1975 was my first full year of college; like most teens, music was my world. The ideals of our small midwestern town of Cuba, Illinois, were being reshaped by a record, at least for me.
For those who don't remember, 1975 was the year the album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy was released; music by Elton John and lyrics by Bernie Taupin. Hundreds, maybe thousands of hours were spent with that album spinning on turntables while studying that grotesque album cover.
During the 1970s, many records spun on home stereo systems and radio stations throughout the world that brought artists like Elton John to your town. LP Record albums with flashy covers were the delivery vehicle for music, lyrics, album art, and what parents considered wild ideas in the minds of the baby-boomer generation. In hindsight, music had a powerful impact on this young, impetuous high school graduate. What kept going through my mind? Who was Captain Fantastic?
I became a devoted fan of Elton John and Bernie Taupin and began collecting all of Elton's records. The question haunted my thoughts: How could I ever see someone who had risen to Super-Star in concert? The tickets must be outrageous!
WGN Radio Chicago announced that Elton would perform three nights at the Chicago Stadium. We waited impatiently for concert tickets to go on sale. The announcement came, sold out! How is that possible? Undaunted, early morning of July 28, 1976, my friend Chris Sharpe and I began the long five-hour drive to Chicago. As you can imagine, there were doubters, "You guys are idiots - get tickets, absurd; it's obvious you don't understand what sold out means!"
I'll admit the lyrics, "Should have stayed on the farm, should have listened to my old man." surfaced in my thoughts.
It was early afternoon when we finally arrived at the Chicago Stadium; the enormous parking lot was empty. The concert was scheduled for 8:00 p.m. Without a doubt, I had decided that morning; we would go directly to the ticket window at the Stadium and ask for tickets. The shocked look on Chris Sharpe's face was priceless when the ticket agent said, "You guys are in luck; the concert seating has been rearranged for tonight's show. How about two tickets for row six." Excellent! We shouted in unison.
. . . A fog drifts from the stage with multi-colored flashing lights - the eerie sound of an organ rises to a crescendo and then drops to complete silence. A solitary piano plays a familiar melody, the crowd waves their arms, and lighters glow throughout the Stadium. Funeral For A Friend/Loves Lies Bleeding from the album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - rocks the Chicago Stadium, and the performance begins. What a night! After years of listening to Elton John on the radio and watching those records spin, I could not believe that we were sitting in the sixth row rocking out to Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting - Crocodile Rock - Bennie and the Jets - Grey Seal - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - and Yes - Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy. It was a night to remember two guys from Cuba, Illinois, who bucked the odds, laughing at all who called us idiots, ecstatic from seeing Elton John at the height of stardom.
That night, while driving home, with our ears still ringing, I realized success comes from doing - not wishing opportunities would drop into your lap. When the odds are stacked against you, give it your best. Never give up. Never, never give up.
Maybe through music, Elton and Bernie spoke to the youth of America that you, too, could be Captain Fantastic - hardly a hero, just someone his mother might know.
I'm Patrick Ball; thanks for listening. See you in the next episode.
(Updated - April 20, 2023)
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