Photo Friday (vol. LXXX) [Rock & Roll Fantasy edition]

Every so often I start to think that in addition to simply living my ordinary suburban life I'm also subconsciously collecting experiences.  That's not a bad thing, mind you... but it sometimes makes me want to pinch myself to see if all this is real.

Take for example my arrival in Israel.  Most people book a flight and fight their way through customs before wandering alone to find a cab at the curb.  I (meaning we) had the good fortune to be welcomed to Israel like visiting heads of state.   When I wrote about that experience, I tossed off a casual comment that it was an experience that everyone should try at least once in their life.

Well, this past week I found myself in another setting where all I could think to myself was 'savor this moment and burn it into your memory because most people will never get to experience what this feels like'.

For the past few years during the Sukkot vacation there has been a big corporate-sponsored outdoor concert held in Beit Shemesh here in Israel.  I've been fortunate enough to be asked to play with one of the bands (Shlock Rock) almost every year (last year was rained out), and each time I'm up there on stage in front of that enormous screaming audience I catch myself thinking "this can't possibly be real".

This year I asked my wife if she would mind snapping a few shots from her vantage point with the kids about a quarter of the way back in the crowd so I could see what it looked like. 

When I first saw the results I was a little disappointed.  Using my little point & shoot digital camera, Zahava had collected what looked like views through a broken kaleidoscope.  When she saw my reaction she said, "Don't worry... I'm a Photoshop® genius!".

When she emailed me the photos I was impressed with how well she'd cleaned them up.  However I told her, "If you're such a Photoshop® genius why didn't you give me a full head of hair and take 20 pounds off my gut".  To which she replied "I'm a Photoshop® genius... not a miracle worker!".

So here's what she came up with:

That's me there on the right (stage left) with the trombone.  The drummer is Mike Roth... the keyboardist is Lenny Solomon... the sax player is Danny Block.  Our Regular guitarist was out of town so we 'borrowed' the guitarist from the band 'Reva 'L'shevah':

A little closer:

Another view:

The miracle of zoom:

The miracle of zoom AND cropping:

I hope I get a chance to play the concert again next year.  I mean, where else can a bald, overweight, middle-aged husband/father stand up in front of thousands of screaming people and have a bunch of teenagers down front singing along... waving their hands in the air... and basically doing a damned good impression of open adulation?

When I left the U.S. I also left behind the music business.  I can't tell you how nice it is to be able to get a taste of the old life now and then... y'know, just to be able to hoard a few more experiences for my collection.  :-)

Shabbat Shalom and have a great Simchat Torah (for those celebrating).