Saturday night at the Penticton Lakeside Resort, a rock band that formed in Penticton more than a half century ago (!!), then had a brush with international greatness before breaking up for 30-plus years, played its final Okanagan show.
It was loud, it was raucous, and the dance floor was jammed all evening - no small feat considering the average age of all those in attendance was likely north of 60.
And as the night wore on and the drinks kept flowing and the band continued its fast-paced delivery of back-in-the-day covers (Kinks, The Who, ZZ Top, Beatles), the action only intensified. By the second set, the dancers had spilled over into the seating area and anarchy had been achieved.
Though there were no heart attacks as far as anyone could tell, it wasn't for lack of trying.
Guitarist and lead vocalist Jeff Boyne might have been the most energetic of the lot. Arguably the pivotal figure in the band since its formative local days when they were known as Mark IV, Boyne bounces around up there like he's 25 and makes wonderfully anguished guitar god faces when ripping through solos.
No wonder he was sweating like a triathlete when the band walked off stage for its first break of the evening.
Boyne sat down and talked about the early days. About the band's relocation to Vancouver and the excitement of playing the club circuit while trying to score a record deal. And he dropped huge music biz names like David Foster and Bruce Allen - both of whom played roles on Crosstown Bus' first and only LP.
"We had our first single out, and the radio stations said 'That's a drug song...we can't play that," he said between gulps of water. "But you know, it was called "High Grass," so maybe we can't blame them for thinking it was a drug song."
Boyne laughs hard at that, adding, "So we figure now that it's going to be legalized, maybe we'll get some reviews and some label interest." He laughs again.
"But yeah, it was great. It was really exciting. We were Bruce Allen's first act. We thought that was it, that things were going to happen. When you hear your song on the radio..."
"And that was the turning point. We figured we'll work on the second album, which we did. In the meantime, we were moving guys in and out of the band. We had a guy by the name of Blair Thornton (who went on to worldwide fame with Bachman Turner Overdrive) play guitar for us. But BTO wanted him so he went to BTO. Frank Ludwig was playing keyboards for awhile, and he went on to Trooper.
"In '74 I joined a band from Calgary called Hammersmith, and I played with them for a year. We did an album together. But at that point I said to myself, 'Okay I'm 25, what do I want to do?' Do I want to keep doing this and being on the road all the time?"
Boyne decided he'd rather go back to school. In time he became a mechanical engineer. And the music was done.
At least until 2004, when most of the original Bus cast got together during a high school graduation reunion and figured a musical reunion might also be in the cards. They've played together, part time, ever since.
And on Saturday night, Boyne, original bassist Brian Anderson, original drummer Rick Gannon, and keyboardist Deidre La Croix, who boarded the Bus for its second iteration 14 years ago, rocked the joint one last time.
"We're pretty much going to go our own ways for awhile," said Boyne. "We're all turning 69 this year!"
"Rick retired from work last year. Brian is just backing off work. He'll probably be finished at the end of the year. And I retired. I got a place on Vancouver Island, with a view out to Georgia Strait."
In the midst of the second set, Crosstown Bus turned down the guitars and the drums and stood together in the center of the stage. They sang a folk-rock tune they'd written just for this moment called "A Simple Goodbye."
Then the lights went down, and everyone wept and went home sad.
Nah, just kidding. The band launched into another rock and roll anthem, the crowd went nuts, and the party continued.
It was a great night.
