ON THE MARK.

BLOOD, SWEAT, TEARS AND MAYBE HOCKEY IN JANUARY.

I was on assignment yesterday, reviewing the David Clayton Thomas show at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre.  The place is about a year old, very 70s style with comfortable seats and lots of legroom.  Capacity of about 700.  Intimate yet spacious.  The acoustics are terrific, especially when you've got a Canadian Music Hall of Famer whose voice sounds as bluesy today as it did back in the late 60s when he fronted Blood Sweat and Tears.   I have a confession to make.  David Clayton Thomas once babysat for me and my brothers.  I was about 7 years old at the time.  I don't recall any details, but when we heard the song "Spinning Wheel" on the radio for the first time, my Mom said, with great delight "That fellow was once your babysitter"  I later found out he was dating the girl who was babysitting us at the time, and happened to come and visit her once or twice.  I have other stories involving my Mom and rock stars (Kiss, The Band) but I will leave them for a later date. 

Anyway, back to the show.  The audience became instantly engaged when DCT launched right into "Spinning Wheel" and then got right into storytelling, which was an unexpected bonus.  I always love to hear how a song was conceived and what the inspiration was.  "Lucretia MacEvil" is about a girl he met in Wawa Ontario at a Holiday Inn.  "Hi-De-Ho" was written by Carole King, and was mistaken for a gospel song by many in the "Bible Belt" of the U.S.  "And When I Die" was written by Laura Nyro, who was the girlfriend of one of the band members of BS&T.  It reached #2 on the Billboard Top 100.  The stories were as good as the music.   The ten piece band was magnificent and took their cues from DCT, who is part Lawrence Welk (bandleader with flair) and somewhat Dean Martinesque in his ability to make the audience feel as if they are engaged with him at a cocktail party.  The audience recognized hits such as "You've Made Me So Very Happy", "Go Down Gamblin'", "You're the One" and a molasses slow rendition of Bobby Hebb's "Sunny" that was almost nap-inducing.    New songs included "New World Blues" and "It Ain't Free" from his new album, which will be released next spring.  The encore was Billie Holiday's "God Bless The Child".
All in all, a very enjoyable show in a lovely, comfortable venue.

 Here's a question for those who have problems accepting "drug cheats" in sports.  What would happen if, say, Melky Cabrera has a Hall of Fame career, but still has that 50 game suspension on his record?  Can you still vote him in?   Should a drug-related suspension disqualify one from induction to the Hall of Fame?

My friend Howard Bloom, from Sportsbusinessnews.com says we will have NHL hockey by January 15th.  I didn't ask him what year, but I'm presuming (hoping) that it's 2013.   Cross your fingers.  Howard has a pretty good track record.