When You Wake Up in the Morning ...

I've been wanting to write this story for a while, and I'm pretty sure I haven't done it yet.

It was a previous year at Jazzfest. I think it was 2003 or 2004. I was still Meters-crazy and I ended up going to many many George shows, which were mainly Meters cover-bands. I saw George, Russell, Brian, and so and so. George, Stanton, and 2 others, The Funky Meters, George Russell, and some others, George, June, ... Etc, etc, etc.

I remember loving every show, but realized later I overdid a little. I couldn't help myself. I mean, it was only 1 of what, 3-7 shows in one night after all. I think over the 2 weeks I probably got at least 8 George shows, as a wild guess.

Anyway, what I really remember was every single one of those shows George sang "When you wake up in the morning, before you eat your breakfast, you gotta get down, down, down" I got back from Jazzfest and that song infiltrated my entire being. I found myself with an enormous urge to get down every morning before having my breakfast, which is usually after I get to work. I didn't have that song, but I did have "Papa Was a Rolling Stone".

I remembered how we had a dry spell of The Funky Meters after having them in NYC often enough for me. I saw they were playing at the 930 Club and I took a road trip to visit relatives and hit the show. That show was awesome. The crowd was so into it! I remember when they broke out "Papa Was a Rolling Stone", the crowd started singing the chorus before the band started singing. George was pumped about that. It was a great moment for me. In that same show later, the crowd voluntarily and on their own did the Fiyo on the Bayo thing, something New Yorkers stopped doing after Tramps closed.

Anyway, I ended up putting "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" every morning for 2 weeks and getting down before eating my breakfast until I got it out of my system. It was a fun post-jazzfest time.