A long, long time ago...

I can still remember how that music used to make me smile.

I was barely a teenager when the song American Pie by Don McLean was popular. The lyrics don't make much more sense to me now than they did back then. Yeah, I know it's about the night, in February, 1959, when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper died in a plane crash in Iowa but some of the wording still leaves me scratching my head. Anyway, last night, it was a pleasure to see the original writer and singer himself perform the song. To be honest, it's not my usual type of music -- I was much more enthralled a few months ago when I saw my old loves, Three Dog Night. But, we had purchased season tickets to the Augusta Symphony's Pops at the Bell and this was the last one in the four concert series, so off we went. Mr. McLean sang not only American Pie but his other hits such as Vincent and Crying. He was suffering from allergies but, in spite of that, his voice was clear as a bell -- and I enjoyed his self-deprecating humor.

It's funny to see these music veterans. They still have energy and talent but their desire to hold on to old hairstyles (or hair in general) makes me cringe a little -- nothing a good pair of scissors wouldn't cure. Some people (men and women) just don't realize that wearing hair long and unkempt actually makes them look older. I've seen complete transformations of folks with just a little snip but I guess, in the music world, it's hard to be a rebel unless the hair fits the image. But, hey, a nice haircut might actually be even more rebellious.

But, whatever. At least they're still out there, letting the children of the 70s relive our teenage years for, at least, the duration of a performance.

But it's pretty bad when this child of the 70s is continuously thinking, "can I make it to the end without having to get up and go to the restroom?"

I did. But just barely.