New Years Eve...1979/1980

 Later that night, I was greeted by a sight I hardly expected when I arrived at the gig. It was about 25 degrees outside, but there was a very long line of people, stretching all the way around the building. It was almost surreal to see that at a bowling alley. By 9:20, the room we were to play in was overflowing...people were everywhere...on tables, standing wherever they could, and spilling out into the area just outside the bar, into a dining area, and further beyond that, to the area where the lanes and the bowlers were. For over two hours, the long line outside never shrunk, even with the cold temperatures. If one person left, another person would be allowed in. The room itself had been overrun, by three times legal capacity. People were screaming for the band, lighting lighters, like at the end of a concert, and generally letting it be known they were ready to rock...and that was happening thirty miutes before before we even started to play. The crowd was so pumped up as we took the stage, that to this day, I can't remember ever playing anywhere, where I felt so totally loved. To have people feel that strongly about music that we had created was the greatest compliment I have ever received. The energy they were feeding us was incredible. They were all calling out song titles by name, cheering and whistling, and I mean...it was powerful. As we took the stage to play our first set, I felt something I had never felt at any of our other shows...that kind of connection with an audience that is beyond music. It was an unreal bond, and we were so blown away by it, that I believe it was the best gig, musically, we ever had. Even with Mark being sick, the energy was so intense that we all played with a fire and a precision that surprised even me. Everybody in the band played as well as I had ever heard them play..we all had personal bests on the same night. Mark was amazing...playing and singing like hepititis wasn't an issue, and nobody in the band or the audience could even tell he was sick. I began to realize that I had entirely misjudged this date. The venue didn't matter. The fans did. People didn't care what they had to go through to see us...they loved this band, and nobody wanted the night to end. But by the end of our second 90 min. set, the hepatitis had caught up to Mark, and he was ready to collapse. We played a last encore, and thanked the crowd...and as we left the stage area...I hoped this was a hint of what the New Year had in store for us...