Fountain Square and Terry Lee and the Rockaboogie Band

First, hey Fountain Square venue bookers…that’s TERRY not JERRY. I’m hoping Terry was flattered. Terry plays in that style, but he is his own person and writes his own stuff. He’s fabulous in his own right.

Seeing Terry again was wonderful, and Gary and I had a good time. Not great. And that wasn’t because of Terry, that was because of the mostly teen crowd. Don’t get me wrong, I love being around young people. And I’m glad there is a new generation of dancers. I also remember what it was like to be 17…wanting so much to catch some young man’s eye, afraid that I wouldn’t, so insecure I did some really dumb stuff worse than what anybody did at FS. Anyway. I understand that for many who come to Fountain Square it is less about the dancing and the music and more for social reasons. Teens don’t have many places to go and FS is a very cool venue.

I get it. I really do. Saying that, the throngs of giggling girls blocking the floor, the wild flailing of some young men trying to impress said girls, and general lack of floor craft makes dancing hard.

Which got me thinking about the Casa Loma last year and why I enjoyed it so much. The crowd was a mixture of young, old, and middle aged. Different ethnicities and orientations were represented. Various levels of dancing know how. The energy was wide and deep; enough young people to make it exciting and free, some older folks to keep it grounded, fabulous dancers to watch, non dancers hopping around to make it fun, transvestites to add flare, and enough latin and funk to liven up what can be white man boring. I might also add the ‘Loma is much bigger than Fountain Square, which also helps.

And so while visiting a teen hang out, going with my parents to a senior night, or attending a ballroom event are great, my favorite places are diverse in every way. I hope Terry and his band had fun. People certainly were dancing. But I noticed a table full of middle aged ladies who left soon after the show began. I had heard them earlier laughing in the ladies room about twisting the night away. They seemed like big fans. I don’t think they got to dance. Sad.
I could SO see Terry at the Casa Loma. Other Rockabilly bands play there. Maybe he’d also consider another dance at High Bridge, KY. Or more appearances at Mike’s Dance Barn. Or the Willowbrook near Chicago, rockabilly bands are there as well. Or with the Rockabilly festival here in Indy in June… they have it every year.