Big Night at Lions Park
Nearly all fields and corners of Lions Park buzzed with activity on Thursday, August 6. Music, championship softball, friends, and neighbors mingled together for general Cary camaraderie at our biggest park on a not-so-hot summer night.
Rescheduled My Weekend Crush Rocked the Bandshell
Providing the soundtrack from the Lions Park Rotary Bandshell was My Weekend Crush. The Chicago band, formerly and generically known as The Local Group, was meant to perform much earlier in the Lions Park Concert Series.
“We are My Weekend Crush, like Coach said…Thank you so much for joining us on our rescheduled date!” lead singer Andrea enthused
Drifted smoke from June’s Canadian wildfires had cancelled their spring slot. The noticeable smoke in the air, and our lungs, would've made outdoor events unsafe.
Children at Organized and Unscheduled Play
The crowd on the hill in front of the band shell was sparse but enthusiastic. No one was more enthusiastic than the group of little girls dancing right in front of the stage.
While the bandshell was rocked, Jr. Trojan football teams practiced on the fields to either side of the hill. At some point, the little dancing girls made a playground of the rock formation next to the bandshell, prompting Andrea to warn, “Hi ladies! Be careful on those rocks!”
Elsewhere in the park, kids clambered over and around the real playground behind the three ballfields. While the Men's Recreational Softball League played their championship games, a few kids started a spontaneous ballgame of their own on the green between the playground and one of the diamonds. No sandlot required here!
Sweet Transitions, Wide Variety
While ballplayers in all directions swung, ran, and kicked, Andrea danced and wrapped her sultry rock alto around a wide variety of genres and eras.
Purring Prince's “Kiss” a good octave lower than the original before segueing intriguingly into The Who's “Mama's Got a Squeezebox”
That smooth transition from late 80s synth pop to 70s country-infused rock was representative of a set list of tunes that had little in common besides the dedication to the creation of a party vibe.
Dealing with Double Meanings Differently?
In a surprising choice, the band chose to self-censor a prominent lyric in their rendition of Elle King's “Ex’s and Oh’s”
“They always wanna come, but they never wanna leave” was swapped for “They always wanna hang, but they never wanna leave”
Given the risqué double meaning of the original wording and the family-friendly atmosphere, the change isn't that unusual. However, it IS strange to alter that while leaving the ‘innn and ooouuuuttt and innn and ooouuuttts’ of “Squeezebox” completely unchanged. Especially since kids are unlikely to understand the naughtiness of either.
The rest of My Weekend Crush's performance ranged wildly in genre, offering hits from The Doobie Brothers, Shania Twain, Dua Lipa, Michael Jackson among many others. The energetic tunes could be heard all the way to three baseball fields where the men's softball teams were swinging away.
Summer Season Champions: Jobu's Rum and Mindtrip!
While My Weekend Crush could still be heard, someone down at the ballfields brought their own music to inspire their teams on the final night of the summer season. Breaking Bats came up to bat to the power chords of Led Zeppelin's Kashmir.
Puny team names like that and Stranger Swings abounded while the Championship gameplay was nothing but serious.
Jobu's Rum, the Cary Ale House-sponsored team with a team name inspired by a running joke in “Major League,” took the Top Bracket Championship. The Lower Bracket Championship winners were Mindtrip.
The excitement of the evening was communal and mutual.
“Yeah, Jobu's Rum!” yelled one Jr Trojan on his way back from practice. “Hey, nice!” one of the ballplayers reacted. “Hear him yell ‘Yeah, Jobu's Rum?!’”
Catch a Game Down at Lions Park This Fall!
The fall softball season is already in full swing. Catch a one-hour game (starting at 6:30) on Thursday nights until October!
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