Flashback alert

No. 2 spent some of his birthday money today on the new Guitar Hero: Aerosmith. A win-win, as I get to Wii-out with and without the kid.
A convert to Guitar Hero (yes, it seemed silly, difficult and frivolous at first), I have come to embrace the scrolling notes and Mini-Me ax.
While the jury's still out on the new game (wasn't real impressed with most of the first set of songs, though I've never been big on Mott the Hoople and "All the Young Dudes), I did have one of those moments. You know, the moment you're rocketed back to the days of yesteryear, to a fun, carefree (and for me) high time. The first song of the game is Cheap Trick's "Dream Police" (they live inside of my head, in falsetto, of course).
My first alone concert was Cheap Trick on the Dream Police tour in Hawaii at the Blaisdell Arena. Sure, I'd been subjected to the Fifth Dimension at Wolftrap with the 'rents, and dragged kicking and screaming to Up with People by my Uncle Rex, but I'd never spread my wings and soloed. Until Cheap Trick.
I don't remember much. After all, it was 1980. I was 12. And, man, I got wasted. Nosebleed seats, a bunch of Marines next to me and my friends and a bunch of Da Kine (it was Hawaii, after all).
However, I still remember, for whatever reason, that the Dream Police live inside of my head. Not "I Want You To Want Me," "Surrender" or "Ain't that a Shame." But "Dream Police."
I also remember, equally stunning, that my folks had NO CLUE how trashed I was.
"How was the concert, Aaron" was the Parental Inquisition. Thank God.
Fast forward to today, when those same Dream Police re-invaded my head. All I could do was chuckle to myself when No. 2 asked if I knew this song.
Yes, TJ, I do.
Oh, by the way. It was the first time I've made it through a song on the second level without missing a note. It really was "inside of my head."