The Captain & The Kid

In this episode - The Captain and the Kid . . .

At 76, Elton John may not be able to vocally hit the high notes in Bennie And The Jets. Still, his solo piano renditions put many a classical pianist to shame as his accomplished fingers flow freely over his Yamaha Grand. He will always be Captain Fantastic - “A crazy kid becoming a better man.”

Last night (11/20/2022), while watching Elton’s return to Dodger Stadium, 47 years later, his Farewell Yellow Brick Road, North American tour, streaming on Disney+, feelings of immense gratitude stirred my soul.

The song - Someone Saved My Life Tonight from Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy brought tears to my eyes. An LP vinyl album that shaped my youth. In 1976 I first experienced Elton John in concert (see Captain Fantastic).

Little did I realize at the time my dream of adult independence from small-town life took root during those impressionable years. Yes, Elton’s music and Bernie’s lyrics shaped the minds of millions of young people, just as our parents echoed the sentiment of the times; “Rock-roll music is the root of all evil.” Really?

As I sat in my living room, astounded that this live concert could be experienced from the comfort of my favorite chair, images of all those albums spinning on a turntable burst into my mind. It was as if I was young again, for only a moment, flooded with emotions of those years long ago that only music can rekindle.

Back then, my interpretation of the lyrics went something like this; When I think of those old street lights, winter nights, the curtains drawn in the bedroom upstairs. Prima donna Lord, you really should’ve been there, sittin’ like a princess perched in your electric chair. Someone saved my life that night, sugar bear; you almost had your hooks in me, didn’t you, dear? Fly away - high away, bye, bye.

Admittedly, one number that would have been worth the price of admission to this concert was the over-the-top production of Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding from the album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

Fitted with multiple video screens, Dodger Stadium was transformed into a magical venue; a thunderstorm rolls in, lightning flashed, aerial views of Dodger Stadium DARK, the audience wearing synchronized flashing LED wristbands.

Suddenly, 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 begins to wave their arms; Funeral For A Friend - rocks Dodger Stadium. What a spectacular effect!

In 1976 my price for admission to the concert at the Chicago Stadium included; a nine-hour drive (the price of gas was $0.59/gallon), free parking, $9.50 for a ticket, and a few McDonalds’ meals on the road. To be young again. Today’s live events have an average ticket price exceeding $150.00 per person, driving to the venue (cost of gas $6.00/gallon), parking for $50, and staying overnight.

The answer to that elusive question, “Should I make my way out of my home in the woods?” In hindsight, maybe my move to California was inevitable, but unknowingly, someone saved my life that night.

“No, you can’t go back; if you try, it fails
Lookin’ up ahead, I see a rusty nail
A sign hangin’ from it saying Truth for Sale.”

Thank you, Rocket Man and the Brown Dirt Cowboy; through music, lyrics, and the magic of digital streaming, we were more than spectators at a concert . . .

“No lies at all, just one more tale about the Captain and the Kid.”

I’m Patrick Ball; thanks for listening. See you in the next episode.

Comments

Finding Our Place

In this episode, Finding Our Place: Hope and Humanity in the Age of AI . . . Yesterday, I overheard a conversation that echoed a question many of us are quietly asking: In a world increasingly shaped by algorithms, where do we , as humans, truly fit in? My younger colleagues, sharp and driven, were "joking" about AI taking their jobs. Their concerns felt valid, prompting me to reflect. Will machines really replace us? My answer, unequivocally, is No . And here’s why. What makes us uniquely human isn't merely our ability to perform tasks. It's our innate capacity for creativity and our deep-seated need to serve others. These aren't just abstract ideas; they are the very essence of what gives meaning to our lives and work. While AI excels at processing data and automating tasks with incredible speed, it cannot replicate the spark of human ingenuity. It lacks the empathy to truly understand unspoken needs or the intuitive synergy that fosters breakthrough solutio...

Chasing the Magic

In this episode, Chasing the Magic: How the Summer of ’98 Inspired the 'Ball Boys' . . . Do you remember that feeling? The late-summer air was thick with humidity, radios crackling on porches, the smell of fresh-cut grass and barbecue smoke in the backyard. Every evening carried a new kind of suspense—the country holding its collective breath after every pitch. “Did he hit one today?” became more than a question; it sparked a nationwide conversation. For me, and millions of others, the summer of 1998 wasn’t just another baseball season. It was theater, a movement, a time when the game recaptured something sacred. As sportswriter Mike Lupica said so perfectly, “No matter how old you are or how much you’ve seen, sports is still about memory and imagination. Never more than during the summer of ’98, when baseball made everyone feel like a kid again, when it felt important again.” Just four years earlier, the 1994 players’ strike had left the sport bruised...

Beyond Facts

✨ In this episode, Beyond Facts: Reimagining School–in the Age of AI . . . This week's podcast is a bit different; it's another example of how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can offer tools to creatively enhance your analytical presentation of information. We took this week's blog and copied it into Gemini with the question, “If a story is to work, it must, on some level, create an illusion of escape and also achieve a goal simultaneously. Does this apply to my blog post that follows?” What's created is not just an analysis of the writing, but an AI-generated discussion produced “On the Fly” - Enjoy! Did you know that the word "school" comes from the ancient Greek word scholē , which originally meant "leisure"? Not a rigid schedule or droning lectures filled with "facts," but free time for thinking and conversation. To the Greeks, learning happened best when life slowed down—when you had room to reflect, to ask questions, and to wrestle ...

Retirement Talk

In this episode, Patrick & Huck: Retirement Talk . . . We all get caught daydreaming sometimes, don’t we? Just like Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn might’ve done, lazyin’ by the river with a fishing pole in hand and the BIG wide world spinn’ in their heads. This morning, with coffee steaming and plans bubbling, I found myself driftin’ into a chat with none other than my imaginary friend–Huck Finn himself. Patrick: “Mornin’, Huck. Say, I’m mighty curious what you’d make of this retirement business.” Huck: “Well now, sit tight, ‘cause I’ve been thinkin’ on that too. Only thirty-one days 'til you're sixty-nine — whew! You're talkin’ ‘bout quittin’, hangin’ up your spurs, Givin’ the workin’ life its final good slurs. Ain’t got no debts, no mortgage, no fuss, Just clean livin’ and freedom waitin’ on the bus. Most folks’d throw hats in the air, cheerin’ loud and proud, But you? You’re starin’ out yonder, lost in some cloud. You're dreamin’ of cyclin' and books and guitar...

On The Fly

Search This Blog