August 16, 2003
If you’re used to seeing the Hudson River from the Tappan Zee Bridge, or even the George Washington Bridge, like my mother, you might have a hard time believing that this is the same river.
Past here, the Hudson isn’t navigable for anything too much bigger than the boat in the photo, which was anchored near the Albany NY shoreline while Sha Na Na and the Marvelettes performed on the stage at the Riverfront Park.
Of course, it’s not exactly the same Sha Na Na I danced to in my late teens, but when these guys did In the Still of the Night a cappella, it was even better than the recording of the Five Satins that played in the sock hop background while I did the "Fish" in the arms of my high school boyfriend. Usually nostalgia embellishes past realities, but not this time. (While the Arthur Murray site claims the Fish didn't become popular in 1961, we were doing it in the suburbs of NYC in the fifties.)
I went to the Fabulous Fifties concert at Riverfront Park with my friend "P" and some of her friends, most of whom I didn’t know.
I used to love to do those kinds of things – meet new people, be a part of a big crowd. But my nostalgia for the old days ended with Sha Na Na. I did get up and boogie with everyone else, worked up a good sweat, did the Twist, the Hand Jive, and even led a few Lindys. I still like to dance, but something’s missing now. Or too much has changed. Life in the slow lane, perhaps. Or maybe this is part of my metamorphosis into Cronedom. Whatever.
Comments now powered by HaloScan. Click here to read this entry's comments (if any), or to post one of your own.
Old Comments (0)