I decided to buy a pair of tickets for Hutch to give to him for his birthday, and two extra tickets so Candace and Erin could also go with Linda and me to see this great musician.
When I called to let them know to keep the date open and why, they both said they had not heard of him before. Perhaps I had not played his music a lot when they were children, and he does fly a bit below the radar despite having some huge hits in the mid-70s. I assured them that they would enjoy his music.
Every conversation for the next month-and-a-half included comments about how excited I was that they were going, and encouragement for them to listen to some of his music beside the two songs they both knew: "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle."
When it became obvious they were not going to research any of his other music, I put a post on Facebook that included YouTube videos of ten of his songs.
The day of the show finally arrived. Hutch and his Linda would meet us at the show. My Linda and I picked up Erin and Candace early enough so we could get a bite before the show. They both admitted not watching any of the videos I posted. It would be okay, I thought. The performance would enamor them.
He opened with "Runnin’ Blue," and kept going with songs his fans all knew. At one point, he featured his lovely backup singer, Monet, on a captivating cover of Aretha Franklin’s "Until You Come Back to Me." She got a couple of standing ovations during and after her performance.
Despite Boz not getting the same ovations during his set list, the scene was electric! The crowd was more enthusiastic than were the crowds for the Tower of Power shows I have seen there, and that is saying a lot, for those crowds are loud!
Most of the crowd, that is. Candace and Erin were politely applauding. They did not know he was the artist who did Look "What You’ve Done to Me," and said they had never heard "Harbor Lights" or "Georgia." They did love the Monet song but were ready to go after he did his two big hits.
They were a little disappointed when I told them there would be an encore. He had not yet done "We’re All Alone," "Loan Me a Dime," or "Breakdown Dead Ahead," and I knew he would do those songs. Sure enough, the band came back out after a couple of minutes. The encore, though, included three songs, and only "Loan Me a Dime" was in it of the three songs I was certain he would play.
The disappointment grew for Candace and Erin when we stayed to get them out for a second encore, and they were trapped with inside seats. That disappointment for them grew when the band picked up the gear without leaving the stage and finished the show with a rocking version of "Breakdown Dead Ahead!"
Linda and I both thought it was a tremendous show, as did Hutch and his Linda. I told Candace and Erin that I would not make them go to see artists I like, but that I would take them to shows they want to see. They appreciated that.
Here is a clip of him performing "Breakdown Dead Ahead" (Monet is the backup singer on the left when they are on screen):
