With a smile, Mike McDowell Sr. recalls his wife stomping on the floor in attempts to silence their son’s drumming.
Several decades later, the 92-year-old was one of hundreds of fans who watched that same son play a rock concert.
In between songs, Mike McDowell Jr. mused to ThoroldNews, “Dad used to flash the lights to get us to shut up, too.”
The musician was drumming up a storm at Holy Rosary Hall Saturday night, joined by members of the local bands Vertigo and The Stickman Band, as well as country musician, Marty Allen.
Singers from all three bands kicked off the show with a powerful vocal performance of the Eagles’ Seven Bridges Road, before branching off and taking turns playing in their individual diverse groups.
Dubbed “Three-headed monster,” the energetic event featured a wide range of cover tunes from the three bands—from Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison to Ozzy Osbourne’s Iron Man, to the Rolling Stones’ nostalgic 19th Nervous Breakdown.
“There’s something for everyone,” said McDowell; “rock, country and funk. It’s a Thorold reunion. The core of the crowd is Thorold, and that’s part of the reason why people came.”