July 4, 2026

Some say that time is like a river, ever flowing ever changing.  Some say that time, like history will always repeat itself.  It is my observation, that time never rests.

For your consideration: I give you, July 4th, 1976.

Now fifty years ago, Carl and I we were both part of a legendary concert in Mount Clemens, Michigan.  The city fathers knew that we had a young, powerful rock band, and asked if we could be part of the Bicentennial celebration at a park on the 4th of July.  It sounded great to us.  There would be a huge crowd, the local radio station, (WBRB) and other people of interest.

Our band, Sanctuary was certainly up to the task of playing, but what we needed to accomplish first was getting all our equipment to the location and setting up a stage. To have our sound heard and appreciated, we needed to get the audio out to the crowd; so we had to rent more equipment. (don’t worry we were rich in those days).  After practicing for a week, we met on the morning go the 4th and began loading equipment for the show.  We began at 8:00 am in Roseville and after transporting our gear to Mount Clemens, began setting it up at Shadyside park.  

As the crowd settled in and we launched into our first song, we realized the piece of equipment we rented failed to function as our bands’ sound was not being projected or simulcast.  We had no choice but to abandon the show.

After fourteen hours of set up and tear down, we ended up with nothing to show for it, but a few pictures that acknowledged how hard we tried.  It was a life lesson we  never forgot. Every gig after that for the last fifty years, we have arrived earlier, with extra equipment that guaranteed that we never failed a show again. 

In these pictures are: Sanctuary – Jim Lee, Gary Burlak, Steve Punturiere and myself.  Our bodies for the day: Randy and Chip Fosth, Carl Zimmerman, George Balch and Larry.

Fifty years to the day, I returned to Shadyside Park and stood on the same spot where we had set up in 1976.    Funny, it was very quiet; just like it was on that day so many years ago.

Rb

Many thanks to Randy Fosth for documenting the day.