Last Saturday night, Suzanne and I went to the State Fair to see the Steve Miller Band play.

I was pumped.

Steve opened up with a few of his own songs before migrating to the wonderful world of cover songs. Somewhere around his billionth cover song, my butt began to fall asleep and I grew grumpy. Where were the Steve Miller Band hits I had come for? While cover songs are great and all, I didn’t trample through the filthy State Fair and pay 6 bucks a beer to hear him play someone else’s songs…

and then it happened.

It was “Fly Like an Eagle”… a classic Steve Miller song that later went on to be the tune of the United States Postal Service for many years.

“I want to fly like an eagle,
To the sea.
Fly like an eagle,
Let my spirit carry me.
I want to fly like an eagle,
Till I’m free.
Oh, Lord, through the revolution.” -”Fly Like an Eagle”

Very nice Steve, very nice indeed.

But all of the sudden about two-thirds of the way through, the song began to slow down, and oh my… why is the keyboard player walking out from his back little corner keyboard area?… and…… oh my… are you serious…

he begins rapping.

Yes, the keyboardist was rapping.

It was at that exact moment that hippies and classic rock and roll lovers across the world began to shed tears of sorrow… and I asked Suzanne if she wanted me to pull the car around front.

“Some people call me the space cowboy, yeah
Some call me the gangster of love
Some people call me Maurice” -”The Joker”

I began to think, “Well Steve, some people are going to call you a lame ass if you keep letting your keyboardist rap.”

When the rapping had finally stopped it was time for everyone to return to their seats from the bathroom and beverage break it had conveniently provided.

I was a bit discouraged but sure at any moment that the true Steve Miller Band would shine through…

and then it did and the guitar riff began followed by the sweet, sweet words:

“Leavin home, out on the road
I’ve been down before
Ridin along in this big ol jet plane
I’ve been thinkin about my home
But my love light seems so far away
And I feel like it’s all been done
Somebody’s tryin to make me stay
You know I’ve got to be movin on

Goodbye to all my friends at home
Goodbye to people I’ve trusted
I’ve got to go out and make my way
I might get rich you know I might get busted
But my heart keeps calling me backwards
As I get on the 707
Ridin high I got tears in my eyes
You know you got to go through hell
Before you get to heaven” -”Jet Airliner”

Those are some words a young man like myself can relate too… Not the clever rhyming of a keyboard player. After “Jet Airliner”, Steve Miller worked his way through a few of his other hits before finishing up with a strong performance of his staple song “The Joker”. In the end, he had easily met the qualifications of redemption and hippies and classic rock and roll lovers no longer shed tears of sorrow but instead their tear ducts secreted little drops of joy as their Steve Miller was finally back.

Thanks Steve and see you next year… just keep that keyboard player back in his little corner.

Please.

Categories: Daily Jibber Jabber.
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