Tag: Hall & Oates Page 1 of 2

Generally, there’s no such thing as a bad concert, and 2019 was no exception. While my criteria for what’s constitutes a good concert experience changes a bit from show to show — the location of my seat, the ticket price, whether I got to go to the meet-and-greet, the quality of the photos I get — I can usually find a lot of things I like about a show.

I couldn’t limit the list to the Top 10 shows of 2019, so I made it Top 11 this year. Really, all the concerts were very good, it’s just that these were just a little bit better.

11. Steely Dan — The Met/Philly (Nov. 9) — There was a lot right and a few things wrong for me at this show. First and foremost, the music was brilliant, Donald Fagen can still deliver the goods, and his band is nothing short of outstanding. And while the historic venue is something to behold and a nice place to see a concert, the fact that there is little parking nearby and the overly aggressive ushers on prohibiting photos really took away from this show and explains the reason for the rank. But boy, what a catalog of great songs performed with master musicianship.

Original members of Three Dog Night, Michael Allsup and Danny Hutton.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

10. Three Dog Night — American Music Theatre/Lancaster, PA — (Sept. 22) — There are only two original members left — vocalist Danny Hutton and guitarist Michael Allsup — but they still sound like classic TDN. The band’s library of hits includes some of my favorite songs from the 1970s. And the American Music Theater is a great place to see a show. The seats are wide and comfortable and the leg room between rows is plentiful. Plus I went down to the stage, something I’ve just started doing in the past year if the opportunity presents itself, for the encore, “Joy to the World.”

9. Gary Clark Jr. — Ryman Auditorium/Nashville, TN (March 7) — I was unfamiliar with Clark’s music and my pal Jared Bilski invited me to this show when we were in Nashville for a work conference. Once the show started, I became an immediate fan of Clark’s music. Of course, being in the historic Ryman was a treat, despite the hard church pew bench seating in the balcony. The no-photo policy always annoys me, and this was no exception in that regard. Clark is a tremendous guitarist and can sing. I’d go see him again. I loved Nashville and I’d like to sit downstairs at the Ryman the next time.

8. Dan May — Sellersville Theater/Sellersville, PA — (July 5) — Dan’s shows are always wonderfully entertaining and his songwriting is brilliant. The venue is where we first discovered Dan’s music when he opened for Crystal Gayle, so we always try to see him there. In recent years, Dan has added storytelling segments to his shows, reading chapters from his books, and I really enjoy that. There isn’t a better night of music and entertainment than the Philadelphia-based local musician and his band.

Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley of America.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

7. America — Penn’s Peak/Jim Thorpe, PA — (Aug. 17) — Given my well-chronicled affinity for what is one of my favorite bands of all-time, you might be surprised at this ranking. I see this show every time I can and will continue to do so for as long as I’m able. Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley still sound great, they do all the hits and the venue offers some great seat options, great prices and a spectacular view of the Poconos.

J.D Malone and Tommy Geddes.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

6. J.D Malone and the Experts — Steel City Coffeehouse/Phoenixville, PA — (March 16) — Intimate venue, high-energy show where the artists come out and greet the fans personally before the show. Another full night of entertaining music for the ticket price by another Philadelphia-area artist. J.D’s songwriting is undeniably wonderful and he always looks like he’s enjoying himself up there on stage. That’s contagious for the audience and it returns the love.

Left to right, Elliot Lurie of Looking Glass, Peter Beckett of Player and John Ford Coley.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

5. Rock the Yacht, featuring Elliot Lurie of Looking Glass, Peter Beckett of Player, Ambrosia, John Ford Coley and Walter Egan/The Borgata, Atlantic City, NJ — (Aug. 23) — A very yacht rocky lineup of many of my favorite artists of the 1970s. They all still sound great and we had great seats at a reasonable price. In addition to the show, a highlight of the evening was before the show, where we had the opportunity to meet and have dinner with Elliot Lurie, who wrote “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl),” one of the most iconic songs of the 1970s. A personable and friendly gent, I had interviewed Elliot for “The Vinyl Dialogues Volume IV: From Studio to Stylus” after connecting with him on Facebook. It was a thrill for me to meet the guy who wrote one of the songs to the soundtrack of my life. After that, the concert was gravy.

Micky Dolenz and Mike Nesmith of The Monkees.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

4. The Monkees — Keswick Theatre, Glenside, PA — (March 6) — There’s only two of them left — Micky Dolenz and Mike Nesmith — but they still sounded like The Monkees. This was a rescheduled show from 2018 when Nesmsith fell ill on the stage of the Keswick during sound check and eventually needed heart surgery. But the duo put on a great show and gave us a little slice of our childhood back for one evening.

Daryl Hall and John Oates.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

3. Daryl Hall and John Oates — Allentown Fairgrounds, Allentown, PA — (Sept. 1) — This show could have been ranked lower because I’ve seen them so many times, but it’s not because Hall & Oates are just that damn good. An outdoor show on wooden chairs at a fairgrounds can present some challenges, but the weather held. Allentown is close enough to home turf for Daryl and John, and they always seem to be comfortable on their home field. We’ve seen this show many times, and it’s always ridiculously solid. The band is tight, tight, tight. The catalog of hits is undeniable. There have been times when I’ve hoped for some deeper cuts in the setlist, but John has told me in more than one interview that they feel obligated to the fans to play the hits. These guys are as good now as they ever were and we’re lucky that they’re still out there sharing their music with us.

2. Lionel Richie, Hard Rock Cafe, Atlantic City, NJ — (March 23) — This high ranking shows just how good a showman, entertainer and singer Lionel Richie is because I absolutely dislike this venue. The room is just full of bad angles, many of the seats are too far from the stage and it has a no-photos policy, which will always rub me the wrong way. But Richie can sing, he’s so personable on stage, and there’s no denying the great catalog of music. This is one where I wish I would have been sitting closer but the ticket prices were prohibitive for those seats. I’d go see him again in a heartbeat.

Little Steven Van Zandt and the Disciples of Soul.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

1. Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul — Keswick Theatre, Glenside, PA — (July 20) — All the stars lined up perfectly for this show, which is why is takes the top spot. I went by myself, which isn’t my preference, but I got a ticket for $79.50 right in the front row. The Disciples of Soul rocked the house, Little Steven was all Little Steven and more, I love his music and I was in the catbird seat for photos, which Stevie himself encourages people to take. There’s always that slight chance that Bruce Springsteen is going to show up unannounced at an East Coast Steveie show, but that didn’t happen at this one. At one point Stevie stuck the mic in my face so I could sing a little — not a really good idea — but I wasn’t familiar enough with the lyrics of the song, so I shit down my leg and had to mush-mouthed it. He looked at me like, WTF man. But it was a tremendous amount of fun and I got some outstanding photos. If the opportunity presents itself, always sit in the front row when you can.

The backstory behind the hit ‘Sara Smile’ by Hall & Oates

By Mike Morsch

On July 15, 2018

In The Vinyl Dialogues Book

Even though both Daryl Hall and John Oates are credited with writing “Sara Smile,” it’s a Daryl Hall song.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

Daryl Hall was living on the Upper East Side of New York in 1975 when he and John Oates began producing material for the “Daryl Hall & John Oates” album – which would come to be known as “The Silver Album” because of its glam rock style cover. Living with Hall at the time was his girlfriend, Sara Allen.

Oates had introduced Allen to Hall a few years earlier. According to Oates, he had met a flight attendant – called “stewardesses” in those days – and a girlfriend of hers on the streets of New York and had struck up a conversation with them. One of those flight attendants was Sara Allen.

Oates eventually took that chance meeting and turned it into a song titled “Las Vegas Turnaround” that appeared on the duo’s second album, “Abandoned Luncheonette,” released in 1973. He also eventually introduced Hall to Allen.

By 1975, Allen and Hall were a few years into a personal relationship that would end up lasting more than 30 years. And Hall was inspired enough by his feelings for Allen that he wrote a highly personal song, one that would end up being on “The Silver Album.”

That song was “Sara Smile,” which became the first Top 10 hit for Hall & Oates, reaching No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in early 1976.

“It was a song that came completely out of my heart. I’ve said this many times – it was a postcard. It’s short and sweet and to the point,” said Hall.

But there was no big first-time reveal of the song to Allen.

“She was there, in the house. I was just writing the song. I don’t think there was a first time that I played it for her. She listened to the evolution of the song,” said Hall.

Both Hall and Oates are credited as writing the song but it’s a Daryl Hall song, according to Oates.

John Oates contributed some lyrics to “Sara Smile.”
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

“When you think about that song, the one thing you have to understand about Daryl and I and our songwriting process is that if one of us kind of had a handle on the idea, the other one would help and kind of function almost like an editor, to help make the song happen.” said Oates. “It could have been as simple as throwing out an arrangement idea or it could have been a 50-50 collaboration or anything in-between. There were no rules involved with any of this stuff.”

Oates said Hall had the song, the music, the chord changes, he was singing the melody and had the chorus.

“Over the years, I’ve always just tacitly acknowledged that it was his song, because it was. But he and I wrote the lyrics together,” said Oates.

But it was two Oates songs – “Camellia” and “Alone Too Long” – that were slated by the record company to be the two singles released from “The Sliver Album.” At that point in the process, “Sara Smile” wasn’t being considered for release as a single.

“When ‘Sara Smile’ was recorded, it was probably tracked in a half hour at the most. Daryl did all the vocals. In fact, the lead vocal is a live vocal tape. We punched in one word, the first ‘Sara’ before the first chorus because it was flat,” said Barry Rudolph, the engineer on the album. “Daryl is very much a live and immediate artist; he’s not much for punching in lead vocals. Backing vocals are different. But he really was a real-by-feel kind of singer.”

But Chris Bond – who co-produced the album with Hall and Oates – and Rudolph didn’t think “Sara Smile” was destined to be a single from the album.

“The first time I heard ‘Sara Smile,’ I thought it was a really neat song. And that’s all I thought about it. But it did definitely belong on this record,” said Bond.

“To be honest, everyone kind of thought that ‘Sara’ was a really cool kind of album cut. It was a really nice song and everyone loved working on it,” said Rudolph. “It was a very simple production, a very simple song. Daryl said to me, ‘When we do the backing vocals, I want it to sound like the Dells.’ I said OK. I sort of knew who they were.”

The Dells were a doo-wop group popular in the 1950s and 1960s who had an R&B hit with the single “Oh What a Night.”

“When I heard the playback the first time of the first take that we’d done of ‘Sara,’ I thought oh, something was happening,” said Bond. “I’m sitting in the control room thinking to myself, oh my God, to me this sounds like a hit record. But everybody kept insisting the hit single was ‘Camellia.’ This was the 1970s. Albums all had concepts – that’s what it was all about. And the concept with ‘Sara’ was that it was like an Al Green song. I wanted it to sound like an old Al Green song from Memphis.

“I cut ‘Camellia’ three different times, with three different sections. I did two different string dates on it. I tried it with two different drummers. I even tried cutting it in different studios to see if I could make it sound like a hit to me and it never did,” said Bond.

Once “The Silver Album” was released, the two singles, “Camellia” and “Alone Too Long,” did OK on the charts, but nothing spectacular. At that time in the music business, according to Oates, artists had to give a single six to eight weeks to see if it would make the charts and get regular radio play.

“By the time those two singles had been released – the album had been released prior to that – you’re talking about being into this album for more than six months. At that point in our careers, six months was an eternity. We were already getting ready to make a new record,” said Oates.

Still, RCA had no intention of releasing a third single from “The Silver Album.” (I interviewed Hall, Oates, Bond and Rudolph about the making of that album, which is featured in “The Vinyl Dialogues Volume III: Stacks of Wax.”)

“In their minds, we were going to make another record, and in our minds, we were going to make another record,” said Oates.

But while the duo was touring, a disc jockey on a small R&B radio station in Toledo, Ohio, decided to start playing “Sara Smile” as an album cut – just because he liked the song.

“Simple as that. And as soon he began to play it, the phones lit up, people kept calling and asking, ‘Who are these guys, what is this song that you’re playing and where do we get it?’” said Oates.

But Bond and Rudolph remember the “Sara” story differently.

“The story goes that Tommy Mattola (the duo’s manager at the time) took a second loan out on his house and borrowed a bunch of money and basically got the top 10 stations in the country to play ‘Sara’ in regular rotation for a week. And that put it over the edge,” said Rudolph. (I was unable to confirm that version of the story with Hall, Oates or Mattola.)

Nevertheless, word of the song’s popularity in Ohio quickly got back to RCA offices in New York and the record company officials decided to release “Sara Smile” as the third single off “The Silver Album.”

Hall & Oates were touring England when “Sara Smile” broke in the R&B world, becoming a hit on African-American radio. The song then crossed over into mainstream radio and became a pop hit as well.

“I will never forget the first time I heard it on the radio,” said Hall. “I was in California. I heard it on the radio amidst all the other songs, and I thought to myself, ‘This doesn’t sound like anything else that’s being played around it.’ It was totally unique and stuck out like a sore thumb – well maybe not a sore thumb – but it stuck out. I have a distinct memory of that. I’m sort of proud of that idea.”

The song went to No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles, No. 6 on the U.S. Cash Box Top 100 singles, No. 18 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks and No. 23 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart.

Hall & Oates: First-hand perspective on how their roles evolved within the band

By Mike Morsch

On May 28, 2017

In The Vinyl Dialogues Book

Daryl Hall and John Oates headlines the inaugural Hoagie Nation Festival May 27, 2017, in their hometown of Philadelphia. (Photo by Mike Morsch)

Daryl Hall and John Oates headlined the inaugural Hoagie Nation Festival May 27, 2017, in their hometown of Philadelphia.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

Seeing Daryl Hall and John Oates headline the inaugural Hoagie Nation Festival in Philly May 27 reminded me of a portion of the last interview I did with Oates. It was about how each of their roles in the band had evolved throughout their careers.

There is a perspective out there – one with which I vehemently disagree – that Oates is some sort of second banana to Hall. There was even a short-lived television show called “Garfunkel and Oates” that is described as being about “two famous rock-and-roll second bananas.” (As an aside, Oates himself played a porn shop clerk in one episode and there was a hilarious off-color running joke on the show that referenced Oates’ famous 1970s mustache.)

In a dozen interviews over the past decade, I’ve talked to Oates about almost everything Hall & Oates and everything solo Oates. He’s what I’d describe as the perfect interview subject: articulate, has a detailed recollection about songs and events, is a good storyteller, never dodges a question, polite, gracious, media savvy and a genuinely nice guy. He’s the kind of guy you’d want to hang with and just listen to him tell stories. I consider myself lucky to have had him share many of those stories with me and I’ve included them in three volumes of The Vinyl Dialogues. (He’s also got a book out titled “Change of Seasons” which includes many more of those great stories.)

(Photo by Mike Morsch)

But the one subject I’d never broached with Oates – because I wasn’t quite sure how he felt about it and didn’t want to offend – was this “second banana” hooey. How did that perspective happen? Did it bother him?

In one interview I had with Daryl Hall, he had briefly mentioned that when the band started to hit really big in the early 1980s, “our roles within the band changed.” He didn’t elaborate and I didn’t pursue any further line of questioning. But in my interviews with both Hall and Oates, neither has shown anything but the utmost respect for the other.

So during my last interview with Oates, I felt comfortable enough – thanks in large part to him seemingly being comfortable with me and my questions over the years – to ask him about how his role in the band had evolved and if any of the second banana perspective had bothered him.

The short answer: It doesn’t.

What is comes down to was that many of the duo’s commercially successful songs – “Sara Smile,” “Rich Girl,” “Wait for Me,” “Kiss on My List,” “You Make My Dreams,” “Private Eyes,” “Maneater,” “One on One” – all feature Hall on the lead vocals.

John Oates and Charlie DeChant.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

“It happened naturally,” said Oates. “In the very beginning, it was a much more equitable thing between Daryl and I in terms of who was singing lead. There were a few singles in the early days that were released with me singing lead that never caught on.” (If you want a couple of examples of H&O songs that should have been bigger hits with Oates singing lead, look no further than the “Abandoned Luncheonette” album and the Oates-penned songs “Had I Known You Better Then” and “Las Vegas Turnaround,” the latter of which they still play in many of their live shows to this day, although it wasn’t included Saturday night in the Hoagie Nation Festival setlist.)

It’s all about lack of ego, according to Oates.

“At that point, if I was ruled by ego, I might have said, ‘OK, I don’t want to be involved in something like this’ and I would have left,” said Oates. “But I always accepted that Daryl was such an exceptional singer and such a unique talent that it didn’t really surprise me, to be honest with you, when his voice cut the way it cut through the radio. It has a quality. It’s a natural gift that he happens to have that I evidently don’t. So be it.”

Oates said that he then became more involved in some of what he called “things that aren’t so flashy and glamorous that people don’t see” with the band. Things like the studio production, onstage lighting, sound staging and some of the other technical aspects of putting on live shows.

(Photo by Mike Morsch)

“I always viewed a partnership as a partnership. In any partnership, I don’t care if it’s marriage or a work partnership, you have to compromise on a lot of levels. So I’ve just accepted that. It was OK with me,” said Oates. “To be honest, I don’t need that in my life, that reaffirmation from the public. That doesn’t matter that much to me. So I guess in a way, it was really lucky that Daryl found me.”

Just to provide context, that last line was said by Oates with tongue firmly planted in cheek and with a chuckle.

But there isn’t any question – at least in my mind – that even though both Hall and Oates have pursued their solo projects over the past several years, they still like performing together. And that was evident at the Hoagie Nation Festival in their hometown.

“That’s the thing about Daryl and I that people really don’t understand or realize – that we are very unique people. We’ve grown up together from the time we were 18 years old. We’ve accepted each other’s idiosyncrasies, neuroses, good points and bad points. We don’t air dirty laundry and we learned how to deal with each other and how to make it work so that each of us feels satisfied and wants to continue doing it. It’s a very complex and subtle thing that is almost impossible to describe,” said Oates.

“The point is, we’ve really been sensitive to each other. We kind of inherently know what each person needs to keep this thing going and that’s why we’re still together.”

From Bob to Bruce: The Best Concerts of 2016

By Mike Morsch

On December 31, 2016

In The Vinyl Dialogues Book

(Photo by Mike Morsch)

There are many aspects that make a good concert experience. Primarily of course, is the music. How does the artist and the band sound? Is what I’m hearing on stage like what I hear on the vinyl?

Maybe we all have different criteria, though. I am particularly fond of hearing an artist sing the hits live. I want see and hear Hall & Oates sing “She’s Gone” and “Sara Smile”; I want to see and hear Brian Wilson sing “Surfer Girl”; I want to personally witness Elton John sing “Rocket Man”; I want to be in the stadium and experience “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen.

As a music writer, there are several other aspects of a concert that add to the experience for me. Oftentimes, I interview the artist and write a story for my media group advancing the show. Was the interview a pleasant experience and did I get a lot of good information? The stories are personally important to me, so if I’ve had an enjoyable and informative conversation with the artist and written a good story, then I’m even more anxious to see the show.

Also contributing to my concert experience are where I’m sitting and if I’m allowed to take pictures during the show, many of which can be used in the volumes of The Vinyl Dialogues. And then sometimes, I’ll get the chance to meet the artist after the show. That’s always very cool and is a nice bonus to top off a great concert experience.

A special note here: Local artists are the backbone of my concert experience every year, and the Philly area boasts some incredibly talented musicians and performers that I try to see as often as I can. Do yourself a favor and give a listen to Dan May, JD Malone, Billy Burger, Lizanne Knott, Skip Denenberg and Mutlu.

With the close of 2016 then, here’s a look back at what was a great concert season on the national level. I was going to choose a Top 10, but couldn’t keep it to just 10. So these are the Top 12 concerts I saw in 2016:

No. 12 – Bob Dylan
July 13 at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA.

I understand the significance of Bob Dylan. I really do. But his music has never really spoken to me on a personal level. Still, it’s Bob Dylan and I felt the need to see him perform so I could say that I saw him live. There would be no interview on this one, but that’s no surprise. Dylan doesn’t do many interviews.

For the show, I enlisted my friend Ted Wolf, who’s a huge Dylan fan, to go with me. Ted knows every song that Bob has ever recorded and has seen him in concert more than 30 times. I’ve said for years that if I ever decided to spring for a Dylan ticket, that I’d want Ted along with me to interpret what it was Bob was actually saying. The thing is, Ted lives in Illinois. So for this concert, he drove all the way to Philly the day before the performance and drove back to Illinois the day after the show. Ted really, really likes Dylan.

The show was typical Bob being Bob, singing with a mouthful of marbles. As anticipated, Ted was an invaluable concert mate, both as the interpreter and with identifying the titles of the songs. The seats were fairly pricey and in the second level nosebleeds. So photos allowed, but it wouldn’t have mattered anyway from that distance.

Bob Dylan makes my Top 12 concerts of the year list because he’s Bob Dylan.

No. 11 – Art Garfunkel
May 20 at McCarter Theatre on the campus of Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.

I had a wonderful interview with Art Garfunkel, which was good because Garfunkel doesn’t easily suffer fools, particularly those who ask stupid questions, which Garfunkel identifies as pretty much any question about Paul Simon. But I knew that because I had done my homework and was prepared to not ask those questions.

The show itself featured just Garfunkel and an accompanying guitarist. But like Bob Dylan, this is Art Garfunkel. Our parents grew up with Simon & Garfunkel and we listened to those records because they loved those records. And so do we. Simon & Garfunkel were as big as any American artists in the 1960s.

Garfunkel had suffered some serious voice issues a few years back, which he told me during the interview were now resolved. But to my untrained ear, that wasn’t entirely the case at the Princeton show. If you closed your eyes, there were times you could hear that wonderful Art Garfunkel voice and it was truly magical. But there also were times that if you closed your eyes, you could hear what sounded like someone stepping on Art Garfunkel’s throat.

Really though, I don’t necessarily expect a guy that’s 75 years old to sing like he did when he was 25 years old. Garfunkel is also persnickety about photographs and stopped the show at one point to chastise somebody down front who had pulled out a cellphone. So the only usable shot I got was after the performance as Garfunkel was taking a bow.

No. 10 – Boz Scaggs
April 14, Keswick Theatre, Glenside, PA.

This show was a pleasant surprise because it was unexpected. The tickets were a gift from The Blonde Accountant (my wife) because we found ourselves with a cooperative work schedule that presented the rare opportunity to go out on a weeknight. Even at the last minute, we were able to get great seats, 15 rows back, and dead center.

There was no interview, but I got some great photos. Scaggs was in great voice, but he’s doesn’t move around much on stage and there wasn’t much in-between song banter with the audience, neither of which was a big deal to me for this show.

Of course, we all sang along on “Lido Shuffle” and “Lowdown.” Those are the songs that I wanted to hear Scaggs sing live. But I was particularly struck with the second encore song, a cover of “There’s a Storm Comin’” by Richard Hawley. It’s a beautiful song and Scaggs did a wonderful job with it. It was somewhat unusual to close the show with a ballad, but it didn’t do anything to dampen the enthusiasm of an appreciative audience.

Paul Anka goes into the crowd at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

No. 9 – Paul Anka
Dec. 16, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark, N.J.

Not only was Anka a great interview, he’s got a direct lineage to Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, which makes him . . . just . . . that . . . cool.

But what I liked about this show was Anka’s interaction with the audience. He entered singing through the back of the venue, walking down the aisle shaking hands and stopping to pose for pictures. And then about six songs into his set, he came back down off the stage, went back into the middle of the crowd, stood on a theater seat and sang a medley of songs while people surrounded him with cell phones and hugs.

Paul Anka didn’t mind that a bit. I think the audience can sense when an artist genuinely wants to interact with them on a personal level. The audience responded to Anka with adulation and Anka in turn fed off that energy. It made for a special concert, I thought.

And I liked that Anka closed the show with the song that started it all – “Diana,” a song that he wrote in 1957 and one that became his first hit single. All these years later and Anka hasn’t forgotten the song that started it all for him.

Russell Tompkins Jr., the original lead singer of The Stylistics.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

No. 8 – The Festival of Soul
Nov. 25, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark, N.J.

This show had five acts – Ted Wizard Mills of Blue Magic; Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes (which had no original members but sounded fabulous); The Jones Girls featuring Shirley Jones (not the Mrs. Partridge Shirley Jones); The Dramatics featuring LJ Reynolds; and The Stylistics.

I was there for The Stylistics, and particularly for original lead singer Russell Thompkins Jr. and his high falsetto voice. I loved The Stylistics as a kid in the 1970s and Thompkins has been high on my interview bucket list since I’ve been writing about music.

Cross that one off. I had the pleasure of talking to Thompkins for a story to advance this show, and he didn’t disappoint. Look for a chapter in The Vinyl Dialogues Volume IV on The Stylistics self-titled debut album released in 1971.

The show was highly entertaining, my seat was outstanding and I got some great photos. Russell Tompkins Jr. sounded just as good that evening as he did in the 1970s on those great Stylistics hits “You Are Everything,” “Betcha By Golly, Wow,” “I’m Stone in Love With You” and “Rockin’ Roll Baby.”

I did, however, get caught a little underdressed in jeans and a collar shirt. Almost everyone else in the audience was dressed to the nines in some of the most colorful and fashionable threads I had seen in a while. And it made me wish that I still had the pink paisley jacket with the red pants I wore to my eighth grade graduation in 1973.

No. 7 – Steely Dan (with Steve Winwood)
July 3, BB&T Pavilion, Camden, N.J.

This easily could have been higher on list. It was the first time I had seen Steely Dan live, and the band’s music is really, really good. I’ve always liked it.

But our seats were pretty far from the stage, which essentially eliminated any chance of getting decent photos. I had not had the opportunity to interview Dan co-founders Donald Fagan or Walter Becker, so there was no personal backstory for me.

But none of that took away from the great music I heard that night. A good concert is a good concert, and Steely Dan is worth the price of admission. I’d certainly go see that band again.

Michael Brewer, Gail Farrell and Tom Shipley at dinner before the show.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

No. 6 – Brewer & Shipley
Nov. 2, Sellersville Theatre 1894, Sellersville, PA.

This show was special because of the great personal story that goes with it, all centered around Michael Brewer and Tom Shipley’s hit single, “One Toke Over the Line,” from their 1970 album “Tarkio,” which was featured in Volume I of The Vinyl Dialogues.

After that song became a hit, it was featured on “The Lawrence Welk Show,” sung by the duet of Dick Dale and Gail Farrell. Because the Welk show and its stars had a squeaky clean image, I tracked down Ms. Farrell to ask her if she knew she was singing a song that featured a drug reference because I wanted to add that information to the “Tarkio” chapter. But she wouldn’t tell me because she is writing a one-woman show for herself and the answer to that question is a prominent part of the show.

I kept in touch with Gail and her husband Ron Anderson, also a Welk Show singer in the 1970s. When I found out that Brewer & Shipley were scheduled to appear in my area of Pennsylvania, I emailed Gail and Ron and suggested they fly out from California and go to the show with me.

To my surprise, they decided to do just that. Gail had actually never met Michael and Tom, so we arranged with their manager to meet before the show. It was a wonderful get-together and all of us were invited to have dinner with Michael and Tom. It was great for me to sit at the table and listen to Michael, Tom, Gail and Ron exchange entertainment stories.

During the show, Michael told the “One Toke” story and introduced Gail to the surprised audience. It was a very cool epilog to a story that began 45 years ago and I was fortunate to be a fly on the wall and experience the whole thing.

Brian Wilson behind the piano at Caesars in Atlantic City.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

No. 5 – Brian Wilson
Aug. 27, Caesar’s, Atlantic City, N.J.

Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys are responsible for my very first music memory – listening to a 45 rpm record of “The Little Girl I Once Knew” around 1965. And I’ve been in love with those harmonies ever since.

I’ve interviewed Brian three times, met him on two occasions and have seen both him and the Beach Boys in concert more times than I can remember. And I have just about every record he and the Beach Boys have ever made. Seeing Brian Wilson in concert is something I experience every time I can.

This show featured a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the release of the landmark “Pet Sounds” album, which Brian and his fabulous band performed in its entirety.

We had great seats, eighth row stage left, that gave me a great angle for pictures. Brian’s music, and that of the Beach Boys, has been an important part of my life. If this had been the first time I had seen Brian, it would have been my No. 1 concert experience of the year.

Hall & Oates never disappoint, especially in their home area of Philadelphia.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

No. 4 – Hall & Oates
July 10, BB&T Pavilion, Camden, N.J.

Just a week after the Steely Dan show, I was back at the same venue for Hall & Oates, and with much better seats this time, thanks to H&O management.

Next to the Beach Boys, I’m totally in the bag for anything Hall & Oates. I have been fortunate enough to interview Daryl and John several times over the years. Two of the most favorite chapters I’ve written in The Vinyl Dialogues series have been about Hall & Oates albums: “Abandoned Luncheonette” in Volume I and “Daryl Hall & John Oates” (The Silver Album) in Volume III.

These guys are so good in concert. They don’t miss a note or a word, and the band is tight. They sing all the hits, and that’s what one gets at a H&O concert.

This show included a special surprise during the first song of the second encore: an appearance by the great Chubby Checker. Imagine that, Hall & Oates singing “The Twist” with Chubby Checker.

But that wasn’t all. With the second song of the second encore, and the final song of the evening, Hall & Oates stayed true to their Philly roots and did a cover of “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time),” a 1969 single by the Philadelphia group the Delfonics, a song originally produced by the great Thom Bell, who also wrote for and produced The Stylistics and The Spinners.

Hall & Oates never disappoint. We all left in a Philly mood.

Meeting Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. after the show in Atlantic City.

No. 3 – Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr.
June 11, The Tropicana, Atlantic City, N.J.

The high ranking of this show may surprise those who know me, particularly because it’s ranked ahead of Brian Wilson and Hall & Oates.

Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. were members of the highly successful group The 5th Dimension, which had some great hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s, like “Up, Up and Away,” “Stoned Soul Picnic,” “Wedding Bell Blues” and “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In.”

The husband-and-wife team broke away from the 5th Dimension in the mid-1970s and had a hit single with “You Don’t Have to Be A Star” from their 1976 album “I Hope We Get to Love in Time.” I had interviewed Marilyn and Billy about the making of that album for “The Vinyl Dialogues Volume II: Dropping the Needle.”

Here’s the thing about Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr.: they are not only talented artists and singers, but they’re first-class individuals. I can’t say enough about the class and grace of these two stars. And they’re great interviews. They’ll be featured again in the next volume of The Vinyl Dialogues talking about the 1969 album “Age of Aquarius” by the 5th Dimension.

Not only that, they still sound the same today as they did in the 1960s. Both their voices are strong and vibrant. We had great seats, courtesy of Marilyn and Billy, fifth row dead center. We got to meet them after the show, and they were as gracious in person as they have been in interviews.

This was the one show of 2016 that had all the elements of a great concert experience by my standards: outstanding music, singing and stage presence; some of the best seats in the house; a wonderful interview experience that made for a great advance story; and getting to meet the artists after the show.

It easily could have been the best show of the year. But it took two really big heavyweights to put Marilyn and Billy at No. 3.

Elton John reacts to the the crowd behind the stage at the Giant Center in Hershey, PA.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

No. 2 – Elton John
Sept. 23 at the Giant Center, Hershey, PA.

Elton John performed in the first concert I ever saw, at the Chicago Amphitheater in 1976. I’ve seen him live in every decade since. And I’ve never had a decent seat.

Until this show. And it was planned and executed just like I hoped it would be.

Elton has been a big arena and stadium concert performer during his career. I’m really not fond of stadium concerts. There are just too many people and if you want to get close enough to see anything, you have to spring for the big money tickets.

And Elton is usually a big money ticket, even for the cheap seats. But this time I got lucky because I made my own luck.

The Giant Center in Hershey is a hockey/basketball arena. For this show, the venue sold tickets behind the stage that were reasonably priced at $75. Although I’d never sat behind the stage for a concert, it struck me that those had the potential to be decent seats for the price.

Fortunately, the venue has a virtual seating chart on its website. I knew from past Elton concerts and from watching his performances on TV and online, that he usually positions his piano on the far left of the stage. If you’re out front and sitting to the right of center, you’re looking into Elton’s face as he sits at the piano. But there’s a good portion of an arena crowd that is looking at Elton’s back for an entire show.

So I got on the online virtual seating chart, chose a seat that was stage left behind so that I was looking into Elton’s face, and checked out the virtual view. It looked to be the right angle for photos. I hit the button and bought the tickets.

And it worked out perfectly. Although I was looking at the backs of the band members for the entire show, I had a perfect view of Elton’s face. And he’s used to having people sit in the seats behind the stage because he plays to that part of the crowd quite a bit. I was as close as I’d ever been at an Elton John show and I got some great photos.

Elton has been on my interview bucket list from the get-go. I’ve always been a big fan and I’d love to write about his 1975 album “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy.”

Every time I’ve seen him perform live, Elton brings it. And this show was no exception. Outstanding from the first song to the last. And I got a good view this time.

The crowd reacts as one to Bruce Springsteen at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

No. 1 – Bruce Springsteen
Sept. 7, Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA.

I’ve come to the Bruce Springsteen party later in life. But now I’m a believer.

Springsteen is a pricey ticket and plays in big stadiums. As previously stated, I’m not not fond of either of those concert experiences. So I had never seen him perform live, much to the consternation and ridicule of the Springsteen faithful among my friends.

But from the first note of his opening song, “New York City Serenade,” I was hooked. I felt it in my heart. I finally got it.

We were fortunate enough to be there the night Springsteen and the E Street Band performed for four hours and four minutes, which currently stands as the U.S. record length for a live concert performance.

And Springsteen and the band left it all out there on the stage. He gave us everything he had, which is how it is for him every time he performs. The guy has an endless energy and it wears one out to just watch him. It was the quickest four hours of entertainment I’d ever witnessed and more than worth every penny spent on tickets.

I had written on The Vinyl Dialogues blog after the show that my first Springsteen experience was so good that my initial reaction was that I would hesitate to go see him again. I don’t want to mess up that special first Springsteen experience.

There’s a reason he’s called the Boss. He’s just that good.

Hall & Oates concert delivers a few Philly surprises to the Philly faithful

By Mike Morsch

On July 11, 2016

In The Vinyl Dialogues Book

The big screen overlooks Daryl Hall and John Oates on July 10, 2016, at the BB&T Pavilion in Camden, N.J.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

Daryl Hall and John Oates are very good in concert. But when they go off the script a little, they’re even better.

That’s what happened at the July 10 show at the BB&T Pavilion in Camden, N.J. Even though the venue is across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, this was clearly a Philly show with a Philly vibe by the Philly area natives.

And the evening featured a couple of really cool surprises for the Philly faithful, which Hall promised at the beginning of the show.

We know a Hall & Oates concert will include all the hits. And the setlist reflected that. H&O opened with “Maneater,” a No. 1 single in 1982, I think mostly to just get it out of the way. Although it’s a hugely popular song with the fans and gets everybody up on their feet right from the get-go, Oates is on the record in past interviews with me that he thinks he and Daryl – both members of the Songwriters Hall of Fame – have matured as songwriters since they wrote that tune.

The rest of the setlist included:
“Out of Touch” – No. 1 in 1984.
“Say It Isn’t So” – No. 2 in 1983.
“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” – A Righteous Brothers cover that was No. 12 for Hall & Oates in 1980.
“Las Vegas Turnaround” – Not released as a single, but an Oates-penned song and fan favorite off the “Abandoned Luncheonette” album in 1973.
“She’s Gone” – No. 60 when first released as a single off “Abandoned Luncheonette,” but No. 7 when it was re-released in 1976.
“Sara Smile” – No. 4 in 1976.
“Wait for Me” – No. 18 in 1979.
“I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)” – No. 1 in 1981.
“Rich Girl” – No. 1 in 1977.
“You Make My Dreams” – No. 5 in 1981.

The first encore included “Kiss on My List” and “Private Eyes,” both No. 1 singles in 1981.

(Photo by Mike Morsch)

But it was the second encore where the duo put everyone in a Philly mood.

“In the spirit of Daryl’s House, I’m going to bring out somebody who is a legend in Philadelphia,” said Hall. “I won’t give you a history lesson, but this man was the biggest star in the world. I’m talking about Chubby Checker.”

The 74-year-old Checker was raised in Philadelphia and had a smash single in 1960 with “The Twist,” which also turned into a dance style, one which I think I’ve done at every wedding I’ve ever attended.

Hall, Oates and their always-stellar band then opened the second encore with “The Twist” while Chubby and the rest of us twisted the night away like nobody was watching. Fortunately, I did not pull a hamstring or blow out a knee.

As much of a treat as it was to see Chubby, it was the second song of the second encore – and final song of the show – that sealed the Philly evening: A cover of “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time),” a 1969 single by the Philadelphia group the Delfonics, produced by Thom Bell and released on the Philly Groove Records label. The song predates the creation of Philadelphia International Records, founded in 1971 by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, and is recognized as one of the early “Philly soul” singles. Gamble and Huff would further develop and popularize the sound of Philadelphia – with a huge contribution by Bell who had eventually joined them – throughout the 1970s.

(Photo by Mike Morsch)

According to the Hall & Oates camp, it was decided two days before the show that Chubby would come on and do “The Twist.” And “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)” had only been played a few times before by Hall & Oates in concert, that being at Madison Square Garden and again at a show in Reading, PA, both in February 2016. Hall and Oates just wanted to do it for the Philly crowd at this show. (Further research shows that Daryl and another Philly guy, Todd Rundgren, performed “Didn’t I” on episode 40 of “Live From Daryl’s House” in 2011.)

It was the first time I had heard them do that song in concert, and really, I think it should be included in every Hall & Oates concert. It was just that good.

The outdoor BB&T Pavilion was filled to capacity, with people seated on the lawn all the way up to the back wall, which is quite a long way from the stage. The weather cooperated for those exposed to the elements, which is something I suppose. But I prefer to stay a little closer to the action on the stage.

Joining Hall & Oates on this tour and adding to the soul quotient was Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings.

Chubby Checker joined Daryl Hall and John Oates on stage to perform “The Twist.”
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

Both were well-received by the Camden/Philly crowd and rightfully so. Trombone Shorty and his band are high energy and incredibly talented. And although Ms. Jones is battling a reoccurrence of pancreatic cancer that she thought she had beaten a few years ago, she showed tremendous heart and soul with her performance. “No matter how bad I feel, I just have to get on this stage. And I’m gonna give it all I’ve got.” The crowd recognized, respected and appreciated that effort.

Editor’s note: Interviews with Daryl and John about the music on and the making of the 1975 album “Daryl Hall & John Oates” – known as “The Silver Album” – will be featured in “The Vinyl Dialogues Volume III: Stacks of Wax,” due out this month. They reveal what song on that album almost became the theme song for what would become a mega movie of the 1970s; the stories behind the singles “Sara Smile” and “Camellia”; and the details surrounding the photo shoot and decision to use a “glam rock” photo of the two on the cover.

Hall & Oates christen new Philadelphia Fillmore in true Philly style

By Mike Morsch

On October 2, 2015

In The Vinyl Dialogues Book

Philly’s own Daryl Hall and John Oates played the first show at the new Philadelphia Fillmore on Oct. 1, 2015.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

The reality of a Hall & Oates show for me is this: Daryl and John could come out on stage, stand on their heads and play polka music on accordions and I’d be happy with it.

For the record, there is no accordion in the H&O band. This is probably a good thing, although I have no doubt that Charlie DeChant could play one if asked. (But for a moment, just ponder what “Kiss on My List” might sound like on an accordion. Or . . . maybe not.)

So this will not be an unbiased report on the opening show of the new Philadelphia Fillmore concert venue, which starred Philly’s own Hall & Oates, on Thursday, Oct. 1.

The original Fillmore was an iconic venue in San Francisco in the late 1960s that became the focal point of the psychedelic music scene of that era. Back in the day, artists like The Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix and Santana performed at the Fillmore. Those concerts were staged by the legendary concert promoter, the late Bill Graham.

Bonnie MacLean signs copies of the poster she created to commemorate the opening of the Philadelphia Fillmore. With Bonnie is her son, David Graham.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

The Philadelphia Fillmore is located in the former Ajax Metal Co. building – which itself dates back to the 1890s – off Frankfort Avenue in the Fishtown section of Philadelphia.

The building is big and roomy. It actually has two clubs – the ground floor main room which can hold around 2,500 standing on the floor and another 1,200 seated in the balcony; and a smaller club on the top floor of the building that holds around 450 people.

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter was on hand to help Hall & Oates christen the venue. It was a big week for the mayor, hosting Pope Francis and then Hall & Oates in the same week. Nutter, who while in college in the 1970s was a DJ at Club Impulse in Philly, where he was known as “Mix Master Mike,” might be hard-pressed to admit which end of the week he enjoyed more. But my sense is that he might at least concede that Hall & Oates are probably more hip than the pope.

As for the concert itself, it’s a pretty simple review: H&O delivered, the Fillmore delivered and the crowd delivered. Even though the show was sold out and the house was packed, I was able to move around both levels of the club without much trouble to take photos.

Among those who didn’t deliver were Mother Nature – she can be a ratfink when it comes to the timing of rain – and my knees, which barked at me quite a bit after standing for about three hours during the show.

In addition to the poster created by Bonnie MacLean, this poster was also given to fans who attended the first show at the Fillmore.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

The set list was vintage Hall & Oates, and included, in order:

“Maneater” (1982)
“Out of Touch” (1984)
“Did It In A Minute” (1982)
“Say It Isn’t So” (1983)
“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” (1980)
“Las Vegas Turnaround” (1973)
“She’s Gone” (1973)
“Sara Smile” (1976)
“Do What You Want, Be What You Are” (1976)
“I Can’t Go for That” (1981)

First encore:
“Rich Girl” (1977)
“You Make My Dreams” (1981)

Second encore:
“Kiss on My List” (1981)
“Private Eyes” (1981)

Having seen H&O many times in concert, that’s pretty much the set list one gets. In fact, John has told me in an interview that he and Daryl believe it’s their professional obligation to play all those great hits in concert.

Daryl and John thank the enthusiastic Philly fans.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

If I had a complaint about the set list, it would be that given the time of year and the circumstances of the event, “Fall in Philadelphia” from H&O’s first album, “Whole Oats” in 1972, would have been an appropriate addition for this show.

Also on hand for the event was artist Bonnie MacLean, former wife of the aforementioned Bill Graham, who created some of those memorable and iconic psychedelic concert posters for the San Francisco Fillmore in the mid- to late-1960s. She was commissioned to create a Fillmore-style poster commemorating Hall & Oates and the inaugural show at the Philly Fillmore.

On the way out after the show, each fan was given a print of Bonnie’s artwork as well as another poster commemorating the event. Both are very cool collectibles.

Daryl. John. Fillmore. Philly. It was as close to perfect as it could get.

Temple University needs to be schooled on the finer points of Hall & Oates

By Mike Morsch

On February 25, 2015

In The Vinyl Dialogues Book

John Oates performed a solo show in New Hope, PA, in January 2015. (Photo by Mike Morsch)

In my most recent interview with John Oates, he shared the story about what inspired he and Daryl Hall to name their seventh studio album “Along The Red Ledge” in 1978.

The story of making that album and the music on it will be detailed in The Vinyl Dialogues Volume II, which will be out later this year.

But the inspiration for the title had come to John a decade or so earlier, in a literature class at Temple University in Philadelphia.
Hall & Oates fans likely know that both artists went to Temple.

In fact, I just assumed most music fans in the greater Philadelphia area, and possibly the entire Northeast, were aware that the two met at Temple.

Certainly Temple University is well aware of two of its most famous students, right?

Daryl Hall takes to the keyboards during a Hall & Oates show at the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City in 2013.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

Well . . . sort of.

My stepson is in the process of narrowing down his college choices and has been accepted to Temple University. He is leaning heavily in that direction, so as part of the process, we recently attended “Experience Temple Day,” a daylong introduction for prospective students, some of whom have already committed to Temple and others who have yet to make a decision.

We all gathered just before 9 a.m. on a Saturday – about 12,000 students and parents – in a theater on campus. It was colder than a witch’s wazoo, so they opened the doors well in advance of the 9:30 a.m. orientation start time.

To keep us occupied and entertained, Temple student ambassadors were scattered throughout the theater and on stage, showing us to our seats, singing, dancing around and generally acting like the cheerleaders they were supposed to be for the event.

Our emcee for the morning was Billy from Lancaster, PA, and he was indeed enthusiastic about his job. But it took all of about two minutes for me to realize that Billy was going to be one of those guys that got on my last nerve. And in a hurry.

Now I understand that he was just doing his job. Nobody wants a college orientation emcee to come out on stage and just stand there and scratch his ass. What kind of message does that send to students and parents? “Come to Temple, where we have one of the top Ass Scratching Departments in the country.” That’s unlikely to make it into the recruitment brochure, I suspect.

No, Billy’s job was to be the head cheerleader, and I realized that, so I cut him some slack on his overly enthusiastic approach to the job because that is exactly what the task called for, without regard for my last nerve.

On the big video screen behind Billy, a PowerPoint presentation was flashing up Temple-related questions. Things like, “In what year was Temple founded?” The idea was that if one tweeted the correct answer to the question with the designated Temple hashtag, then one could win a free Temple t-shirt.

It was not enough to entice me to play. I have 72 t-shirts from my college, The University of Iowa. I do not need a Temple t-shirt.

One of the questions that did interest me, though, was this: “Which famous musical duo went to Temple?” It was a multiple choice question. The answers were: (1) Simon and Garfunkel. (2) Hall and Oats. (3) I never got to the third one.

See, as one who makes a living with words as both a writer and editor, I usually notice when something is misspelled. And one of the very first rules of newspaper journalism is, “Spell the name correctly.”

Right there, at Temple University, on the big video screen, the school had misspelled John’s last name as “Oats” and not correctly as “Oates.” (And, no, I don’t think they were referring to the duo’s first album from 1972.)

I can’t imagine I was the only one in the theater that noticed it, but there was no discernible outrage coming from any other part of the theater.

“Hey, hey, hey! They spelled John’s last name wrong!” I said to Mrs. Vinyl Dialogues. I was so flummoxed that I failed to even see who the third famous musical duo was listed on the multiple choice question. It could have been Bert and Ernie for all I knew.

Before I could calm myself – it must have been only a few moments – Billy from Lancaster announced that someone had tweeted the correct answer.

“That’s right, it’s John Hall and Daryl Oates!” he exclaimed.

My head exploded.

Honest of Pete, people. I don’t have enough foreheads and palms for all the head-slapping that kind of mistake prompted. First Temple can’t spell John’s last name correctly in very big type on the video screen, then nobody briefed Billy from Lancaster about the correct names of two of the school’s most famous students?

I guess that memo on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction didn’t get to everybody at Temple, huh?

As a longtime chronicler of Hall & Oates’ exploits over the years and a big fan of their music, I felt it was my responsibility to point out this egregious error. It certainly appeared I was the most qualified guy in the building to do so as I was the only one slapping my forehead and shouting “Billy, Billy, Billy, no, no, no!”

A stiff elbow to the ribs from Mrs. Vinyl Dialogues curtailed my outrage and brought me back to the reality of the situation. Good thing, too, because I was just about to stand up and shout, “Hey all you kids who don’t know who Hall & Oates are, get off my damn lawn!”

I decided it best to cut Billy even more slack – surely his parents knew who Hall & Oates are – and we progressed through the rest of the orientation without any further insults to Hall, Oates, me or my last nerve.

The length of the presentation, however, suggested a restroom break was in order.

As I meandered around the theater lobby looking for the men’s room – wondering if that elbow to the ribs was going to require hospitalization – I spotted none other than Billy from Lancaster, who was headed into the restroom ahead of me.

Good, I thought to myself, I can represent Hall & Oates Nation admirably and right the wrongs that Billy and Company had committed that day.

But I thought better of that plan. There is usually no tomfoolery or shenanigans in a men’s room. We gents are in there strictly for business, and it’s not the appropriate venue to discuss the finer points of Hall & Oates history.

Certainly I could have waited for Billy outside the restroom, but by then, I was annoying even myself for not being able to just put the whole thing behind me.

Still, it’s the lack of attention to detail that bothered me. As a prestigious institution of higher education, I can’t quite believe Temple didn’t get it exactly right when it came to two of their most famous students.

I can’t go for that. No can do.

Stories behind memorable albums of the 1970s as told by the artists

Tag: Hall & Oates Page 1 of 2

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The backstory behind the hit ‘Sara Smile’ by Hall & Oates

Hall & Oates: First-hand perspective on how their roles evolved within the band

From Bob to Bruce: The Best Concerts of 2016

Hall & Oates concert delivers a few Philly surprises to the Philly faithful

Hall & Oates christen new Philadelphia Fillmore in true Philly style

Temple University needs to be schooled on the finer points of Hall & Oates