The Bungee Cord 10-11-21

Hello,

How would you like to have free 8th row tickets on the main floor, and a pass to a post-concert meet and greet with the band? Well (don’t get too jealous), that is what I had this past Friday when my friend, Mark Hoffman and I attended a Todd Rundgren concert in New York.

As it turns out, my son who lives in NYC and operates a piano tuning and refinishing business, has as one of his clients Todd Rundgren’s bass player, Kas. He mentioned to Kas that his father is a big-time fan. Big time may be a bit of an exaggeration for me, but not for my friend, Mark. He has every album from the very beginning, memorabilia, knows the words to every song on every album, and can give you a minute-by-minute detail of his life.

Anyway, when Kas heard of the interest in Todd, he told my son that he could get us tickets to the concert when they came to New York. Which he did!

The concert began at 8:00, and we got there early because we had to pick up the tickets. There wasn’t a lot of communication to us about these tickets, so as we stood in line, we were hoping that this would not turn out to be an evaporated dream. But when I reached the front of the line and handed the person behind the glass window my driver’s license, and said to her, “Hi. Kas has left me two tickets and two backstage passes,” without any hesitation she went away from the window, pulled out a sheet of paper, glanced over the names that were there, and sure enough, handed me two tickets and two backstage passes!

At 64 and 65, Mark and I were not the youngest ones there (maybe a handful of people under 50), but we certainly were not the oldest. People with canes and walking sticks were seated around us, and the men’s bathroom was being used more often than a crowd in their 30’s. It was a tremendously wonderful concert. Songs from my college and mid-life years filled the theater. Todd was quite an eloquent speaker when he talked between songs, the majority of his music being ballads, ranging in tone from melodic to brash. He would have dialogues with his favorite green Fender Strat (a guitar) which he has named “Foamy”. And his band played alongside him with equal fervor. Todd is 73 years old, and most of his band hovered in the same age bracket. Both Mark and I commented that we hope we can prance around on stage with such energy as Todd did when we reach 73!

Now, you may not be a Todd Rundgren fan, or even know who he is (“Hello” is his most famous song….along with “Bang my Drum”), but to be so close to a Rock and Roll Icon and meet up with Kas after the show was absolutely amazing to me, and overwhelmingly astounding to my friend, Mark. Turns out that Kas is a tremendously nice guy, and he said that if he is ever in the Pittsburgh area, he might give me a call and we can have dinner together (Jealous yet?).

But even though I am still goose bumped over my Friday night concert experience with Todd and Kas, I know that there is a concert yet to come where my ticket will again be free, my seat will be in the front row, a backstage pass will be in my hands, and I will be eating….not just once in a while…but regularly with the one who has invited me to come. The concert, of course, is the heavenly choir around the eternal throne of God, and the meal with be the feast of victory of our God. Just thinking about it gives me goose bumps! Oh, by the way, I have seen the guest list, and there’s a seat next to mine with your name on it….each of your names! See you there!

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

Like

Comment

Share