the year was 1981...

... and I was a young, impressionable tween (although we weren't called that then). My aunt, who is only 11 years older than I, bought an album with a dog on the cover, and I soon realized the guy singing was the cute doctor on the soap my mom watched, General Hospital. 

And thus began my lifelong love of musicians legally named either Richard (Rick Springfield, Richie Sambora) or John (Taylor, Bon Jovi, Rzeznik).

I eventually somehow -- by either begging or stealing... I don't remember ;) -- moved my aunt's "Working Class Dog" record out of her house and into mine. And today it still lives in my house (granted this is now six houses later), collecting dust in a big bin of records, including six other Springfield releases from the '80s and maybe early '90s. 

For those of you not alive in the '80s, this is what records look like. They were big flat cardboard things with cool photos or graphics on the outside and a big round black piece of plastic inside :p 

Tonight, I traveled back in time musically (and somewhat physically -- have you ever been inside The Canyon Club in Agoura? Eek!) to see Rick, my very first rock star-crush perform up-close-and-personal. (This is the only benefit of the trapped-in-time Canyon Club... it's tiny.)

The show was super-fun, and nostalgic, as seen here (just ignore the crazy, old-enough-to-know-better groupies)... 

... and was infused with a dash of friggin' awesome in the form of Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters. Dave appeared onstage (although he came without his beautiful baby blue Gibson guitar that I might love just a little more than him) to perform "The Man That Never Was" from his documentary Sound City with Rick, as seen here:

Overall it was a great show! Rick knows how to work an audience and -- even though he's technically only a year and a half younger than my dad (oy) -- totally still rocks out.... even if he does need some help from Starbucks to do so ;)

This might be my fave photo of the night. LOL.