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My first – and last – visit to the “Herd Rock Band Bracket”

Posted By Jeff McDonald On In art & entertainment,music | 1 Comment

Wednesday evening is ‘church night’ for some of us, and you’ll find me attending “The Gathering” at First Prez-Midland each Wednesday night, enjoying a shared meal, fellowship and a variety of activities … sometimes choir practice, sometimes Bible study, sometimes a worship service … and sometimes, an intense discussion of contenders for the title “Best Rock Band” … e-vuh!

I think it was Greg Pysh – who heads music ministry at FPC-M, and is an adjunct professor of music at Midland College – who raised the topic of “The Herd Rock Band Bracket [1]” where, we are told “Colin Cowherd and The Herd with Colin Cowherd staff need your help crowning the best rock band.” There were a number of us who had listened to at least a little rock over the years – many of us spinning 45s on a turntable, way back when – and we soon had the liveliest table talk in the fellowship hall.

Hmmmm … what WOULD Jesus listen to?

This morning, I finally got around to visiting the bracket’s website [1], and started ticking-off my votes in each of the 32 match-ups. Some were pretty easy … I picked the Rolling Stones [2] over Blink 182 [3], and U2 [4] over Korn [5]. Others were harder… well, at least for me, they were … I had a hard time deciding between The Jimi Hendrix Experience [6], which opened my eyes to new paths that rock might take, and Electric Light Orchestra [7], which produced my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE cover of “Roll Over, Beethoven.”

So far, so good … until I had gotten to the end of the selections and realized that MY personal favorite rock band – Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band [8] – was missing from the list. What the … ?!?!?!

Let me explain why this upset me … I don’t necessarily think they would win the contest. I mean, look at the four #1 seeds … the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, U2, Led Zeppelin … all of whom I consider strong – or stronger – contenders. I guess what upset me the most was that Springsteen’s band didn’t even make it into the initial field of 64 …

It ain’t right, man!

And that’s why I’ve paid my first – and last – visit to the “Herd Rock Band Bracket.”

Jeff McDonald [11]

There's a saying around here, something like, "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could!" That's me. I'm a 'dang Yankee from back-east' who settled in the Lone Star State after some extended stays in the eastern U.S., and New Mexico. I worked as an archaeologist for a few years before dusting off my second major in English, and embarking on a 25-year career in journalism. Since then, I've embraced the dark side of the force, and now work in PR for a community college in Midland, Texas.

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