All the tunes and songs that were so familiar for so many years came to life that night in the Amarillo Civic Center. No pyrotechnics, no special effects, just good 'ol down to earth rock done right and done loud. Mark played and sounded like he was on fire, Don played like a man possessed, and Mel held down the bass lines like never before. No album, no live recording could have touched the electricity that was flying that night.

   I would have never guessed GFR had been playing these songs for years. They sounded fresh, new, and great! I felt 20 years younger...and they played like teenagers! Grand Funk Railroad was a great band years ago, and now they are legend. Rightfully so...

   After the last song faded into memory, my night wasn't over. I was invited backstage and had the chance to meet Mark and Don. You think they act like legends? Absolutely not! These guys acted like we had just listened to them in their garage! Smiles, laughs, and stories were everywhere! I could tell they enjoyed being around us as much as we enjoyed meeting them. Mark and Don took all the time we, their fans, wanted. They signed everything we offered and posed for pictures and answered questions they've heard a thousand times before...just like we were the first fans they had ever met!

   I'll remember backstage even more than the show. Some of my own friends don't act as friendly to me as Mark and Don did. Even though I didn't get a chance to meet him, I'm sure Mel is the same way!

   I was a giant fan of GFR before, and now I know they deserve every accolade they ever received. Without a doubt, Grand Funk Railroad is the greatest band to ever step on a stage. And the guys that make up that band are the heart and soul of what rock ought to be. Here's to Grand Funk...the American band.

Tim Kenney

Amarillo, Texas

I heard through a TV ad that GFR was going to play in Amarillo only days before the concert. I jumped on the chance to go, although I was afraid the event would be sold out. Hey, this was GFR! But, luckily, there were seats still available. My wife, bless her heart, is a country/western fan and had no idea who GFR was (she does now!) but she knew that I really wanted to go. So a few hours before the concert, I hit my favorite "watering hole" for dinner. As it got closer to time to go to the concert, I got really excited! GFR! LIVE! Man, I was pumped...

I got to the Civic Center and found my seat. I saw my boss and his wife and talked to them shortly. I also saw a bunch of people in really cool t-shirts. This would be the Roadkillers. Not knowing any of them, I didn't say anything...(big mistake!) I went back upstairs and bought some GFR stuff. I came across a table getting signatures for a petition to get GFR into the Rock Hall of Fame. I was stunned they weren't in it yet so I signed the petition right away!

I went back to my seat and the seat next to me was occupied by a really nice guy from Georgia (?) who was in town for business and had run into Howard Eddy at a local hotel. This dude not only had gotten a free ticket but he had a backstage pass! I made friends real quick with this dude! He said he could take one person back with him when he went backstage! I started "lobbying" to be that person. 

But the guy had other ideas. Female ideas. Out of town from his wife and kids and gonna play around ideas...but I didn't know that at the time. We talked about GFR and the Internet before the opening act came on. As the concert wound down, he basically disappeared...after finding a willing female who was impressed by his backstage pass. 

Now, I'm not one to give up very easy when I want something...and I wanted to get backstage. I went and found him and told him I was going to go with he and his new girlfriend backstage one way or the other!

Well, I got backstage, met Don and Mark and spent about 30 minutes hanging with two of the greatest rock stars ever...