How many times have I heard it — hell, how many times have I said it? — “Springfield
sucks.” The notion keeps creeping, seeping into my brain, trying to poison it
with the truth, that the Springfield music scene isn’t what it could be — and
may never be. Some things you can do something about and others, well, you know
the old grin-and-bear-it saying, or the one about wishing in one hand . . .
But my deep, abiding, and unrequited love for my hometown won’t allow me to succumb to cynicism. So here, in time for a new year, is my wish list for good ol’ Springburg:
• A downtown all-night eatery — one thatserves breakfast and other delights for partially inebriated late-night revelers and anyone who’s hungry and not looking for a fight. Ever since the demise of Mr. Ted’s, late-nighters have been lost in the wilderness, trying to find a nice, dumpy, cool greasy spoon to love and complain about. The chains on the fringes of town are good in a pinch, but how can Springdale grow and prosper without a decent downtown all-night café?
• An all-ages venue, allowing young and old to enjoy music together without smoke, booze, and zoning ordinances getting in the way. I just can’t — in fact, I refuse to believe — that Springville cannot, will not, and does not make this often-discussed idea a simple reality.
• A few decent-quality acts at the Grandstand during the annual Illinois State Fair. It has happened before, and other states do it all the time, so I believe in the possibility. Come on, Governorevich, get your Elvis on, please. Remember: People do buy tickets to shows they want to see, and Illinois does like governors who party well.
• A nightclub that caters to a live music-loving audience. Wouldn’t it be nice to have one venue in Springton where the stage is in the middle of the room, that has a nice PA and lights, that books and promotes interesting traveling bands several nights a week? By the way, thanks to all the clubs that do the best they can with what they have.
• And last but far from least, an appreciative and adventurous audience willing to pay the price of seeing a Hollywood movie to watch a live-music act that they may never have heard before that may be playing unfamiliar music — an audience with the necessary courage to stay up past 10 p.m. for an opportunity that could result in either happiness or disappointment.
And with that, I say, if Springpatch sucks, so do we.
This article appears in Dec 30, 2004 – Jan 5, 2005.
