In December of 1968, I left home alone for the very first time to go to a Pop Festival in Miami. Technically it was in Hallandale at a horse track. It was an absolutely fabulous three days except for the part where I lost my wallet and I was kind of adopted by a 29-year-old woman in an MG convertible who fed me and took me out to Miami Beach at midnight to go to a club called The Image.. And just like me, I am taking way too long with this post. Getting back to the festival there was such a diverse group of artists who played including Iron Butterfly, Chuck Berry, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, and the Turtles. On the night I lost my wallet, I was in the parking lot looking for my friend's car which I could not find. From the vantage point of the parking lot, I could hear two different groups playing. On one stage which was called the Flower stage in front of the stands, I could hear Iron Butterfly. In my other ear I could hear the Turtles singing Eleanor. It was at this time that I gave up looking for my friend's car and I had decisions to make. One was to panic because I was 17 years old away from home for the first time and had no money because my wallet had disappeared and I had no ride to get back to my friend's house where I was staying. The other decision was which stage was I going to go to. I was actually in the stands when Iron Butterfly took the stage and heard most of their set before I headed out to the parking lot so I decided to go over to the Flying stage and listen to the Turtles. they were absolutely wonderful. great harmonies, very tight band and it was there that I met the wonderful lady who rescued me and took me to Miami Beach to the club and then back to her apartment to spend the night. ( that by the way is yet another story that I will never tell). The next morning after she fixed me breakfast she dropped me back off to the festival and gave me her ticket for the third day since mine was in my wallet that was gone. She also gave me $5 to buy something to drink or eat later. I wonder what happened to her, but I digress this post is about the Turtles.I did not see them in concert again until 1992 when they were part of a radio concert at Coachman Park in Clearwater that included a bunch of different bands. My teenage son TyTyler Crose was with me and anyone who knows him knows his vast knowledge of classic rock and roll. Because of my work and radio and knowing the right people I was able to gain access to the restricted area next to the stage and I took Tyler with me while the two remaining members of the Turtles Howard Kailyn, and Mark Volman We're hanging out and Tyler got to meet them both. What a bunch of people do not know is that Howard and Mark at one time in a break from Turtles fame became Fluorescent Leach and Eddie and were part of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention. Great evening, lots of great entertainment including the Turtles which brings me to my last paragraph.So, today because I genuinely have no life I was looking at YouTube and I see a video from the 2023 Happy Together tour. They actually were here I believe in May at Ruth Eckerd Hall but because I don't know anything that's happening I missed the show. I am kind of glad I did. As I was watching the video I got to see the Cowsills and then Gary Puckett formally of the Union Gap. As I understand it he is a local resident here in our area now. I then kind of skipped ahead a little bit because I really wanted to see Howard and Mark. They were introduced with great fanfare, except for one thing. No Howard Kailyn. Further research told me that he had retired because of some severe heart problems. I understand we are all getting old as crap. But, oh holy crap, His replacement was the guy that sang for the imaginary group called The Archies. Remember them? And to my shock and horror right in the middle of the set, he decided he was going to sing Sugar Sugar. I am so grateful for experiencing them in the beginning and midway thru.
