Linda Mac's Orlando Adventures

I should have known that when you attend a Flower Power Concert at EPCOT and the headliners' main claim to fame song is "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" that with my recent luck, there was a good chance I was going to soaked. And... the weather forecasters were predicting rain.

With an "it will blow over" attitude, I headed into EPCOT via the International Gateway for a brief visit on Friday night and arrived just in time to join the queue for the second set (7 PM) of the B.J. Thomas Flower Power Concert. I actually thought the Grass Roots were playing. Guess I need to check the AllEars.Net site a little closer next time :) It was no big deal since I had committed to myself to seeing as many concerts as possible this year as a new Orlando resident. For a weekend show, the crowds seemed smaller then usual. I guess other guests actually paid attention to the weather forecast.

As the concert began, the skies over towards Italy and Germany turned black. Oh well, this is Florida and that is not unusual. The concert show consisted of a total of eight songs and all seemed to well known to a good portion of the audience. Mr. Thomas opened with No Love At All followed by The Eyes of a New York Woman, Most of All, Rock and Roll Lullaby, I Just Can't Help Believing, Hooked on a Feeling, Raindrops Keep Fallin on My Head and his closing song was an amazing version of The Mighty Clouds of Joy.

All of these songs are part of his Greatest Hits CD, which was especially pleasing to me because at a few of the concerts that I have attended this year, the bands have been doing cover songs and finishing with their own hits at the end of the set. During a few of the songs performed by B.J. Thomas, I just closed my eyes and felt like I was transported back in time to days of riding bicycles and my first car, date, etc. It was magical. The voices of many of the artists sound just the same as they did 30 to 40 years ago.

Unlike several of the recent Flowers Power Concert performers, this show was all about the music. Not to say that B.J. Thomas did not interact with the crowd because he did. He even semi-posed for a picture in the middle of a song when I went to the front and kneeled down to get a good shot. Some the past groups that I have been lucky enough to see this year, especially Paul Revere and the Raiders tossed in alot of comedy and talked about the old times which is OK but when they referred to the fans as grandparents, hmmm. I can do without being reminded of my age, thank you very much.

After the concert with the skies still threatning, I headed over to Japan to do a little shopping at Mitsukoshi Department Store in search of Lucky Cats for a good friend. While in the store, I was so surprised how popular the Oyster Pearl counter was. Maybe I am missing something here but the cost is $14.95 an oyster. Having lived in Florida for over 20 years, I prefer my oysters by the dozen and on crackers with some lemon, hot sauce and maybe some fresh horseradish.

Needless to say when I came out of the store, it was raining. Ok, I loved the irony of the whole raindrops are falling on my head thing. But, by the time I reached the International Gateway, the sky opened up. I did my best imitation of a marathon runner heading for the Beach Club. By the time I hit the top of bridge where you can go towards the Boardwalk Resort or go straight, I was winded. But as the Disney magic would have it, I happened by 3 woman in their 30-40’s who were as wet as I was. They were jumping in the puddles and laughing so hard that I did not even care anymore that I was soaked to the skin. Sometimes the simple pleasures come from watching other guests having magical times.

The moral of the story is, do listen to the weather forecasters because sometimes they get it right and a rain poncho hanging in your closet may work out better if kept in your car or backpack!

On a final note, if you hear thunder or see any lightning, even in the distance, please take cover and don’t try and make a run for it. They don’t call Florida the Lightning Capital of the World for nothing. Safety first.