Doug’s KC and the Sunshine Band saga: Part I, Supper

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Many of you are aware that there will be an all-’70s class reunion for graduates of Perry High School over the weekend of June 30 to July 4.

ThePerryNews.com publisher Jim Caufield was a graduate of Perry High School during this time frame, and I heard that at one time he was known as the Tony Manero of Central Iowa. I imagine that he will be digging into his closet to find his bell bottom trousers and platform shoes to wear to the reunion.

This leads me to the topic which I would like to present here. On June 9 the popular disco band from the 1970s, KC and the Sunshine Band, played at a Jefferson gaming hall. This event was a part of Jefferson’s Bell Tower Celebration held during this time.

During the time that KC and the Sunshine Band were popular, I was not even a teenager even though everyone thinks that I am older than my dad. I did not know who they were and would not have cared. At the time, we had “American Bandstand” on every Saturday morning on ABC television, but I did not like what was being played and did not pay much attention.

A number of years ago, I bought the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack because I liked the songs “Staying Alive” and particularly “How Deep Is Your Love” by the Bee Gees. I used to listen to only these two songs, and a number of years later I heard “Boogie Shoes” by KC and the Sunshine Band, which I liked.

I started looking up KC and the Sunshine Band on YouTube. I ran across several catchy tunes from them in clips from “American Bandstand” and “Soul Train.” The clips of the male band members wearing leisure suits with bell bottom pants and platform shoes represent to me the stereotypical image of what men’s dress was like in the 1970s. Not totally true for most people, perhaps, but still an image.

Some time back, I kept hearing on the radio that the KC and the Sunshine Band was coming to Jefferson to perform at the gaming hall. As the event drew closer, there were a lot of television ads, too, but none in ThePerryNews.com. There had to be more spent on advertising for the concert than was taken in. They must have made it up from alcohol sales.

I still hear, “Keep It Coming, Love,” all day long because of the commercials. I wonder if one of those attorneys on television could help me to get a big cash settlement for my suffering because of this if I agree to let them take a big cut for themselves.

What a racket!

I keep seeing commercials for a sleazy law firm in Des Moines that I have dealt with through my work. They do not care for their clients and use them just to make money. No lie is too big. I hope someday that they will realize the damage they have done to their souls and make amends. Money is the god and cure for everything.

When I went to get my tickets, I found out that the front row tickets were somewhere around $150 each, which included a meet and greet. You could get seats farther back for $75, or you could get standing tickets for $35. Of course, Dan Haymond likes to attend these type events, too.

I purchased my tickets online. For some reason there was a $1.50 service fee. This is the first time that I have ever received a service fee for anything connected with the Jefferson gaming hall, which does not choose to advertise in ThePerryNews.com.

At most places you can purchase tickets at the venue and save a lot in service fees. Ticketmaster and other sites have a lot of added fees. If you call Ticketmaster, they have fees, and then they want you to try subscriptions for free and then add them to your credit card if you do not cancel them by a certain time.

I once made a Ticketmaster person mad because I said no to everything that they offered. I probably ruined his commission, but I did not need the stuff.

The date soon enough came upon us. I had not been to the gambling hall since October 2016, when I attended a Murder Mystery Dinner. The date was ironically the same as the machete murders in Perry.

Before that it had been nearly a year since I saw the Oak Ridge Boys. B. J. Thomas was there twice, and I could not see him because of football and basketball obligations. Gordon Lightfoot was also at Ames during football season, but I could not go to see him either.

We decided to head first to the recently moved A&W in Jefferson. The place was packed. The food was good, even better than A&W’s tasted during the “good old days.” I also recently ate at an A&W in Vinton, which tasted very much the same.

They both stated that their Root Beer is made fresh on site. In both cases it did not taste like it used to. In reality, the root beer sold at Culver’s tastes like the root beer that A&W used to have.

After we ate, we drove over to the casino. When we got in, I had to go get the tickets printed in the souvenir shop. The we headed into the concert.

This ends part one of my KC and the Sunshine Band adventure. Make sure to check out ThePerryNews.com every day to catch the next installment.

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