Hollywood Nights tribute to Bob Seger was to perform on the floating stage this summer. Though they had to cancel .. this personal story by lead singer, Rick Murphy is worth sharing with the many fans of Hollywood Nights. Enjoy while listening to a Bob Seger song that you might have in your music collection.
I had convinced my mother that all twelve year olds go to Kiss concerts and tickets were only $7.50. To my suprise she agreed and why wouldn't she! I was beating the heck out of my drums every day and she knew what this meant to me. The journey was monumental being a school day and with general admission tickets that meant one thing. Get there early and that is what we did.
I remember getting dropped off with my cousins in the afternoon and seeing bright yellow wooden barriers blocking the steps leading up to the doors and a few other kids already claiming their spot of concrete at the gate. It was really cold that day, but we had on our flannel shirts and a Philly pretzel, in hand.
Once inside the sound system had begun to make some noise and the lights were coming down as a few roadies pushed across the stage and one making his way up a small rope ladder to the top of the staging. I can remember looking at all the nearby faces and they all looked back with that same sense of excitement and wonder, knowing that something big was about to happen. Knowing that Kiss was still putting on their battle gear, the opening act was taking the stage and plugging in their guitars. A man came up to the microphone and asked if we were ready for some rock & roll and we all screamed that we were ready. I could not tell you who this guy was, but he had this way of holding his microphone. He went from one song to another with the force of a freight train. His vocals were gritty and explosive unlike my painted heros. I began to look around and notice a girl who was singing every word with this rocker and I asked her "Who is this guy?" She screamed back with a smile, "That's Bob Seger man, don't you know?"
From that point on, I made it my mission to listen for this guy on the radio. Buying his album was out of the question. Money was tight and heck I was only in the sixth grade. I came across a song here and there, but remember not hearing him very much on the radio back then. He was a force to be reckoned with and his stage show was all horsepower.
Fast forward many years and here I am singing this guy's songs with a killer band in front of thousands of people and catching the eye of someone in the audience unfamilliar with his music and knowing I better deliver the goods to that fan as Bob Seger did to me, that night!
December 21,1976 Philadelphia Spectrum
Rick Murphy, Hollywood Nights lead singer
Pat Locke, Maestro Muse
#popslove
