We did it again…another super concert at our favorite venue, the Vacaville Performing Arts Theater in town…a great 500-seat auditorium with good acoustics. We of course knew of Billy Ocean but were not big fans but the concert was in the package of shows for this winter/spring season and the effort to go is minimal, so away we went.
An amazing fun evening…the man is a total entertainer…and his music is terrific. If you don’t know it, make a point of dialing-in, you won’t be disappointed. Most folks at or near our own age group are totally familiar and have danced many times to tunes like Get Outta my Head, into my car, Caribbean Woman, When the going gets tough, the tough get going, etc. DJ’s love the calypso/rock beat that inspire folks to get up on their feet, which many did - like the ladies in the aisle behind us! The issue is this – Billy Ocean made his mark in the 1980’s and 90’s, at which time we didn’t do a whole lot of dancing. We were promoting a fishing business and were creating many adventures fishing in Alaska, Yukon, Canada, etc. But this did bring back memories!
Billy Ocean at 69 years of age is an amazing singer, surrounded by total professionals. His musicians – drummer, keyboard, bass guitar, guitar and an amazing horn player are in sync and know their stuff. His three back-up singers, led by daughter Cherie, are strong and capable and never stop moving to the beat. Nor does Billy! He never took a break, stopped briefly for sips of water and just kept on moving along. His big smile and white teeth carry his message and he is obviously a happy guy. At 30 million records sold, he is Britain’s biggest black entertainer. We were lucky to have him stop in Vacaville as he continues his tour through England and Australia throughout the summer. He puts on a fabulous show and if you ever have an opportunity to sit in on a concert, take it…your feet won’t quit tapping and guaranteed, it will leave you with good memories.
The other part of this is that we have just celebrated Anniversary 42. Yes 42. To many people, this might not seem like a big deal. To others, it is a lot. We have survived, together – building a fabulous way of life. We worked hard at making a successful business work with both “manager” types working out of home. Not the easiest situation. We worked many sports shows all over the country and had a ball. We went fishing all over the place, some very secluded spots and caught lots of fish and took lots of pictures. We created our home in an oasis in the country with good surroundings and a nice view. We raised several bird hunting dogs that to this day, provide entertainment and joy. Anyway, you might ask…what does this have to do with Billy Ocean?
It brought back a time that was fun filled with lots of good music. We didn’t take time then to set aside “date nights” to catch up with each other but we did find time to take advantage of opportunities. We were spending every hour together anyway so certainly didn’t need “time outs” but tried to make the best of limited time. And, time flew…and the anniversaries kept on coming…and 25 was BIG…and 30 was unbelievable…and now…42! So, to sit in on a concert that reflected the 80’s/90’s was a huge treat and nice to think back to our early years. It was a “date night” and as our feet tapped along, we held hands and smiled and enjoyed the whole thing. The songs really are familiar and are buried deep in everyone’s subconscious and it was huge fun to identify with the time and the entertainer. It was a wonderful opportunity to reflect and enjoy life and here in a small local theater Billy Ocean gave us a happy look back.
If an opportunity comes up to see Billy Ocean, take it. And, if you can, celebrate an anniversary too, that’s even better!
