just that - a party. Like most it took a while but once they dove in, it was chaos. On Sunday the Dock was packed and we seemed to hit a groove. 

I am not responsible for my own behavior at gigs, especially with a wireless guitar. People say I move around a lot. I have no idea. It's just part of playing. But this morning, it's slow glowing, and it will probably be worse tomorrow. 

It used to be a lot easier a few years ago. At 61, it won't get easier. So ... I need to do things like go to Sam's "Mobility + Core by CIRCL" class this week. Who cares if it sounds like she's going to kill us all? "It's just a lot of getting up and down," she said.

That's it. I need help getting up and down. I fall down. A lot. And if I'm trying to read the directions on my new electric mower, I have to bend down and take off my glasses and I end up on my knees, and it's a lot of work to get back up. You try being 5-foot-19.

Sam? I'm ready to move. 

You'd better be ready to help me back up, if needed. 

 

Golf naps and games on the radio

 YOU CAN TRY to relive childhood. But age always catches up.

Always.

I followed the NCAA basketball tournaments, both men and women. But the men's Final Four wasn't on network television. I understand that cable networks pay gazillions to show the games, but I'm not subscribing to Tru TBS Lame-A-Vision for one weekend. Sling is one of the choices for cable - it's a gigantic ripoff, and I don't watch it enough.

So I found the men's Final Four semifinal game between Michigan and Arizona on the radio. Actually, online. And it took me back. 

When I was a kid, before running water and electricity, I listened to the radio all the time. I remember finding Montreal Canadiens hockey games on French radio when we lived in Montreal, circa the early 70s. I could sort of follow along.("LaFleur ... Il tire, il marque!"). Even in high school, the legendary Detroit Tigers announcers Ernie Harwell and Paul Carey were the soothing summer night sounds often lulling me into Zs.

I managed to listen to most of the Michigan blowout win. Monday night, Michigan played UConn in the national title game, and I planned to listen to the second half.

But I fell asleep. So I woke up at 4 a.m. and found out what happened. Ah, the joys of being 61.

Yesterday was the Masters golf tournament and the compelling tale of Rory McElroy going after his second straight green jacket. Prospect Road had a riot Saturday night at The Club Tavern, and Sunday was busy until about 4, so I was dead tired.

I finally collapsed on the couch, turned on the TV, and saw five or six players who had a chance to win. So what did I do?

I immediately fell asleep. At least Coco had a lap for one of her 39 daily naps. 

I was in and out the entire back nine, which is kind of the way I play golf too, now that you mention it.

Way to go Rory. I got a good nap. I went to bed at 9 and read and was out by 9:30.

Of course, falling asleep and staying asleep are two different things. Another story for another day.

Nap on, old man. Maybe I'll try to find a Blue Jays or Tigers game online tonight.