It's only a debate if you are a rock and roll dancer

And to end Dance Week on Mind Jazz I've decided to engage in the never ending debate of who is the greatest rock and roll band of all time.  No challangers exsisted before 1955 and actually individual rock and roll stars dominated the 50's so from 1960 to 2012 is our arguable time period.

The ability of a rock and roll band to make fans dance is a major prequiste in this debate. 

Sometimes only the fans on the floor dance but sometimes even the fans sitting in the very top row of the very back part of the arena...are on their feet.

Back in the day when one was lucky enough to attend Fillmore West shows, everyone was on the floor....or so it seemed to me.  I presume there were seats but it always felt like we were all on the floor. In those days we had unspoken competition dancing and people would give us room to show our "stuff."  Of course having a slight coloralteringmindbendingexperience always added a certain element to the function.  That element is the element known as.......the element of SURPRISE.  We, those of us to could dance and did dip into reality alterations, were never quite sure how the evening would progress with some of the bands.

I've danced to the Grateful Dead once.....a story of its own......and I 've been to multiple Rolling Stone concerts, attended The Beatles at Dodger Stadium, partied with The Who a few times and of course have witnessed four AC/DC tour events.....and they are events not concerts.

Everybody dances at an AC/DC concert.  EVERYBODY!

And while I think that AC/DC puts on the best rock and roll show.....I think there's one band that is not only more important but also is able to make everybody dance from time to time.  Sometime's its time to sit and listen and sometimes it's time to sway but eventually you will be up and dancing because that's Bruce's way.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND "E" STREET BAND have always delivered the goods...and have been doing it for 30 years without failure.  I have never heard anyone say they saw a Bruce Springsteen show and he just wasn't that good.  The man is The Boss because he always comes to work and he never just mails it in.  I wasn't even at the two show he just did at the Sports Arena in LA, and I felt the love and the energy all the way to Santa Monica.

So I'm going  to close out Dance Week and give you a few reasons to turn up your speakers, kick off your shoes and start dancing.

The week started with Otis Redding and it ends with Bruce Springsteen....and in between we celebrated Sean's birthday.

Perfect.

Michael Timothy McAlevey