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On Tuesday July 13, I decided to drive 200 miles by myself up to the Poconos. Penn's Peak, to be precise, in Jim Thorpe, PA. Since most of my friends have "real jobs" and/or "kids" they could not make the 3+ hour trip on a weekday, and I considered staying home myself. Then David Lynam posted a clip of his band performing a few nights earlier and I was reminded why I wanted to make this trip in the first place. This would be my 4th Cinderella concert so far this year, but I really went to see Lynam for the 3rd time this year. Their set outside the Hard Rock Cafe the week before was way too short and left me wanting more.

Mark, Jacob and David Lynam are some of the most talented & entertaining musicians you will find. Even more than that, they are completely down to earth and genuinely appreciate playing for and meeting their fans. They were the last ones kicked out of the building as they shut the place down hanging with fans at their merch table, signing autographs and taking every picture requested. They also put on the best show I have seen them do. Their last two albums, Slave To The Machine and Tragic City Symphony are two must-haves. Take a listen at http://lynammusic.com/ to see for yourself. On stage, they are musicians, comedians and performers. You could spend the entire show watching the drummer, David, and be entertained. The same goes for their entire road crew. If you ever get a chance to meet any of them, you will thoroughly enjoy it. I honestly think the major reason I made the trip was to hang with Lynam's crew, and the shows were a bonus.

Cinderella also put on the best show I have seen from them this year. I saw them headline in Philadelphia at the beginning of their comeback tour, then at the Rocklahoma and M3 Festivals. Festivals are always tricky with the sound not always being the best for various reasons. Headlining a club like Penn's Peak allowed them to have their full stage setup and time to get the sound right. This venue is beautiful and has many concerts throughout the year, so it is well worth building a mini-vacation around. The food there is amazing, as most food in Pennsylvania is. The restaurant is upstairs and has indoor and outdoor seating overlooking the mountains. Breathtaking. Back to the band. They were clearly in great form, cruising through their set of hits off the first 3 albums, enjoying each other, engaging the audience and generally having a great time. Cinderella is one of the only bands to have always had the same lineup, and their tightness and skill shows. They all sing beautifully and deliver some of the greatest rock songs ever written.

Justus Steel challenged me to out-song-title him in this review, so I will now sum up my trip home with horrible puns based on Cinderella tunes.

Even though it was close to midnight it All Comes Down to choices, and I decided I was Coming Home. It was Hard To Find The Words to say goodbye, but Talk Is Cheap so I just told Lynam's crew to "Make Your Own Way back to Alabama". I was headed east down the Gypsy Road to I-95 where The Road's Still Long but well lit, and at this hour, I should be Freewheelin' it home in no time. In fact, I should be in bed while the Lynam tour bus was Still Climbing the mountain in West Virginia. The More Things Change, the more they stay the same - you think there is no traffic late at night, but then you hit construction. I ended up driving Through The Rain and I sure hoped the Winds Of Change would blow the storm past so I-95 would not become Dead Man's Road. I stopped at the new Delaware House so it could Shelter Me from the storm and get me In From The Outside. It became Heartbreak Station for me, as it was Easy Come Easy Go at that hour, the fast food was closed, I couldn't get Nothin' For Nothin' so I got back on the road, a little Hot And Bothered and driving like Hell On Wheels. I cranked up some fast Night Songs to keep me awake but the winds began to Shake Me and I yelled "Somebody Save Me from this weather!". Some people pulled over but I am Nobody's Fool, I've been more than Once Around The Ride, and I decided to Push Push my way through the rain. I was getting sleepy and started to wonder if androids had Electric Love, and if their Love Gone Bad, would they do a Bad Attitude Shuffle and get over it, or get violent to where Love's Got Me Doin' Time? I heard that if you chew gum you can't fall asleep so I chewed some Fire And Ice and eventually I got my Second Wind. Instead of Fallin' Apart At The Seams, I could see The Last Mile up ahead. Finally I was Back Home Again, safe and sound yet a little bit Sick For The Cure that only sleep could bring. That sure was One For Rock and Roll. If You Don't Like It, Take Me Back to the Poconos next Long Cold Winter, because you Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone) and you can't get Blood From A Stone.

Challenge accepted! Challenge met! All 42 of Cinderella's songs in one semi-coherent paragraph.