The Commoner and the Awesome 80s

This was a month of nostalgia.  There was TGIFridays in Westbury where I spent my college years eating potato skins, onions soup and I liked Pina Coladas and mudslides.  Then there was the ESPN special about Greg Lemond and Bernard Hinault-cycling superstars from my decade the 80s who kind of ran in the same sort of cycling circles as me.

I was feeling 80s nostalgia big time so when I was asked if I wanted to go to see Rick Springfield and Pat Benatar with Commoners Kristen and Rosa and not so common Nicole I was like YES.

He may have had only one hit but my GOD he was the original Dr. McDreamy playing Dr. Noah during GH's biggest days.  Oh yeah he had a hit song too.

Also performing would be my home girl (hello she's a Long Islander) Pat Benatar.

She was the quintessential 80s rocker-the answer to that annoying early Madonna and did you know?  The first woman to have a video played on MTV !

So here we go.  This blog is so jammed pack I'm writing it in song. Mind you not all the songs are by Dr. Noah and Pat but they are all relevant.

This song is called Folding Chair.  I don't go to concerts much since moving to California because I have to be honest-the artists don't try that hard-Frankly there's not much bad press if you suck in San Jose like there is in New York. So when I heard we were going to Mountain Winery my question to Sosa was do I need to have a chair?  This song is called Folding Chair.  I had mine ready to bring.

It was so hot I couldn't put on pants.  So I wore a dress I bought last year in Fancy Newport Beach that needed very little.  Off we went in Nicoles FANCY Audi listening to hits on Sirius.  This song came on twice.  But we were FANCY as we adjusted our personal seat warmers -Kristen is your butt cold yet?  We careened our way up the la di da mountains of Saratoga.  I was pretty sure that we were in one of those Tour De France stages in France.  It was really twisty.  But WE WERE THERE!

We did talk about the fact that this summer had no great songs like last year and this one!

(That's for you Beth Matsui)
We ate our fish and chips and drank our wine and beer and found our seats.  This place was super beautiful and intimate and we were way close to Dr. McSteamy

He still looks good doesn't he?  Anyway he only has a one hit wonder so he had to sing a bunch of other songs.  It didn't matter it was fun.  The crowd was interesting.  In front of us was this woman who looked like this-

and her two sons who looked like this

We knew it would be fun.  The crowd was full of women my ages dancing to our heartthrob Dr. Noah and a few guys who for some reason knew all of the words to songs that don't really exist and danced the night away.  

Rick knows his limitations so he began the intro to every song with the riff from Jessie's girl.  When he played Human Touch he ran around the entire arena!  Up and down every aisle.  I tried to jump out but I literally froze like when I saw the snake.  I couldn't believe that!  Dr. Noah hugging all of us and I couldn't move.  Finally he sang this one

McDreamy was done and it was time for my girl to come out and sing.  I had to go to the bathroom and we were right by the velvet rope for the VIPs.  I really wanted to ask the bouncer from the Allman Brothers to let me in but I know what these guys expect for small favors.  So I used the regular bathroom and got back in time enough to watch Greg Allman tell the people behind us that they couldn't smoke-not anything.  That didn't last for long

During the intermission I almost used the power of second hand medicinal marijuana to talk the commoners into going to see Jay and Beyonce-I had to sing a bunch of Jay Z songs so Kristen could figure out who he was.  So like every blog entry -here's the obligatory JayZ Video

Pat cam on and MY GOD she looks fantastic.  Plus her and her husband were celebrating 35 years together.  Whatever this rock star does to preserve her body, voice, and attitude should be what all rockers must do.  She's ageless.  

I couldn't really take any pictures of her it was dark and Greg Allman was getting mad.  But I danced and I sang and suddenly The Situation who was still sitting in front of us was turned around watching us, the women screaming behind us that they loved Pat, and the couple dirty dancing and baby making behind us when he noticed that Sosa looked really sad.  Sosa did not listen to Pat Benatar growing up.  Plus she's not a middle aged white woman so she was a little lost.  and it was during this song when Sosa received her own promise in the dark and was proposed to -that's right proposed marriage.

The concert went on and the women behind us were going to start a rumble.  Some were screaming while others really wanted to hear Pat's story of young love and MTV fame.  Love wasn't the only battlefield -so were the middle age white women on the Battle field of the Mountain Winery.

She closed with Heartbreaker -which will never be the same after this Seinfeld scene

And we ducked the handrail and were off to the parking lot.  It was crowded getting down the mountain and we kind of felt bad for Sosa who knew nothing of Ms. Benetar other than Guitar Hero so we played some crazy Mexican Rap music which I apparently am not aware of-I liked it though-I think I could run to it actually.  But we blasted it out of the window for all of Saratoga to hear.  But you know what?  That made every body yield so we got out of that parking lot and down the mountain super speedy.

It was a long ride home.  Sosa told us stories of her magical arrival to the United States.  We are used to these stories of Sosa's so we knew better than to ask any questions but Sosa advised Nicole to listen to the lyrics of the song on the radio and 

We originally wanted to stop for fondue on the way home but the GPS didn't take us that way.  But we had a yearning for some of these from In and Out burger on the way home.  In spite of the fact that Nicole missed the opportunity to ask for napkins and we almost were able to collect more meals we made it down the road and back home drinking these

We had so much fun and we are so thankful for Nicole including us and for Kristen suggesting us when Nicole said do you know anyone fun who wants to go.  It was absolutely maybe the most fun I had all year.