Last night I re-entered my youth. My husband Paul and I went to a Doobie Brothers and Chicago concert at SPAC. (Saratoga Performing Arts Center) It is a beautiful outdoor concert hall. There are seats inside under a roof and then a slopping lawn for anyone willing to throw down a blanket. Paul bought us tickets inside.

The Doobies came on first and Paul and I rushed to our seats, massive beer in hand, to enjoy. Music can transcend time and as our favorite tunes from high school and college floated through the air we were once again teenagers. Paul felt himself cruising in his mother’s huge Buick, eight track tape pushed in, windows rolled down and music blaring.  I remembered listening to WLS out of Chicago, hoping one of my favorite Doobie tunes would come on and then I could shift my parent’s red and cream-colored VW van into fourth and cruise through the hot spots of Wabash, Indiana.

It felt great to once again feel so carefree even for a few hours.  The music, and the emotions it brought back, blocked all worries and cares from our 50-year-old brains.

Chicago, the band, was just as exciting.  We loved watching the musicians that were displayed in front of us, each one demonstrating tremendous talent. Man, those guys can still blow a good horn, while moving all over the stage.   It was clear to us why they were still performing after all of these years.  They were good and they loved it.

The best part of the night was at the end when both Chicago and the Doobies came on stage.   I knew, that in my lifetime, I never thought I would see both of those groups performing together.  Paul and I were wide-eyed with excitement.  The energy level just increased as the bands took turns playing each other’s hits.

The evening finally ended and we walked to our car in the cooling upstate New York August air.  We got home around midnight and crawled into bed.  Our 50 something bodies remembering what our brains did not.  But, it will be some time before I forget the thrill of once again being young.