Lip-Syncing

I recently listened to and watched a live Metallica arena video of "Nothing Else Matters". Suddenly, memories of the days when I was a cog in the Rock n Roll industry came flooding back. SHOWCO brought music to live venues from coast to coast. And I helped.

I never toured with Metallica. They found the limelight after I had been used up driving shows to wherever the next gig was.

The Metallica video captures the essence of a huge arena show. There was something grand about walking into an arena or a stadium and listening to 50,000 music fans greet the band many of them had driven hundreds of miles to see. I liked the smaller tours more I guess. Less trucks meant less pressure and on several tours it felt like I was on vacation. But I have to say looking out at the madness of a festival seating gig from the stage left an impression.

The picture upper left is one I took while driving for a Zep Tour in 1977. 

What stands out in the video and struck me just as it did in the mid 1970s was how many people lip-synced with the songs. True fans. And it's odd. If the band was a chick favorite, most of the lips flappin in time with the tune were chick lips. Bands that appealed more to the dudes than the dudettes had the boys trying to keep up. Guys always struggled with lip syncing. The girls were born to it.

I know I often write about my time driving Rock n Roll trucks, but hey, that time of my life left an indelible imprint. I picked up some scars while working for SHOWCO, but the great times I had more than outweighed the drudgery that came with the job.

The list of awesome experiences I crammed into my time with SHOWCO is endless. And now when I dredge up another new memory, it does not matter if it is a sad or happy memory. They all make me smile now.

Keep it 'tween the ditches ...........................................

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Of course a song for this post has to be the live version of  Metallica's, "Nothing Else Matters". But just for chuckles, also enjoy this live version of the Kinks performing "Lola". It is from a concert in Providence, RI in 1979, after I had left SHOWCO. I drove for them twice. Hands down, no matter how out of it the boys were, they always brought the crowds to their feet with this song. Enjoy.