I think the best soul band in the world is
Tower of Power. The first time I heard them was in 1973 on a television broadcast of "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert" and I remember how impressed I was with the band. The next week I told members of our school band about them and how I thought they were the funkiest group that I'd ever heard. Fellow band member Harry Bradley had a copy of TOP's "Bump City" lp album and offered it to me in exchange for clarinet reed and $2.50. I accepted the trade and have never looked back. Since that acquisition I have collected all of their albums and videos, attended concerts, and met many of the members. Without a doubt, they are my favorite band.
The first time I heard them live in concert wasn't until much later, as they do not play in this area often. "T.O.P.", one of my favorite TOP albums, had just been released and they played a concert at Bogart's in Cincinnati on October 24, 1993. Sharon and I were there and were blown away by their awesome sound. Our seats were located about 20 feet from center stage. Friends Robbie & Marty Reid, Robert & Kelly Moser, JR Hardin, Clyde and Patty Gilpin, Jerry and Angela Martin, Charlie Shuck, and Anthony & Tasha Key were there too.
Other TOP concerts I have attended were at the Executive Inn In Owensboro, Kentucky Center in Louisville, at the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville, at Rupp Arena in Lexington as part of a B.B. King tour, at a blues festival at the Kentucky Horse Park, with Huey Lewis & The News at Rupp Arena, and at the Riverblast Festival in Dayton.
Sharon and I celebrate our 24th wedding anniversary this month. Our anniversary present to each other is a trip to Las Vegas in March. We will be staying at the legendary
Flamingo. Just down the road a couple of miles is the
Orleans Showroom, a beautiful 850 seat theater, where Tower of Power will be in concert three consecutive nights. Sharon and I have secured our front row tickets and will be in attendance all three nights. The room is infamous for it's great acoustics and TOP is in top form, so these should be the best TOP concerts we've attended. Our friends RC and Rachel will be making the trip to Vegas too. This is going to be awesome! Life is good.
The Orleans Showroom
