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How M&R Rush changed my life... ...this was the Subject line of the first email I sent to the band in January of '06. Corny?.....yes, over the top?...definitely! But I had to get the bands attention 'lest they were getting thousands of emails a day! I can't however start this missive in January of '06, Nay, I have to start at the beginning; where it all began for me as a fan. I was 8 years old and it was the spring of 1973. If my calculations are correct, I was in the 3rd grade, attending the grade school formerly known as Nansen. I would see flyers around the school and the neighborhood for this band M&R Rush. I was a music lover from birth and had dreams of being a musician, bear in mind my musical tastes at the time extended only to what was playing on WLS and what I saw on The Partridge Family and The Monkees television shows. The aforementioned flyers were my first exposure to the local band scene. I wanted to see a live band so bad but the Nansen socials and Y dances were for the "older kids"....So I would have to wait. Fast forward to 1978, I was 13 and heard that M&R Rush would be playing at Oak Lawn fest. We had moved there a year earlier and that's when it happened. I had seen local bands here and there, but nothing quite as electrifying as M&R Rush.....the combination of showmanship and musicianship grabbed me and wouldn't let go. I had never seen a band so full of energy. In 1980 I purchased the M&R Rush EP and still have it to this day. I would listen to it all the time and played in a few bands through high school. It was always my contention that the reason M&R Rush were so good was because of how well they played together. I would always say that their music was tight.....mistake free. I would tell guys that that I had played with if we want to be successful, the music had to be tight.......very tight......like "M&R Rush Tight" I joined the military right out of high school and my EP came with me to every duty station, at home and abroad. I would pull it out and listen to it from time to time and wonder if they were still together. I came home on leave in late 1987 and went to Oak Lawn fest again.....No M&R Rush! I did see a band called "The Dancing Noodles" where I immediately recognized Paul Martin. His stage presence and vocals were unmistakable. It crossed my mind to wait til after the gig and asked what happened to the band.....but I thought better of it. I know how ugly band matters can get and I didn't want bring up anything that might turn ugly. After a 20 year military career, my travels planted me on the coast of South Mississippi. I cannot recall what motivated me to "Google" M&R Rush that night but I did and that landed me on the home page where I read about the reunion and that they were back again after a long hiatus. I immediately found an email address on the page and emailed Marty. Which brings me back full circle to the beginning of this piece. The content of the "How M&R Rush changed my life" email was how Marty was such an inspiration to me when I was a young aspiring drummer. I didn't expect a reply, but got one the next day! Marty and I emailed back and forth and I told him about how I coined the phrase "M&R Rush Tight" A week later he told me that was what they were going to name the '06 tour. I was honored! Soon after naming the tour I somehow mustered the temerity to ask them to let me be a roadie for a gig if I could manage a trip up to Chicago. I figured they probably get requests like this from people all the time and based on what I have seen of their fan base, mostly hot women. So I needed a hook, something that said that I was more deserving than other fans. So I gave it some thought and wrote a resume. If I do say so myself, it was quite humorous. It included things (lies) such as "I am currently working on a screenplay for an upcoming "VH1 M&R Rush Behind the Music" episode and that I was working on a freelance article on M&R Rush for Rolling Stone magazine. 1 week later, I got the gig. July 4th of '06, I showed up at Oak Fest. None of the band knew who I was or what I looked like. I was nervous...really nervous. Marty was the first I guy I saw, I walked up to him and introduced myself. He was great! They all were! Marty introduced me to the band, his family, and Doug(Road Manager).....I must admit....I was smitten. I was in the presence of my childhood heroes! Soon after that, Marty gave me my first backstage laminate. All Access baby! I donned it with pride, like a badge of honor. Doug soon put me to work....he gave me some easy stuff. Taping up song lists, getting drinks and putting gum on Marty's snare. There were special instructions: Two pieces were to be opened from the paper and placed at 45 degree angles on his snare, the remainder of the pack of gum to be placed on his song list as to not hide any of the songs. Damn celebrities are so temper mental so I was careful to make sure the angle was correct! The anticipation was peaking when the sound check was complete, the band was doing some last minute tuning and changing their clothes. Doug gave me one last task that at a certain point of the set, we had to go out into the audience and find attractive women to invite on stage. That was fun as there were no shortage of attractive women there! Then it started....Lose Yourself by Eminem.....I didn't know at the time but it was their intro music. I was smoking a cigarette, which by the way I had to learn to smoke just for the gig because as I recall it is a requisite for all roadies, sound guys and light guys to smoke! Last minute picture before taking the stage...Marty said "get in here John!" Which I did with no reluctance. (see picture above) Marty mentioned something about not liking this guy, but liking the song. Click...Click pictures done. Music fades from Lose Yourself to "Turn Up The Radio" by Autograph! It was On! The band unleashed a raucous rock and roll set, of which the likes I have not seen in years. The band covered all my favorites from the '80 EP and they all rocked! Especially the screaming guitar solos! The band had not lost a step in neither showmanship nor musicianship; on the contrary, it appeared to this roadie that they had gotten better and crazier. The reaction of the crowd was astounding, the band had them in the palm of their hands from the first chord. While I may be biased, the highlight of the evening was not the rather impressive fireworks show at the conclusion of the concert, but the eruption of fireworks that occurred behind the silver Rogers 7 piece drum kit during the Queen cover "Keep Yourself Alive." While I hesitate to use the word because it is so cliche.....folks, it was nothing short of awesome. This was an experience of a lifetime for me, the highlight of my year. Not only did I get to see my favorite childhood band and be their roadie, I met and befriended 6 of the most down to earth guys! My most sincere and heartfelt thanks to M&R Rush and Doug. See "yous guys" next year! Peace, John Wasserman |
