The Four Horsemen, By the last breathe of the four winds blow.

And Kashmir, but not nearly the four winds to fill your sails.

Even if those four winds are only half, they can have a punch. Like Hudson versus North Hudson. And disrupt your ability to go out and see, say, Metallica or Zeppelin. And yes, Lars did show up here once — and I swear a lookalike with bigger jowls was out at Ziggy’s last night, though that may be cheeky — to scout a non-drummer for his record label. But that’s another story.
Or create more Muddy Waters, flowing up to the top of a storm sewer during the latest storm, and well over Second Street intersection curbsides and not at Kern’s, from about that time frame in Elmwood concerts.
That show went on. And I’ve heard various twists on that theme about in particular New Richmond’s Fun Fest. The paper said that when all was said and down and rained upon, customer traffic was hot. But at a northernly pub, a different story, as it was noted the numbers of the hoards was basically OK, but not like in many past years. Some have blamed that, said from early in the weekend, on a new rule limiting the access methods between the bars and tents — and predicting the veil would be lifted by say, Saturday night.
But it is fair to say that although the rain song was no less fair to the fair, at the county’s other end, but attendance still was high through the droplets. They did not have the run on ripping up shrubs that was seen in North Hudson. Then lined up along the sidewalks of their main street.
But there will be none of this at The Gaslite show this weekend for their first annual — that’s a prediction according to them — Trimbelle Days, although this is in nearly right-by Ellsworth. The bands remain the same, the tried and true multi-members Coconut Tiger (Friday night) and Hitchville (Saturday night), and their potent posses, but there’s more here. There’s Sunday.
And a ride that could be a full phone number, or maybe a social, as that would be fitting: PCAA UTV/ATV. At an 11 a.m. start, there is a ride to and through the trifecta of Spring Valley/Elmwood/Plum City, across towns and villages, and over hill and dale and byways. Breakfast is available starting a 7 a.m. The main event, so to speak, gets going at 9 a.m. They note that out of state riders need a trail pass, anticipating the breadth of the event and that people would come from the Twin Cities, so if you are from there, consider joining them.
There’s Elmwood popping up again. The principles of their UFO Days have announced that there may need a bit more time to gauge their overall attendance, measured by brat and hot dog sales, based on allegations that resident alien Ofu had rigged the results of the Tofu eating contest. In related news, it was revealed that one of his 76 siblings to come out of the pod together, Nofu, has been denied a permit to do further medical experiments as an “alien in residence.” And he’s not Dr. Who.
My sister-in-law, now from Milwaukee and growing up in Elmwood, was back there on Saturday night, and teased about it by many people the other 364 days. To quote her, she was “actually” at the fest, (rather than virtually, as the aliens had also been denied that permit, by local, global and intergalactic officials.)
She didn’t see Will Smith? Or Tommy Lee Jones? The fest goes back as far as the acting origins of the Men in Black, who have given their view on resident aliens — so long ago that those Suits now could be grandfather and great-grandfather, wearing matching and natty wool sweaters — and not to make the aliens explode, oh TLJ. Resident Evil? Many more a movie to cite.

(For more world-and-beyond news of the weird, and how to partake, see the Picks of the Week department).

(And for more on Joe’s Wholesome Holistics — becoming Mr. T — see that Health Department also, pretty please protect your thus stated health).

This new offering as a boutique is bustling with bountiful things, and at the same time spacious, as it brings much love and just a bit of the wild side — in a differently good and diverse way that suits all tastes and ages — to breathe new life into the downtown Hudson south side. They’re right there on the right, if you are coming into our (sometimes a bit too quaint and quiet so go let your hair down) town from the likes of St. Paul/Minneapolis and even farther beyond. And you will come here.

WildLoveGoods allows you, shoe on the other foot, oh Hudson-area resident, to take in that flair without having to travel almost an hour one-way into The Cities. You could spend that time shopping for so much! For stuff like you see pictured alongside this written post.

WildLoveGoods is a new, three-becomes-one-word named, boutique in Hudson by the St. Croix River, and there is plenty to love. Your gas tank will like it too. As will people taking traditional and pushing it toward new trends, in an again good way, with flair that includes flared skirts and now-stylish leggings. Thus is our (wildly loved) land of the free and home of the quite brave in style.
Though they are fairly small, they are mighty among shops, as they carry an abundance of different items ranging from girls and women’s clothing and decked out accessories to home decorating and lifestyle themes. A lot here in a still rather intimate setting. Their main idea in opening this boutique was to help bring more new and upcoming styles to the local area. A lot of people tend to travel outside of Hudson and into the Twin Cities to go shopping due to the lack of options they have closer to home. So try them out rather then trekking almost an hour. (The east metro just won’t cut it for cutting boards). WildLoveGoods is a great place to not only shop for yourself, but to find gifts for loved ones as well. They offer customized options for clothing (hoodies and t-shirts and more and see above how well they work with stretchy and now wildly stylish popular pants), engraving (cutting boards), and woodwork (blanket ladders). They are always getting new items, thus expanding their range, and each time you stop in you will most likely see something new!

— Who goes around, with music, comes around. And in a retro way, I added by mistake, then edited, the work “coke.” To an actual point, that Jolly Johnnie Roger guy with the history of rock n roll tribute show, who was prominently at Elmwood UFO Days, does indeed look like Buddy Holly, horn-rimmed glasses and hair. (I will not invoke Johnnie Rotten, as that would be too diverse). But in a much more obscure website photo, with a trace of beard, Johnnie also looks facially quite like Clint and Lemmy, or a combo thereof. Roger that. But that said, I also recently noticed that as far as look and drumming style, Fleetwood looks much like Lars. (Can you guess last names?) Strange bedfellows all-around. —

An example of the (far) above …
For about a year now, very tight and stretchy leggings, usually black, have been a staple of many a woman’s wardrobe as they look great on virtually everyone and their many hip forms, in their own way, and you can see these at WildLoveGoods. These pants and shorter delicately flared shorts, complete with just a few pleats, work for women in much the same way, and are among those shown in the photos, supplied by WildLoveGoods, and accompanying this piece. Another shows the polar opposite for seasonal wear, comfy yet stylish white fleece with black stripes. And a designer-type flask laid on a bed on cottony cloth.
Some of the three-(again)-component earrings to which I attest have similar striping, both with wings that are also flared. And we can’t forget dad, because we know he loves to grill if not just cook, so give him some homage with a cutting board so he can bring the heat. Or your pooch with his and your favorite pet-sloganed funny and funky glass. So for them light one candle, as they sell those housed in cool ceramic containers too, or two or three lights to shine.
The front window has beauty and nature, as one, in art that’s drawn on with various white flowers and such, beckoning you to come in and see more. (And a lot of colorful potted plants also, propped up in front). Once inside the door, there is more fern-like flora and an open space that allows people to take in all that and more. And between the aisles there is plenty of room also, so you can breathe.
You can follow them on Facebook at WildLoveGoods boutique Hudson, Wis. or on Instagram @ _wildlovegoods.  More ideas await at https://wildlovegoods.square.site/

They are open virtually everyday, rare for a boutique, and also feature expanded hours. And the fact that they have a rewards card means you can delve deep into their offerings.

These are the days, as in Elmwood UFO Days, and this four day and night summer fest continues to boast a quality and diverse lineup of sounds and musicians, featuring four bands, going through Sunday.
The show of impersonator Johnny Rogers, A History of Rock and Roll, is framed as Buddy (Holly) and Beyond. Songs are from the 1950s through 1980s, and the list is longer than a held note, of prominent venues and testimonials from those who knew and played with Holly.
His father was a radio personality in the late ’40s and early ’50s, who crossed paths with some of music’s biggest legends: Elvis, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams Sr., George Jones, Lefty Frizzell, Marty Robbins, Conway Twitty and more. His young son had no interest in playing, until he heard Holly for the first time.
The song was Rave On. He said it was like someone or something turned a switch on inside of him.
While Johnny was in high school, finding kids his own age with the same taste in music seemed impossible, so he began to look for older guys that grew up on the tunes, sneaking into the honky tonks with his father’s help and a fake ID, but being there only to learn the job of being an entertainer.
Johnny’s father was good friends with a Chicago honky tonk legend named Jimmy Nichols, and had given Nichols his start in the late ’50s. Now the favor was given back. Johnny started playing lead guitar for Nichols at the age of 15. He was self-taught and learned all musical styles, which he now brings to his show, making a debut on stage at the Off Broadway Lounge as an immediate big draw. People would come from miles around to see the kid with horn-rim glasses and lightning guitar licks, who continued playing guitar for the Chicago legend until age 21, fittingly, and it was time to start his own band and show.​
Marshall Star Band offers three strong vocalists, steel/fiddle, piano and lead guitar, self-contained with sound/lighting and a sound engineer for most occasions, and they play a variety of them. The set lists range from classic to top forty country, classic rock favorites and originals.
They are known for singing and dancing with members of the audience, especially those with challenges and making the heart melt, as one fan said, and giving a feeling of family.
Voted as one of the Chippewa Valley’s top three bands for six consecutive years and a five-time WAMI nominee, The Bear Creek Band hails as an “extreme variety” entertainment group performing a huge variety of musical styles, from Hank Williams to ZZ Top, from Patsy Cline to Pink, in a fast-paced show for all musical tastes and full lighting and sound production teams available. The BCB are: Paige Lee, lead and harmony vocals; Emmalia Kay “Emm K,” lead and harmony vocals and acoustic guitar; Owen Smith, lead and acoustic guitars and lead and harmony vocals all the way from Phoenix, AZ; Dan Callan, keyboards and bass keys and lead and harmony vocals, and also really cool older long hair; Randy Bartlett, drums and percussion and lead and harmony vocals; and Glenn Tollefson to boot, also on drums and percussion.
These are concert details: Johnny Roger’s History of Rock and Roll in a Friday street dance at 7 p.m., Marshall Star in a street dance on Saturday at 8 p.m., and the Bear Creek Band at Kern’s Kurbside on Sunday from 3-7 p.m.

This is much more than just being Sublime. Alternatively? One of their music makers, as in a featured (and surviving should I point out?) member, subtle bassist Eric Wilson, will have a new show at The Wild Badger in New Richmond on July 27, and on the bill specifically are bands Space Allen and The Happys. With a promised Sublime afterparty. Shot specials being served (by such girls?) at 9 p.m.
I’m guessing the recent national fried chicken day idea came out of a deep fryer in the deep south. So wing it with your lunch plans. Half price for a half-chicken? Then go see the sub-Sublime, (you won’t still be able to get the, fuller, fried chicken special come Thursday).
I came across the band name HEBEGEBES for the first time in a while recently, all five consonants and four Es of them spelled out, and just for good measure there is another group with history playing Ziggy’s in Hudson, the Justin Barts Band on July 29.
Murdered to Death, a spoof in the best tradition of — as in the best of? — Agatha Christie continues its run at the Phipps Center for the Arts through the end of the month. And also, register for Summer Arts Camp. There was this time at Band Camp? Or would that be a cheesy encore by Motorhead, playing Killed By Death, Overkill and of course, Ace of Spades.
Across the street, at the band shell, it was a (lack of) River Fest residue after dark. Around 11 p.m. No signs of singing at the band shell, and not even the obligatory rock show litter up by the stage.
This was a travesty to begin with, in the land of Milwaukee beers. Bud Light had been the best seller, but in May lost that rank. But through the summer you could see many a promotion in bordertown liquor stores to regain that status. Help out. Be a Bud. Also by going to Kwik Trip and buying soda enter the contest to win a (Chester remembered?) Bennington pontoon boat the size of a living room on the water. On trusses the size of sofas.

The St. Croix County Fair is several music acts and more, and various variety of every type you can imagine that’s hard to beat, and here are selected activities over in Glenwood City. (For a thorough breakdown, see the two posts below).
First of course, lets start with the music:
— The Whitesidewalls rock N roll review, 7 p.m. on Friday at Croix Court.
— The Weekenders classic rock, 7:30 p.m. on Friday at the Tiffany Creek Pavilion north of the horse arena, (yes there are two bands playing at one time!).
— String Showdown challenge, with three shows for your buck, (no wait as all music is free), at 1 and 3 and 5 p.m. on Saturday.
— Blue Moon Drive, honky tonk classic country, 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Tiffany Creek Pavilion. (See more on them below).
— The Memories musical variety show, 8 p.m. on Saturday at Croix Court, and they will also help lead a non-denominational church service at 8 a.m. on Sunday.
These are some of those other, as stated, selected activities of the many during the weekend:
— Muttin Busting and Boot Scramble, and also the diaper dash, both of them, at noon on Saturday.
— George of the Jungle with comedy, music and juggling, at 2 and 4 p.m.
— Ole and Elmer, (yes more musical comedy with Swede theme), 1 p.m. on Sunday, and also the Fairest of the Fair at 2 p.m. Sunday, both of them, at Croix Court.
Lastly, a Blue Moon Drive breakdown, as they hail from Roberts, which is pretty darn close to Glenwood City.
Blue Moon Drive is heavy on the cowboy hats, honky tonk style, at least half of the men sporting those that are black. Johnny Cash vibes?
There will no doubt be killer sightings of their trademark koozies. Not just cross-county and a bit more, as in Prescott, and Little Yellow River, but at times cross-country and cross-continent, transported all the way from Juneau, Alaska.
There is much more to meet the eye, and for the rest of the story see the fair’s website.

We will again be groovin’ to and with the golden era of Really Old School rock N roll. In triplicate. Yes, its St. Croix County Fair time. So, don’t say no, make the trek to Glenwood City, maybe on multiple occasions, this weekend.

The fair does like few others, the golden oldies as “standards” time, in a truly classic way. Hey, even so many rockers got their start in doo-wop.
So turn your ears, in a pair of turns, fore and aft — to encompass both stages, as there are both a Croix Court and a separate pavilion — to listen to tunes of The Beatles and Elvis, and so much more from that era to present day.
The Weekenders — headline(r) question answered — as a band excel at doing “nothing anybody can’t do but you’re dumb enough to do it in front of everyone.” More wit like that hails from a first gig with eight songs, and they now have four hour’s worth and much more than those early 50 — and ’50s? — numbers on their set list. And growing. Their many shirts proclaim everything from Cheap Trick (most likely) to Volbeat. And they have a mouth organ player that’s said to rock the whole show! That comes from a post by tommy gunn. Dare I invoke Metallica? And what is a “weekender?” Said to be someone who lives to party for four hours on a Friday night come what may … and then do it again on Saturday?
And what is a Whitesidewall, as in the band? More than The Cars. And more than just a bit of doo-wop and rockabilly, from the golden age of rock and roll, and times when there could be a roller girl cruising by with “platters” and spinning (mostly FM?) radio. They in their bio reference taking it one step or digit farther, with Love Potion No. 10.
Celebrating their 50th year back in 2022, if you’re counting, The Memories have entertained across the country. With telltale harmonies and subtle but still classic songs, this Wisconsin-based duo is made up of Warren Petryk and Tim Stevens, spinning tunes at fairs such as this one — going back for much of its history — and festivals, community concerts and the often-prized corporate events well before U.S. culture truly went corporate. The Memories continue, therefore, to deliver “music, laughter and wonderful times,” from a musician or two who have the great coifed hair of not aging rock stars but The World’s Most Interesting Man, as their bio info and photo will attest.
So, to recap, the Sidewalls are also bright white and not off-color, and the wheels just keep on rolling. These Whitesidewalls have been around cranking oldies rock about as long as both it and those type of tires have been around.

To go back even further, The Memories have been dishing out distinctive ditties for decades as a duo. Catch them crooning before they are just … a memory. Timeless music.

Then to bring it a bit closer to the current, and wrap up the weekend … Its the Weekenders.
(Most of these acts, on Friday and Saturday, start at 7 p.m. or a bit after. Admission to the fair is always free).

More interactive than a band, more exciting than a DJ, more unique than dueling pianos, or so the duelers say. The String Showdown even as a duo is also faster than a speeding bullet and the playing of a rock group, and is intergalactic and cooler than that house band at the outpost bar in Star Wars where young Luke Skywalker got in a spot, (OK we’re kidding about that last part, except the cool component).

They are about to be your new favorite act for corporate events, fundraisers, festivals, and more, the pickers and grinners and more say. So check them out at next weekend’s St. Croix County Fair in Glenwood City to get the journey and party started. (And more on fests, Fun days could have been a bit more fun. See the Uncategorized department).

Multi-instrumentalists – and there are so many strings to choose from — Mike Lauer, affiliated with and having played with George Maurer and Bobby Vee, and Greg Byers, linked to Kat Perkins and even the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, collide like comets in The String Showdown! (There is a tenuous Hudson tie-in, as a man who frequents the Green Mill there recalls the days seeing Vee in their native Fargo, although not necessarily playing a V-neck guitar although that would be fitting, and when he spoke of the connection referred his wife as one of his faves, as if she knew him. And a man who frequents Dick’s Bar in Hudson and takes in music by guitar virtuoso Jeff Loven on a weekly basis, also is tight with Kat going back to the time she first reached fame beyond just the region, to the point that at places as far afield as Bogart’s in Apple Valley she’d pick him out in the crowd, even though mom, and hey she has sway, was uncertain about her right off the bat as when opening act, too many tattoos). So you can see the reach we are talking about in reference to the String Showcase.

More now to let them say it: “Get ready for a fun & fast-paced performance full of sweet licks and hilarious riffs! As a dueling string duo, they rock you with a mishmash of your favorite hits from radio, TV, and movies compelling your audience to clap, dance and sing along. You’ll be amazed at their instrumental prowess while you crack up at their irreverent, family-friendly humor.
“Each show is crafted to entertain; with the perfect blend of crowd engagement, comedy, and musical magic. Find out why The String Showdown is the Midwest’s hottest blend of musicianship and entertainment; book them today!” So you can see how in a crowd with the diverse tastes of a county fair, they are a perfect fit. The St. Croix County gang has done it again, bringing in a relatively new act to the region right when they are gaining prominence. They can look the part of either alt/rockers or a classical combo.
Here is some of their fast becoming a vast resume, again showing reach:

•Corporate events for Target (with Hudson and Twin Cities and beyond vibes), Boston Scientific (Out East vibes), Anheuser-Busch (St. Louis vibes), and The Dayton’s Project (Ohio and beyond).
•Paisley Park
•Dakota Jazz Club
•MGM Grand
•BBC2 (Later… with Jools Holland)

They were coming here, dressed in often amped-up-as-if-orange Patriotic arch footwear, to maybe even bald spots being hued blue and red with sunburn and white … But don’t be blue.

(And if you want something with a little less hue, and more straightforward and not so trippy — maybe? — check out the Notes From The Beat department)

For everywhere, including virtually every nightclub, you can still see such half arches — and not just the one beckoning you to go beyond onto the dike road — draped over railings and decks and featuring half circles and balls of color.
One tall man on his way to Booster Days a block away wore really high socks in the national colors, and baggy low-rider shorts to the point you couldn’t see much knee. Another also had the proverbial summer floppy hat and every inch of him was in red and white with a bit of blue.
At the band shell, with the music played by the (red)Fire Water Gospel Choir, one could see many red-hearted-shaped glasses and earrings, not golden, and talking between that person and the stage was a woman with antenna that could have passed for the US flag. The next night, and on those further on, red stars sprouted from her forehead. I knew two people in the band, and some in the food booths, but only about seven from Hudson in the hard crowd, made so by Minnesotans. The east metro represented all around, but not so much western Wisconsin.
Four pieces of watercraft were stacked high at WalMart, as high as a basketball hoop, for hitting the water in the Land of 10,000 Lakes — Minnesota — and of about 12,000 — a little known fact about their even better archrival for such, Wisconsin. This would trump the gift my father got a few weeks earlier, of a scale so as his ailing body fluctuated in such numbers, he could make med adjustments. Ranking this dad’s day gift on a scale of one to ten, with 8.5 being the watercraft … And a flyer for the Dollar Store made it official with a front-page-of-ad special placed in a lower corner, as I mused a while earlier, that is fit for either the deck or the beach, a folding chair, made wooden because dad likes that touch.

— And the sprinkled about sparklers also would lead them, if they are looking for a barometer on who is shooting off what. As in all that remains, as in their shells, of various pieces of fireworks in the alley behind the big box Flooring Solutions store, that says  it will be opening soon. So you have to wait for your solutions for a bit longer. Watch your toes!

To be fair, there were only three pieces to be seen — or wait, also a fourth on this day just a few past The Fourth. What’s on their labels is telling, and makes for great satire, which I always thought is an overused term, as it often is an excuse for simply spinning things in a humorous but not necessarily insightful way. Well, so I go myself.

Take this, Mr. Obvious: Do not touch glowing wire. (Sounds like good advice). Hold in hand with arm extended, away from body. (This becomes a sport?) Keep burning end of sparks away from wearing apparel (that’s the main kind) … Hold and light only one sparkler at a time. (Not ambidextrous?) … Contains no magnesium, chlorates or perchlorates, and are not regulated as a hazardous material for surface transportation under the provisions of APA Standard 87-1. (Well thank goodness, I feel better now. Some have said this is mainly a heavy metal website.) The package can only be sold as a package (That’s why they call it a package).

And does anyone see a double entendre here? Place on hard, open surface. Do not hold in hand. Light fuse and get away. This side up.

All of the four said they were made in China, and one adds for a company in Florence, AL. But it is “Safe and Sane,” suchly registered in the state of California by the state fire marshal.

And how do they get here, to good ol’ Hudson? With more trucks seen, with flags not only off the end of the payload, but painted on the sides, in one case with all kinds of accompanying imagery that smacked of special forces soldiers in action, carrying as in Imo Jima, and in the other case only took up an estimated 10 percent of the side of the small semi. Could be a movie trailer here … —
In the main concourse right in front of other deals, WalMart workers led the charge with a stand to raise funds for a children’s hospital. It asked $2 for a hot dog, more than the price back in my day, and quite a bit over what you could buy at possibly WalMart, or for sure Aldi, and get a whole pack. I lingered then smiled and then joked about the requesite presence of The Colors, and the worker agreed, “oh yeah!” and gave a thumbs up. The Bring to the Fourth gift that was purchased was a combo of white and food-colored frosting, and gingerbread man. The Bubbly soda, silk milk, Tylenol and even Cresting toothpaste sported similar tones on their boxes.
The lead photo in a metro daily — on beating the heat and is it really that bad yet? — ran across three columns but there was not a Patriotic image or color to be seen. And I’m pretty sure this came from the conservative one of two.
It should be God Bless Us All, not just US. But loving America was the direct focus in chalk on a downtown sidewalk, halfway down its length. lots of big and colorful stars decked it out. It took-up all of a pair of concrete squares. (A nearby lobby showed a couple of world globes with the Big Three Colors all through as if a flag, that implied America is the only land in the land, all-in with no Allah and no borders. Hey, Russia and even China are much bigger!) More such renderings could be seen in the back lot of a downtown coffee shop, with two different little kids writing, hey I was here! And bright stars aplenty chalked up on the walkway on the other side of the block, with similar sentiments.
I was then falling three times, then gone away. I hit with my foot a seam in the sidewalk nearby, and it was an inch deep, running lengthwise. So down I went like a shot. Various people asked if I was OK, and it was just a little ouch on my knee, so I brushed off myself and my now gritty knee and continued on. A day or so earlier I saw a (somewhat younger I think) woman do that same thing, but she caught her balance rather quickly. I’d had a combo of the same result happen to me on a walkabout in North Hudson, but this time what hit home the most, in a reverse season, was the slick ice before and after the sidewalk seam. Like one I hit in the freezing rain many moons ago while changing lanes in the east end of St. Paul, causing my car to go into a literal tailspin.
Colorful word “baseball,” RW and B — and not rhythm and blues, as spun, where the brim of the cap should be, and a flag with odd decal, or is it a logo, in its corner.
And where there is a chance there is commerce. Even so, some venues decided to later-on be no-shows, as in close early, to avoid the show to come …
Over at Maurice’s, I’ll reference The Hill District for a change, they had this twist, calling last weekend “Red, White and Boom.” Another downtown business also went beyond the usual basic, and used the phrase “Let Freedom Ring.”
More of the typical was still seen THIS weekend, as the ghost of The Fourth Past, as a sign said simply and now too late “Happy Independence Day.” At least that middle word was a bit of a change-up. And a block away, also dated, was a cash company store that pitched, “Need some green this spring?”
That big truck redoing a bigger lot also told the tale. With a big trailer behind toting heavy equipment. But what stood out was the oversize Stars and Stripes painted across the entire long side of that truck, that thusly gave stretch limo vibes. A slightly lesser but largely similar approach was on a smaller truck, still adorned with those colors in such a way, to tout Matt’s Moving, as its flagship. If your pole is too large, to transport YOUR Old Glory.
But back to The Booster Barrage. Cause and effect. But first what I saw in the fest straight off, and straight up, set ’em up, after bar time. Or no.
It was 2:40 a.m. and there was no life at all to be shown on the main drag. And had not been, obviously, for some time, even as it was the hour for people to still be, if they’d been pushing last call, walking to their cars.
Fast forward to the weekend. There was many a young couple outside the doors of the places, vigorously discussing things. On the sidewalk’s edge, at Hudson Tap, a small group gave re-entry their best shot. They were no bad vibes here, just a lot of joking around. For a few minutes as others waited behind for their chance to get carded, but took in the show in front of them first. Inside, there was a guy who was beyond tipsy and still going, even later at other places, and was by himself. He wore a T-shirt that announced he was on a high school coaching staff at a nearby town. How would he get back to there? That thought could be a bit disturbing.
At Dick’s, there was some non-jovial rowdiness. In particular, a bouncer had taking the show outside to talk to someone who was upset about another guy, over an overture about a woman. The bouncer corrected him and said, “I heard you say, you’re f—— her.”
All in a summer day’s work.

They still remain, the remains of The Fourth of July, such as a set of Patriot Theme baubles on a moderately sized and multi-faceted stick, both round and square and rectangularly flag-shaped, set in a small and quaint corner of a front yard just down from me, in all colors that include but go beyond the trinity of red, white and blue. Tiny actual flags above them, two of them. All a full 50 lining the sidewalk and entry walk to the house a few more blocks down.

But The Fourth speaks for itself, as all things of business necessary except, say but not limited to, the American standard of the convenience store, are shut down. Gotta see fireworks, most workers do, and grab a space to park your butt or your boat hours in advance. Such as to later also take in, and be taken in, by the Stillwater show. Standing in Line? Tonight? With the lights on? Heavy glow. More on that in a later post.

But what about The Third, on a Monday, which means that it becomes a floating (word chosen intentionally to account for you crazy partiers) four-day holiday. Or maybe four-and-a-half, as so many of you — yeah you — took not only the in-between Monday as a vacation day, but the Friday aft off to get the party started. And a bouncer friend who had just had it with it all, said well gee, with this shit-show brought by shutdown most everywhere else, it means I won’t get a break from dealing with rowdy people until after Wednesday passes. But then wait, he rethunk with my prompting, The Fourth that is at play, actually ends on Tuesday. I think his angst is understandable.

So, Joe goes back to The Third. I had some deadline stuff to deal with and needed the always fickle editorial OK, but would anybody be in, as you can never tell what an editor or ad client is going to say, even if it would seem to a logical person to be a slam dunk. So with one, got an answer back prior to 8 a.m. as I am sure they, still working from home, wanted to just get the minimal done and get their gonzo grill going. Thus a rubber stamp of a rubber stamp? So I pushed the process along, to no avail as the sun rose higher, with they and so many others. Just see ya on Wednesday, or you will be so swamped with backup work that it becomes Thursday.

So I had a vested interest to see if all commerce, such as mine would be, would stall on that Monday. So I did what all good Patriots, or even more modern Pagans, would do to find out, then proclaim. I put my trust in Google.  What’s indeed open for Patriot patrons, and they report uhm, its a holiday and thus there have been no updates by this business to their website since say, 2022, so we can’t ensure accuracy.

But what did pop up, as far as closure(s), on the a majority of search possibilities? That bastion of unbridled American commerce, read capitalism, as this is The Fourth, the stock market(s). We all knew already about things like mail delivery, government offices and maybe banks, from past experience.

So what did I find? And verified. These markets will close their rampaging doors at 1 p.m. So hey, and I may be being cynical, those in Boston and upper-crust Connecticut and New York, haughty all, then can pack up and still hit the Hamptons and New Hampshire and Maine, well before nightfall, and shoot off early the often-illegal stuff they bought in that trek to Wisconsin — one of the few places you can get it — after deviating north from high-profile business done in Chicago. Maybe hide “the works” when coming back through Ohio. But like the past firing of muskets, it passes muster when traversing the Massachusetts foothills.

I told that laugher to my mom, twice, and she didn’t get the joke. Maybe that’s because she’s from southern, sliding a bit westward, Milwaukee, at the doorstep to the state were so much of this is legal and going bang well into the night is as much as farming truly the standard operating procedure (SOD).

But back here, where we are truly westward. A new server friend downtown was doing her first stint in summer, as a true newbie, and experiencing Booster Days, which with the Tuesday timing of The Fourth, could choose to run a full five days. Craziness all the way through until 10:30 p.m. at her late shift, and though she’s not a metalhead, she could appreciate it too, At This Place We Call The Zoo.

Down the block, they invited the creatures into their establishment, in case they needed to sober up. Dunn Brothers coffee, across the street from the Smilin’ Moose, would be open 7 to 7  — not Seven Eleven — on July Fourth.

A music buff, I assume, could not call my bluff when I asked her at Dick’s Market – at check-out not in the frozen foods, and I did not touch her on the sleeve, and she did not spill her purse, to pay the self-serve machine — if anyone had told her she looks just like Taylor Swift.

She used to get that all the time, the fan as such added, but now she was a little older and Swift had again changed her hairdo, too. But she was still a tall, cool one, in fact both of them.

Swift in fact, has all kinds of her personas and style looks shown as she rides an elevator, and hits the concourse like in a concert stadium, during a commercial you probably have seen umpteen times, unless you’re not into pop music and/or live under a rock. My new acquaintance, blond or not so blond or not at all, could now after years only sport a couple of those looks, but she was wearing one as we spoke. Concert is coming.

All this would make for a good trivia question, as when the Hudson Tap has at times had on a weekend day, the exclusively Swift challenge. Tailor your trivia to Taylor.

Why the picturesque pictures on what fans would love to call love in an elevator? A commercial shows all her different looks throughout the years. Her mega tour is aptly dubbed The Eras (Eros?) Tour. A fellow music critic over at the Pioneer Press raved that she is indeed the big deal, responding after her late June performance(s) here. Other metro papers and TV stations are often abuzz with Swift commentary, things from helping out with a personal touch a fave fan fallen on hard times, to calling out security for roughing up a patron, a few rows back from the front row.

Speaking of fans, what if you are a youngster? Mom and dad can use their best judgment for if you are ready, and take you to that show tonight, as there’s a light on, but kids are staunchly prohibited from being in The Pit upfront. Moshing madness at a non-metal concert?

There are other interesting and exacting stipulations. Yes, still cameras are allowed, and patrons are encouraged to capture the joy, but no video taping. Lens can be no more than six inches, and methinks they may be yet another boyfriend problem behind that?) And yes, posters are allowed, but only can be up to 24-inches-by-24 inches. Coulda made it easier and just say two feet twice.

There were two shows here and they were not Swift, lasting a full three hours, even after a couple of warmup bands hit the stage at around 6:30 p.m. When you have that many hits! That’s why there were a sellout total of 120,000 fans attending and ticket prices started at 80 dollars. Thus needed when you put on, and have to pay for, this kind of high-level production! Swift from the stage said the Minneapolis fans, plus those trekking here from all around the Midwest, were the “most generous.” Much needed.

Much of this is great marketing. The commercial that has flooded the airwaves shows Swift hawking Capital One credit cards, although with their stringent credit limits I doubt that she carries one. So does she really need that extra cash, after singing about beauty and singing about truth at $80 or more a patron?

Swift is a great business person, and has been said to have an IQ of about 160, and it shows now and when she was a child singing wiz. (Anything above 150 is thought to be statistically insignificant.) There are a lot of Mensa-and-past level geniuses in the rock world, and they don’t all sing super-deep songs about philosophy. Enter believe it or not Gene Simmons of KISS, and I bet you’d never see both of them mentioned in the same sentence/paragraph.

So for now, hope you all made the diagonal trek to Chicago to take it at least one of the three, count them, shows there.