I remember being on about week 3 of a 12 week Canadian trip and we had July 1st off for whatever it's called in Canada. I remember taking a nice train trip from The Soo to the Agawa Canyon where I took a bunch of really great pictures. (This was so long ago I used that stuff called "film".) However, since July 4th is not a holiday up north, we had to work on what would be our holiday. We didn't care about working, but it seemed to hit home that day when we were supposed to be at picnics and seeing fireworks that we really were away from home, and that kind of brought home a sense of awareness about what the July 4th holiday is all about for us.

In the middle of the second set, our singer, who liked to play it by ear, picked up his guitar and started strumming and told the Canadian crowd about our July 4th, and after that he broke into Springsteen's "Sandy", properly titled Asbury Park, 4th of July. We did not do that song, though we all knew it, and I started scrambling for an accordion sound for the chorus. When we got there I played that swelling accordion part as well as sang the harmony. And when we finished, I found myself in tears. I walked out from behind the keyboard rig and gave him a hug, and the crowd cheered. That day really brought home what our 4th of July is all about. All the "veteran" came out in me, etc....

So Happy Thanksgiving to all of our Canuckian friends! And come July 1, we'll talk some more "aboot: the night Eddie cried on stage in Sault Ste Marie.

We LOVED those trips! Great audiences, some really nice, fun people.... Part of what music is all about. (Or aboot...)