America

I went to the Hampton Beach Casino last night to see America.

What?

I hate the casino. Cocktail tables jam packed so close together you can't move. I haven't been in years. Surprisingly, last night we walked in and they had theater style seating arranged across the room. No tables. Roomy and comfortable. I was blown away. In that environment the Casino is a great place to love music.

America?

I dig America passively. Horse With No Name and all that. I like them, I don't love them. I went to enjoy a night with my very close friend Eric. America is to Eric what The Allman Brothers are to me.

A religion.

I have known Eric less than three years, but he is a warm and personal friend because we are emotionally honest with each other. Very hard to find in male friendships.

Our seats were 8 rows from center stage, on the aisle.

I came away loving America.

There was an opening act that was very good. Female singer backed by three young musicians. Guitar, bass, drums. Classic rock lineup. We really dug them.

But, when America took the stage I was blown away. Even before the lights came up. They walked onto the stage in the dark and had a presence. Impossible not to notice. The way they walked, the way they picked up their instruments, they way they stood in front of the mic.

A presence forged from 43 years of playing together. A presence forged from surviving life and the music industry for this long. A presence forged from a love of what they do and knowing it translates into the hearts and souls of millions of people.

So different from the opening act.

When the lights came up, they were greeted with thunderous applause and cheering. I could feel the love in that room for this band.

A family sat in front of us before the show began. Mother, father, son. We talked to them a little. The Dad enthusiastically told us he has been an America fan all his life and proudly told us that now his son is into them too. The kid looked to be about 10 years old. Dad and son were wearing identical America t-shirts.

I thought that was so cool and I felt that it said something about this band. A kid born in the 21st century digging a band, with his Dad, whose roots go back to 1970. Beautiful.

America rocked. They are great musicians, they have tons of recognizable hits, they covered other people's music, they did it all. They rocked at times, they were as delicately pretty as Crosby, Stills and Nash at times, some of their lyrics were poetic, they were completely at ease on that stage and made us feel like we were their friends.

They always close the show with the same three songs. Sandman, Sister Golden Hair, and, of course, Horse With No Name. By then I was delirious with music loving happiness. Not quite on Eric's level, who was seeing them for the 12th time. Being with him amplified the experience for me because he was on that stage with America. He was plugged in, forgetting about life, and flying high on the meaning this band has in his life.

We stood - everybody stood - and sang along with the last three songs. I screamed Sister Golden Hair - I have always loved that song.

But it was Horse With No Name that really got to me. I have sung that song 6 trillion times, passively. Standing in the Hampton Beach Casino, singing that song at the top of my lungs right along with America made it so special I will never forget it.

Got some perspective too. In the chorus they say: "In the dessert you can remember your name, 'cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain." Every time we sang that part, Eric rose up and screamed those lyrics. I never gave those words much weight.

I do now. Eric has stuff going on in his life that hurts him. I have stuff going on in my life that hurts me. Screaming those lyrics was like lying on a therapist's couch. Cathartic. It took Eric's sensitivity to those words to open my eyes.

On the way home Eric popped in America's greatest hits CD and we sang/screamed Sandman, Sister Golden Hair and Horse With No Name one more time.

I have poked fun at Eric for years for loving America. I never will again. That band has weight, they rock, they can be raucous, they can be gentle, they are honest creative spirits who can bring joy into your life.

It was an amazing night. I will not be throwing my America ticket away.