some time ago we were moved in learning of Mr. Stanley's transcendence from this realm of being. the Michael Stanley Band (MSB) he fronted was highly celebrated and remains revered among the popular idols and totems of our first experience at university. we made merry at many a performance of this Northern Ohio outfit...and, all the while, pedalling our way through life amid the very dear companions for whom fondness has never withered–a fraternity of chums and familiars whom, at the time, offered the flavors of relationship that our maturing pallate would devour with avid want. theirs,for the most endearing and enduring part, was a conviviality that seemed the natural extension of those intimacies cultivated during our early and middle age terms of living, and Maestro Stanley's craftwork often served as themesong to the times and their excitements that memory still recalls as precious.

we were introduced to MSB by their greatest fan among our lively court, Bradley, a pledge brother from a village nestled a modest trek from the alma mater where these happenings are centered. it was common to be greeted in the chambers and hallways of our off-campus home or the classrooms, dining tables, and recreations at which we'd congregate; by Brad's cheerful renditions of an MSB ballad. And while the number of gleeful devotees among us was nearly unanimous, it was Brad's emphasis that concentrated their entusiasm , and won over the leanings of our, heretofore, decidely "hard rock", "glam rock", and "freak rock" sensibilities to the elloquent (rather than harsh) sentimentalites of "classic rock". and for the introduction Bradley and our s_ prized ensemble of o_ n_ [have] my [eternal] gratitude.

Live performances occurred occasionally around town, including at the original location, adjacent campus, of the Agora Ballroom (before it relocated elsewhere years later) where dancing, drinking, toasting, and revelry of most sorts, were ritual exercises. and, of course, this was the homegrown act chosen to headline the area's New Year's Eve concert at Richfield Coliseum. We only attended two or three of these showcases, during the first of which we recall starting "the wave" among the crowd. but, to the point, this was where the flames of appeal for MSB were ignited in us and we have lifted that torch ever since.

naturally, since it was the trend of the era to signal one's "fellowship to the throng" of fandom by purchasing record ablums, often in (mistaken) priority over avoiding debt by paying bills, an MSB live album, "Stage Pass", was among the earlliest to join my collection, and only (until a bit later in life) [portion] of the collection to [reach beyond] the [expected] category of Hard Rocck...KISS, ACDC, Deep Purple, Judas Priest, and the like. we didn't even own a Led Zeppelin album until [wisened] through exposures of this fraternal [womb]. and the anthem we settled upon from this [relic] of composition was the subject piece honored here.

"Let's get the show on the road" is an extraordinary piece of work that endures to evoke an awe that we shall embosom throughout our tenure of [ awakening]. it was decades...decades, we tell you, before attention to the lyrics clarified a [critical/noteable] line as "...and the Lord choses the good ones, and the bad ones choose the Lord." or "And today is for sale. And it's all you can afford." instead of words to some other affects that we no longer have any memory of now that the actual ones reign [true].

the entire [story] of the song about the peaks and valleys of stardom is, for us, appreciated as a maestro's effort of composition. [listening entirely] to the coda is practice at patiently

and so, in [true] Agora Ballroom days fashion, we toast those companions and memorable experiences of a period we are grateful to have known.

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is a fairie Vine of
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