Anyone can have a relaxing vacation by flying off to Hawaii or the Caribbean. But I just took one that unfolded 22 minutes’ drive from my home (depending on traffic) in Diablo Valley, California.
The plan was to attend the Hall & Oates show at Concord Pavilion, with openers Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, and Trombone Shorty. But it morphed from simply being a concert outing to being an 18-hour vacation with the choice to stay overnight at the Hilton Concord, and to bring along my friend Glynis. She too has just dropped off kids at college, but in her case it was twins, and she and her husband became empty nesters overnight. I knew she’d be down for distraction.
Let me tell you about Glynis. I call her my Top 5 Friend, as in, even Top 10 music is a little too edgy for her. When we go dancing together to Cat Club ‘80s nights, Glynis is in the front room begging the DJ for more Madonna, Katrina and the Waves, and Michael Jackson, while I keep dragging her to the back room for the Cure, Siouxsie, and Bronski Beat. I once made the mistake of pushing her in there just as an Einstürzende Neubauten song came on and she’s never recovered. So I knew she’d love Hall & Oates. In fact, when I emailed to ask her, she responded in the affirmative so fast I had to double check to see if I’d texted her the question.
As much as Glynis loves H&O, as exemplified in follow up emails she sent consisting of just their song titles, that’s how hard I resisted the pull of Hall & Oates during the ‘70s and ‘80s. A girl listening to Einstürzende Neubauten and the Replacements did not want to cop to knowing all the lyrics of “She’s Gone” even if she secretly did, and any dancing done to “You Make My Dreams Come True” happened strictly behind closed doors during those decades. Hall & Oates was the music of my step aerobics classes, the MTV videos that sent me into the kitchen to pour another Tab, the cheesiest of ‘80s cheese.
But hey, an 18-hour vacation is an 18-hour vacation, and a concert is a concert, and a Top 5 Friend is a Top 5 Friend. Besides, ever since my college girl with the great music taste told me she loves Hall & Oates, I’ve been thawing toward them. I kissed the family goodbye and left my house at 1:50 pm on Sunday afternoon, and after chit-chatting with all the nice H&O fans milling about in the expansive and calm lobby of the Hilton, had my feet up on the bed in my lovely room and the Pandora station set to Hall & Oates, by 2:26 pm. Of course I knew every single song that came on, by H&O but also Ambrosia and Dan Hartman and Michael McDonald. You cannot outrun the music of your youth. It will always catch up. You may want to be prone on a bed in a nice hotel when it does.
via Hilton Concord
Glynis showed up and while we could have hit nearby Sunvalley Shopping Center to while away the afternoon at the Nordstrom Rack or Uniqlo, we ran out of time yakking on the comfy beds in our room about our three college girls and whose cafeteria food sounded more over the top and was it reasonable of them to ask us to send them all their shoes via UPS. (NO. YOU SHOULD HAVE PACKED BETTER. ALSO WE WANT TO GO TO COLLEGE AGAIN.)
After a quick and tasty dinner at the Hilton lobby bar (the restaurant, Plate & Vine, looked good but was temporarily closed,) we headed over to the show on a night that put the devilishly hot in Diablo – I think it was 97 degrees when we got to our seats. But the beers were cold, and the chance to be out at night in something other than fleece is highly valued by Oaklanders, so we didn’t complain. The venue is set in such a pretty spot, surrounded by golden hills upon which cows were frolicking like extras from a Heidi movie.
The musical highlights:
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings: I admire her so, so much. She released her first album at 40, and was nominated for her first Grammy at age 58. Her life is begging to be made into a biopic, with Sharon Jones starring as herself. She has been fighting cancer since 2013 but she performs like a whirlwind, bald headed and gorgeous and full of energy. She makes you want to be a better person who donates more money to fight cancer alongside her. And definitely a person who wears more fringe. I’m sure that was the basis of her friendship with Prince, as captured in this video.
The thing that I loved about this show was that we may have been watching Hall & Oates in 2016, but everyone in that crowd was feeling 1983. You could track the individual “This is my JAM!” moments across the crowd as people popped up for “Rich Girl” and “Maneater” and “Bring Back that Lovin’ Feeling;” I think the middle aged couple in front of us are now expecting an oops baby, after dancing to “Sara Smile.” It’s really lovely to see a devoted fan base that has stuck around, from rock through New Wave through Live From Daryl’s House, and a band that is clearly energized by their dedication.
This is where I and many of my peers are in life: we’d like to get away more, but have neither time (because we’re working hard to pay for our kids’ college tuitions) nor money (because we’re sending it all to bursars’ offices.) So a little getaway that requires only two gallons of gas and has me home in time to drive the high school carpool is the kind of thing that makes my dreams come true.
