Let's just call it a Tour-de-Lifeforce. OK?

Good.

Because I'm writing this and I can make all the bad puns I want.

Saugatuck, Michigan's adopted son Jim Peterik brought his LIfeforce band to the Saugatuck Center for the Arts this past Saturday and introduced them to "Jazz that Rocks".

They loved it.

"It was fantastic! The promoter said it was beyond her expectations. When we took that stage, the people were 'in it' from the first note," said Peterik.

"We played two sets. There was an open bar, which made the second set more interesting... Karen [Peterik, Jim's wife] was in the crowd, trying to get a feel for if it was a traditional jazz crowd or if they'd go for us. They really got into our style of music.

"At the end of the second set, we pulled out all the stops and sequed from the smooth jazz version of 'Vehicle" into the full-metal-jacket Ides of March version, and the house got on their feet and went wild!

"They gave us an encore - truthfully, I wasn't expecting one, and frankly we were out of songs. So, I got up to the mic and said, " Thanks, but we don't have any songs left!" Then suddenly a little birdy hit me and I thought 'Why don't we do 'High On You'?'

"So, I started the Ides of March version, and everyone scrambled for their chords. Lisa had sung it many times before, so that helped. It was ragged, but man, it just felt good and it kept the energy level up there. Afterwards, we signed a ton of cd's and photos in the lobby," Jim said.

"Afterwards, we all retired to a place called The White House, which was the only bar still open that served food. Everyone was there partying and we just had a ball. The next morning I was walking around town with some friends and people kept coming up to me telling me how much they enjoyed it - what a great feeling.

"Karen and I have been coming to Saugatuck for years, and I've always wanted to play that venue. It finally happened, and I couldn't be happier," said Peterik.

Meanwhile, JP said that the new radio mix of "Vehicle" done the Lifeforce way is getting a lot of airplay around the country, and you're likely to hear Lifeforce playing in your local AMC movie theatre before the previews start.

Like I said. A Tour-de-Lifeforce.

Ya know, if Jim really applied himself to this music thing, he could probably give up the greeter job at the Berwyn Wal-Mart...


----Paul Braun
Certified Music Junkie