8/8/2019 Road Days 1 - My annual tribute to John Lennon

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Road Days - stories from an aging roadie

I was on the road when John Lennon died.

I was in Ohio. Gonzo and I were on tour with TeBabys, a band with a brie career and some good tunes.Tey had been the opening act or Journey’s tour, butwithin a year Te Babys would break up, and Journey would snag Jonathan Cain, Te Babys keyboardist, toreplace Greg Rollie, Journey’s co-ounder, keyboard playerand vocalist (who is also the voice on classic early Santanahits).I don’t remember specics about exactly what I was

doing when I heard the news. Tat’s one o the downsideso actually being part o the music and concert industry way back when, at least or some o us. I’m pretty surewe were watching Monday Night Football, and we heardHoward Cosell make the announcement. I rememberbeing stunned.

It just wasn’t what you’d expect. It was a oreign con-cept, that John Lennon would be shot and killed. It madeno sense. Ten again, with a ew exceptions, it never makes sensewhenever someone is shot.

But, John Lennon?

It hurt all o us, sure, but, meand Gonzo, we were in it, y’know?We weren’t rock stars, but weworked or a rock band. We didn’thear our music on the radio, butwe heard the music o the guys

that we hung out with every night.We were getting good paychecksand having a great time because we were in the industry.Little tiny specks in the industry, certainly, but, in it,nonetheless.

We were in it, really, because o the Beatles. We werein it or the same reason young guys ormed bands and

played music and held on to a dream o some day doing nothing but playing music or a living, and liv-ing the music. We had those notions, or good or orbad, because we had been brought to the dream by the Beatles. I’m pretty reaking old in a lot o people’seyes now days (I’m ty-six), old enough to have goneto the Marquette Teatre on the corner o 59th andKedzie to see a Hard Days Night (it’s where I also sawFerry Cross the Mersey, with Jerry and the Pacemakersthe day it was released. I was already interested in the

guitar beore the Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan, butme and thousands o other kids ramped up our dreamby learning how to play Day ripper and every otherBeatles tune we could gure out.

Hard to imagine that anyone else will come along inmy lietime and make a global, cultural change like thBeatles did.

And so there I was, in Ohio,having achieved some tiny level osatisaction as a roadie, or bandsthat got airplay, that played con-certs in small halls and big stadi-ums, and I was just doing it, livingit, eeling it...

And John Lennon was dead.

Allow me to digress briefy: Yearater Lennon’s death, the industry 

lost another great, infuential soulwhen Bill Graham was killed in a

helicopter accident. He didn’t have the stature o Lennon, but he was a major orce in live music. Shit,he was HE orce. Clarence Clemons had a condo jusbeyond my backyard in Sausalito, and we’d see eachother, shoot the shit every now and then (I was on thevideo crew or some o the Born in the USA tour), an

As I get older, I realize how

powerful the “Now what?”

moments are in our lives, and I

grudgingly accept, with sadness,

that the “Now what?” moments

must occur, and all I can do is carry

them with me, remember them, and

use them to guide me...

Still on the Road 

www.thewaytocommunicate.com   --   877-311-0577

8/8/2019 Road Days 1 - My annual tribute to John Lennon

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we saw each other the day ater Bill’s accident.

Clarence looked at me and asked, “Now what?”

He was asking how on earth do we ll that void?Who would we turn to now, who would keep thingshappening, who would put on shows that peoplewould remember their entire lives, who could musi-

cians and artists and managers and ans rely on tomake the impossible possible, how would we ever ndour way to nirvana without the guru?

Tat night in Ohio was a “Now what?” moment.

Everything would be the same ater that, becauseeverything keeps going no matter who lives and whodies, just as everything would be the same ater Gra-ham, but, just like it is or all our tragedies, personal

and distant, nothing would ever be the same.

As I get older, I realize how powerul the “Now 

What?” moments are in our lives, and I grudgingly accept, with sadness, that the “Now what?” momentsmust occur, and all I can do is carry them with me,remember them, and use them to guide me, to remindme o how I should treat people, and make the most oevery moment, because the next moment isn’t promiseto anyone. Not to me. Not to you. Not to John Len-

non.

Lennon and millions o other souls are gone, and Ican ask “”Now what?”, but, more importantly, I thinkJohn Lennon would say it’s okay to ask the question,as long as I move my ass down the road to look or theanswer. It’s the moving that’s the answer; the journey is the answer; the knowing that lie is ull o “Now what?”, and you may never know why, but the only wayou’ll ever a chance in hell o guring out anything is keep moving...

On the road.

presenter skills coaching / presentation consulting

Michael W. Harkins

877-311-0577 / mike@thewaytocommunicate.com

Mike Harkins, author and media consultant, has over thirty years experience in communications, design, media, and event production. His businesses -

Writesite and Communicator.Pro -- provide creative services to business, entertainment, and non-proft clients.

www.thewaytocommunicate.com