This coming Labor Day at Rodney Strong Vineyards is the close-out of another summer season, while going out in rock n’roll, bluesy style, with Daryl Hall and John Oates as the pied pipers, presented by KJZY and Good Neighbor Pharmacy.
Doors open at 4:00 p.m., and the show will start soon thereafter. Parking is going to be at a premium that day, so I suggest showing up a bit early. The parking entrance is off Eastside Road.
How lucky am I that it’s almost in my backyard, at Rodney Strong Vineyards.
It’s also a time of reacquaintance for me. We all know that Hall & Oates have been touring for a while. During the ’80s, I was fortunate enough to be WBLM’s radio station publicist/photographer. Bands would tour with Portland, Maine, as one of their stops. This gave me a back stage pass with professional access. I gathered lots of images of really talented people, creating a portfolio of some real characters. I occasionally drag it out, just for the fun of it, because it’s filled with so many great faces of a time that was fast living in the rock n’roll zone.
[Left to right: Don Delacy of RCA Records, Jose Diaz, Daryl Hall, Don The-Sales-Guy at WBLM, and John Oates, backstage at Portland, Maine’s Cumberland County Civic Center… 1984]
On Monday, September 7, I’ll be taking a detour back to when we all enjoyed Portland, Maine together, again enjoying those familiar songs that made Hall & Oates so famous, and are still a blast (can I still say “blast”?) to hear: ‘Do It For Love,’ ‘Rich Girl,’ ‘Kiss On My List,’ ‘Maneater,’ ‘Private Eyes,’ ‘I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)’, ‘Sara Smile,’ ‘She’s Gone,’ and ‘One On One…’ ‘She’s Gone’… I’ll be waiting for that one…
Oh yeah, Baby, bring it on.
This year, Rodney Strong’s been celebrating its 50th Anniversary… Couple that with their concerts in partnership with Omega Events, and their 19th Annual Summer Concert Series is closing out in a really fun style. Breathtaking views of Russian River Valley surround the winery, while wine tasting, enjoying rock with soul… You get the picture.
[Collage: John Oates is signing my daughter Lyla’s denim jacket – far right. Group shot has two of my three girls, Melanie on the far left with Lyla next to her. Tommy C of WBLM was also backstage with his wife and daughter – center – a couple of backstage winners. My kids did a lot of backstage visits, this being one in ’85, with a clean-shaven Jose Diaz, versus the image above.]
Dos and Don’t
Dos
- Do bring your “low to the ground” chair, so you’ll be comfy, while not blocking anyone’s view. High chairs will put you to the back of the venue.
- Do bring a blanket, if you don’t have any chairs, because you have to define your space.
- Do bring your picnic basket filled with your favorite foods, because everyone else does, and you’ll definitely feel left out.
- Do bring your sun block.
- Do wear your favorite hat, because the sun does beat down, unless you’ve put yourself under the few available trees.
- Do bring a good book to read, or your Blackberries, because the line gets a bit long, and it’s a great time to catch up on your reading.
- Do bring your dancing shoes, because dancing does break out before the show’s over… that’s a guarantee, from my past experiences.
Dont’s
- Don’t bring wine glasses… Glass is not allowed on the lawn, for those obvious reasons of a glass potentially breaking, and then someone like me – who loves to take off her shoes – could cut his or her foot. (It’s like the “pool” rules of “no glass.”)
- Don’t forget to take the Good Neighbor Pharmacy fans that they had out. (I regretted not taking one last time, and then it was too late… They were all gone.)
- Don’t forget to hydrate at their water coolers. Robert Larsen, my Rodney Strong colleague, has told me that they’re really thinking more green than ever, and have water coolers filled with water, versus a million bottles. This will cut down on the plastic waste, and yet take care of everyone’s thirst… beyond Rodney Strong wines…
Do click here for more details and ticket purchases. See you all soon!
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