ah, chad & jeremy

Revisiting your youth can be great.
And with so many singers from the 1960s and ’70s hitting the road
again these days, there are plenty of opportunities for baby boomers to
make that trip down memory lane.
But sometimes — heck, quite often — that trip can be downright
disturbing.
You know you’ve seen them — those guys from decades ago who think
they can still fit into the same tight leather pants that they wore in
their heyday.
Or perhaps they don’t seem to realize that the mop of hair that set
the girls to screaming has long since made a far retreat.
And then there are those who think they can still hit the same notes as
when they were 18 or 20 or even 25.
But we know all too painfully that they can’t.
If you’ve ever watched some of those reunion shows on PBS, you may
find yourself a bit confused as to who these people even are; sometimes
you’re lucky if one original member of the band is still among those
touring.
But I can say with no reservations that that certainly was not the case
at the Sellersville Theater last Saturday night, when I was treated
— quite literally — to a concert by one of my long-ago favorites,
Chad & Jeremy.
OK, I know most of you are saying, “Who?”
But if you were a teen in the late ’60s and loved everything
“British Invasion,” you’ll know who I mean.
My daughter bought the tickets a few months ago as my birthday present
and even agreed to go along to the concert. Pretty brave, since she
wasn’t sure what she was getting into.
Truth be told, neither did I. I had visions of two old men creeping
onto the stage, their raspy voices barely able to produce a sound.
I couldn’t have been more wrong. Of course, Chad & Jeremy weren’t
exactly hard rockers, so it’s probably been easier for them to retain
their trademark sounds on such early songs as “Yesterday’s Gone,”
“Willow Weep For Me” and “A Summer Song.”
But their easy banter, light-hearted approach to the evening and
obvious talent — just listen and watch as Chad plays the guitar or piano
— all combined seamlessly for quite the entertaining evening.
And they included some of their later tunes and even some new ones
planned for release this year.
It was just a great evening all around, and the theater is a perfect
venue. If I don’t have to head to Philly for a concert, I’m all for
it.
So I guess it was an appropriate birthday gift. My daughter gave me a
ticket that let me step back in time, so to speak.
And I wasn’t a bit disappointed.