Idol memories

I came across the photo below on John Oates’ Facebook page. It seems The Jacksons’ and (a flying solo) John Oates’ paths intersected backstage during their respective gigs up north in the ol’ hometown.

Image courtesy of John Oates Facebook page

What struck me about this image is how it represents a confluence of my childhood and teen/young adult/to this day entertainment idols.

Funny how a simple photo can call up such memories…memories of growing a ‘fro like Michael (who obviously is sadly missed from this picture) and memories of growing a ‘stache like Mr. Oates as a young man (and memories of a time when the Jacksons weren’t tied up in messy intra-family custody battles).

There are vinyls in my basement and digital downloads in my pocket from both of these performers.

As a kid, I was a huge Jackson 5 fan – what kid in the early 70s wasn’t? In the late 70s I became a Daryl Hall and John Oates fan – in the 2000’s I still am.

I’ve never seen the Jacksons perform live, but I do remember entertaining my parents, spastically performing my best J-5 moves whenever they appeared on Soul Train, American Bandstand, Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin and other such variety shows that are no longer on.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen Oates and Hall – from the Tower Theater in Upper Darby PA in ’81 to most recently at the Fabulous Fox here in the ATL.

If I were back home, I’d certainly see John Oates. While I’m not sure I’d go to see a Michael or Janet-less Jacksons gig, I still have tremendous respect for the guys from Gary and I’m happy to see they’re still making music.

It’s just an image on a social media site, but among the five guys in this photo are a lot of years of music and for me many years of memories.

2 comments

  1. Karen

    I think music plays a huge role in our lives whether we know it or not. It provides a soundtrack to our memories. I’ll hear a song and suddenly think “Oh! That song was big during the ‘Summer of Greg’!” or “That was the theme song from my prom.”

    Strangely enough, the first song I ever remember hearing is “The Sound of Silence.”

    And I bet your Jackson moves were AWESOME. 🙂

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