Monday, February 04, 2008

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at Half Time: A Class Act

Unbelievably fantastic though the game between the Giants and the Patriots was - and it was the best Super Bowl I've ever seen - the halftime was my place of joy. If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time you have figured out that I 'am a fan' of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The music fits my world. So does the integrity.

I knew they'd deliver the goods on Sunday and sure enough, it was a class act all the way.

The meanest, nastiest flu I can recall hit me late last week, knocking me out of this world into that weird, head-swimming, delirious world of aches, pains, disorientation, sweat, chills, worry about my family not eating well and what's not getting done (bills to pay, school to teach, the tub needs cleaning, the dog smells houndy, Joe's car's been totalled - does he need help? - and wondering when my arms and legs turned to concrete.) My daughters are the best nurses ever, Joe a most attentive son, and my Tom does the best he can to hold it together. Still, the flu left me looking and feeling like I've spent a week dancing at the Zombie Zoo. Today I saw my reflection in the mirror, making the sight even worse by grimacing in shock.

All this about me to say that even though I had to be escorted to the living room couch with my small cups of gingerale and water along with the saltines that currently follow me everywhere, I was not about to miss Tom Petty in any way shape or form. Silence ensued at half time while two eager generations gathered around the tube to hear Tom and the boys do what they do so well. Fantastic! Flawless! Fun! The best half time in a long long while. No freaks jumping around, rising suddenly amidst smoke from here, sinking into oblivion there, no weird camera angles, no ridiculous pyrotechnics, no lousy music.

Quite the contrary. The boys were decked out beautifully, all handsome, talented, professional, exciting, energized, quietly confident, youthful eyes twinkling, and those smiles! How Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers can sing and play! And create fun. Honed by a decades-long wild ride these men know what works and how to bring it. They did.

Classy in that it felt like they did it for us instead of for themselves.

Tom seemed to be having as much fun as he did all those years ago when it was brand new. There seemed to be an amazed, boyish hint of, "Hey, man, I'm playing for the Super Bowl!" excitement in his eyes. How cool is that.

The arrogant younger stuff might wisely take notes from Sir Petty and his Royal Heartbreakers.


(In case you're wondering, my body is depleted of energy now that I've used what little I had this morning to post this entry - sheepish, foolish, pathetic smile - and I have a ways to go before I am me again. But I've got a few songs in my heart sitting with the worries of the 'undone', and the encouragement to listen to my little nurses: "Get back to bed!!" I'm going. I'm going...)

9 comments:

Cassie said...

Get back to bed!!! :P
That really was the GREATEST HALF-TIME SHOW EVER!!!!! I just love Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers! Tom Petty, YOU ROCK!!!!!

cecily said...

Oh no! (Was it standing in the snow with bare feet?!? :P)

Hope you're feeling better soon.

(I so don't get what superbowl is!)

Cherie said...

:P Cecily! :D

Thanks. I feel better today.

The SuperBowl is just a big championship football game which has nearly grown into a celebratory holiday - something to look forward to and enjoy during the bleak months. The culmination of the football season, the winning league teams play off for practically hero status. It's fun. There's more to it than that - but I'm sick.

Pam said...

I KNEW you'd be all about that halftime show! Even said so to Joe.

I hope you are feeling better, Dear One... Take it easy -- it's going to take a while to get back to 100%, so let your family take care of you.

I did send you an email -- am only announcing it to you here as we've had issues with our Comcast account. Let me know if you got it when you're up to it and not a moment before then.

Love you!

Sandy said...

Oh Cherie, I hope tomorrow is better for you. Those nurses are wise, like their mom, so do as they say!

The whole show was great, football at it's best and the halftime show was a class act. No boobies either!

Ann said...

I agree-- I thought Tom's performance was great! So sorry to hear about your flu, though. I caught that stuff about a year ago-- can't remember when anything knocked me out so completely. Hope you're regaining strength daily.

Cherie said...

Pam, yeah, you know me, Twin. Thanks for the email and the photo!

Sandy, yeah, no boobies!! Nice!

Ann, it's nasty stuff whatever it is that caught me so suddenly and fully. Makes a person appreciate good health all the more.

Thanks to all of you for your good wishes for my health. I'm doing much better, getting my strength back by degrees. I even got dressed yesterday and drove to the store for a few things. Then I made a hot meal for Tom and the girls who were busy painting the new bedrooms. Tuckered me out, but I felt good that I could do that much. Feeling even better today.

Whew.

Thanks you my nurses, Cassie and Caroline!!!

deanna said...

Sorry you've been sick; so glad you're on the mend. Tim had something bad over the weekend, too. He's still barking, though not so much. And of course he went back to work the second his temperature returned to normal.

Cherie said...

I hope Tim finds his non-barking voice soon. I am fortunate that this thing I succumbed to has left my body - hopefully for good. It's certainly not wanted here! ;)