Flashback Friday: Summer Road Trip Edition

Summertime is here, and with it we here at Night Beat HQ are reminiscing about the road trip. Especially the Concert Road Trip. And while Summer is preferable, that is not necessarily the case, especially here in New England. I think it has something to do with the fact that ever since at least Elvis Presley, the recording labels are in Nashville and Memphis. And its hot there in the South. Actually all year round. So prime touring schedules seem to be September-June, excepting Summer Festivals.

Around here in great frozen North, that usually translates into a snow trip road trip at times, and the tours here tend to be brief stops, as in "ONLY NEW ENGLAND APPEARANCE", so it's move it or lose it time when your favorite band shows up

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Move it was usually my choice. There was the weekly mini road trip just about every Friday to the Christ For You Coffeehouse in Braintree. (basement of the VFW hall) in the mid to late 70's where the 2nd or third tier bands played, usually for free. That's another story, but I'm talking about "Headliners".

The 70's was the Jesus Music Era, and we packed up the car to Boston and Tremont Temple to see Denny Corell (of Love Song Fame) and Nancy Honeytree. The sights weren't much to be seen, unless we got lost in the city and wound up driving through the "Combat Zone". No, we aren't talking about military conflict. It's an entirely different war going on there at the time.

The really big shoe at the time was the 2nd Chapter of Acts. In 1978 they were on their Mansion Builder tour. The showed up at Augusta, Maine and I (actually my parents, I was only 12 at the time), packed up the Honda Civic and set out. It took (according to google maps), 3.5 hours. In actuality at the time it was probably at least 4 hours each way. And I don't remember any bathroom or food stops along the way. Ah the things you do when you're young and stupid. Now that I'm (ahem) older, though sometimes still not so wise, I usually plan my road trips with plenty of Rest stops, though I don't factor in getting lost. By the way, not knowing where you are going, and thus making a long trip, doesn't qualify here. If that were so, a trip across town might qualify. Back to the present. Until next time, what was your longest road trip story? Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.