Its has been years.
Years, since we witnessed the rumble, the roar and the glory of a Dream Cruise.
It began in August of 1995 to be exact. That summer, we played our oldies for the best and the brightest at the General Motors Tech Center.
It was an inauspicious beginning to a decade of entertaining car aficionados from around the globe, right here in the Motor City.
Situated in Huntington Woods, along the bustling banks of Woodward Avenue, we played music to all that would listen.
In the summer of 1996, we set up shop in the parking lot near the bank in Huntington woods, while other entertainers occupied the big stage. We gathered on the side, out of the way; so that we could play between all the other acts. We were the musical MC’s as it were.
For nearly ten years we were there listening to the purring motors and squealing tires. It all came to an end when the economy went south, and funding for some cities or townships dried up.
Fast forward to 2017 . . .
We got the call that Berkley needed some entertainment after their CruiseFest. We were honored to be one of the groups.
So, one day before the actual cruise day, we drove out to beautiful Berkley to pick up where we left off in 2005.
The crowd was amazing. They were all gathered in anticipation of the big parade that was scheduled to begin at 6:30.
The event was to be an hour, with another band called, Full Throttle taking the stage from the cruises’ end until we were ready to entertain at 9:30.
There was so much to see, so much to do, so much to take in. Vendors, and people and dogs and people and car enthusiasts, and other people.
All that we needed were some music fans and we would be all set. Fortunately, the music fans were right there awaiting the show at the conclusion of the big parade.
The parade was the focus, as two original Carroll Shelby Cobras kicked things off in fine fashion.
Car after car rolled past to the extreme delight of both youngsters and oldsters, roadside. The motors roared their approval from under every well-manicured hood.
It was hard to judge who enjoyed the show more; the kids who had never seen such vehicles before, or the members of the “Greatest generation” that followed each auto with reminiscent delight.
Full Throttle took the stage at 7:30 upon the conclusion of the amazing parade. Their goal was to bring back even more memories through tight, exciting vocal melodies and intricate “do-wop” harmonies.
They succeeded in a big way!
The crowd was clapping and shouting along, to the infectious rhythms and vocal stylings.
The city of Berkley was even on hand to televise the happenings around the parade, by streaming things live!
Full Throttle delivered classic after timeless Do-wop classic, all the while dancing, rocking and rolling to the well-choreographed stage show.
They started a bit late, and so their show ran a little bit longer. Carl and I scrambled to get our gear up and ready, just as we were getting the green light to start from the camera crew.
We started.
Some of our equipment did not. My bass pedals were all set up and ready to go when the time came for us to begin. However, upon attempting to play my first bass note, nothing happened.
And . . . there was really no way to fix it, since we had to breaks or lull to manage it. Oh well, the life of a Rock Star!
We blasted right through lots of oldies, to the delight of the crowd that stayed out late. You must realize that it had been a long day, a long week, and was going to be an even longer day on Saturday for most, if not all of these fine folks.
They had been working for a month to put this event on, and, it showed.
Much thanks to everyone involved on this big night.
It was great fun for us. To return to our roots by the muscle cars again. Many thanks to the crew that fed us from the Lunch Cafe!
Seems as though everyone was happy on this night. Hope to be back in Beautiful Berkley to entertain again next year. For the new models!
Rb
