Epic Quest to Find Beatles Music!

Me with the guys from "No Fly Music" who played FABULOUS Beatles music at Hayward Memorial park!

These guys knew all the words to the songs -- John and Dave! they were GREAT! I look tired -- that's cuz between working late and dancing the night away, I must admit I was kinda tired!

No Fly List at the Sports Page, YAAAAYYY!

Here I am with a couple of guys from a local Hayward band called "No Fly List." They played and sang Beatles music this past Sunday at Hayward Memorial Park along with two guys who also performed Beatles music who call themselves "Two Of Us." I had never heard of either band before, but I was surprisingly impressed by them...the lead singer here is way too young to really remember when the Beatles made their debut, however, he and his band, including an upright bass player, sounded fabulous as they belted out Beatles songs such as "I'm a Loser" and "Things We Said Today" and "Cry Baby Cry."

I had never been to Hayward Memorial Park and all sorts of things were going on this past Sunday, the huge Art & Wine Festival in Mountain View, etc. But I'd remembered that someone had mentioned Beatles music near Union City where I live now on Sunday. I don't know Union City or the surrounding area very well at all because we just moved here in February and I'm usually over near Mountain View where I work and where I've lived for many years, or on musical adventures in Santa Cruz or San Francisco...so here I was alone on a Sunday afternoon. Jeremy, Jen and Baby J left to watch the 49ers game at a friend's house...

I also found very little info on the local bands or even on Hayward Memorial Park which is right off Mission Blvd., so it was easy to find. At first, when I saw the sign for the park and a rather old building with a dated, slightly rusty sign that said "Hayward Plunge" on it, I felt a little dubious, wondering what to expect. I couldn't really see the park, just a few trees and perhaps a small playground and sidewalk. The Hayward Plunge was obviously a public pool -- I wasn't sure whether it still operated.

I parked the car in what I hoped would be a safe parking spot and walked around the building. That's when I heard Beatles music drifting through the air, and saw a large stage with steps and cement in front and a lovely park -- grass surrounded by tall oak and eucalyptus trees -- families and people of all ages sitting on the grass or on lawn chairs, small children running around. Off to the side of the stage, I saw people playing chess at picnic tables and another group selling hot dogs and drinks. Beatles music played, kids danced around -- I talked to a 90-year-old woman and her son...the woman said she used to be a Beatles fan back in the day!! Kids with chalk drew murals and pictures on a wall...a lady danced and skipped into the park wearing sun dress and tennis shoes, dragging a small dog along with her. It wasn't too crowded though -- as I listened to the music and looked at the stage, I thought -- wow! Why don't more people know about this fabulous place? It's perfect for outdoor concerts with that nice stage and lots of shade or sunshine, whatever you prefer, to sit in? It was like finding a rough, rare gem -- one of those places only the locals seem to know about...and the band, No Fly List, sounded good! I ran back to my car and got my chair and my 8-string uke -- just for fun this time. Turns out this event was to benefit the local high school choir -- and I was able to get cold water, diet soda, a hot dog, an apple for whatever I wanted to donate.

No Fly List rockin' it! a band called "Two of Us" also played Beatles songs (before I got there).

It was a perfect, beautiful day -- low key, not too crowded, but enough people. An older lady came over to dance with me...I played along on uke when I could...During the break, some kids from the high school choir sang Beatles songs. and the guys from No Fly List play locally in and around Hayward...hard to believe I used to have a boyfriend from Hayward back in the 1970s...his family lived there, and I actually spent some time there back then...the exboyfriend introduced me to his high school friend Sonny (whose real name was Wade) but I always called him Sonny...he had a round face and the most beautiful smile. The boyfriend left but I remained friends with Sonny, who lived in Hayward, until he passed away in 1992 right after Megan was born...he drove a Ranchero and said that "back in the day" he'd cruise up and down the strip and get to 100 mpg! I wondered if it was Mission Blvd that I'd just driven down...and smiled, remembering how Sonny taught me how to water ski when I was around 18 or 19...on the Delta and how he'd say the water looked like glass...many years later, he took my kids down to the delta in his boat and showed them how to ride a boogie board. Even his wife knew we were best friends. he loved Hayward and knew where all the local places were...I'll bet he knew about this park too...and he was probably here back in the day...how had I forgotten about that?

I stayed until the music stopped.

I ran into them again last Friday night at the Sports Page right here in Mountain View where I work!

THE MAGICAL, MUSICAL WEEKEND TOUR. It all began Friday night after a long day of work...when I decided to stop in at the Sports Page in Mountain View because the band I'd discovered a week earlier, No Fly List, was playing there...I'd never been to the place before -- tucked in between the Shoreline Amphitheater, the sprawling Google campus and the movie theaters...the bar was colorful, open, festive and fun -- not too many people when I first arrived so I could sit at one of the tables. The band played "I'll Cry Instead" and I loved the Beatles music...figured I'd stay for a little while and then head home to Union City, but then...!!!! I met these two computer programmer guys who knew all the words to the Beatles songs and we danced and sang along to the songs -- then other people showed up and Hey Jude was played three times in one night -- the last time me and all these people swayed with arms on shoulders back and forth singing Hey Jude at the tops of our lungs! GOOD TIMES on a Friday night...desperately needed after a particularly stressful week.