Staff Reports
STAFF REPORTS
On Nov. 9, 1979 the lights went down in the Rochester War Memorial, filled with smoke and concertgoers holding cigarette lighters in the air. The general admission crowd was there to see the arena rock band Styx in concert.
In the audience was a long-haired 14-year-old from Brighton, N.Y. who marveled at the showmanship of the band and the event itself. That 14-year-old was Thom Jennings, and from that moment on he was hooked on live music.
This year as part of the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal’s coverage of the Molson Canal Concert series, Jennings will be writing reviews for the Sunday edition. Jennings combines his love of writing with his love of music for this assignment. He currently writes a column for our sister paper, the Journal-Register out of Medina.
Jennings is a social studies teacher in Rochester and lives in Albion. Recently one of his students asked him what bands he had seen in concert and Thom filled the white board with the names of over one hundred artists ranging from AC/DC to Loretta Lynn. He has seen Todd Rundgren in concert over 75 times.
This year’s concert series includes bands that Jennings has seen in the 1980s as well as bands that he has listened to for years during the 17 years he was a mobile disc jockey. Look for Jennings at the concerts and feel free to tell him what you think of the show.
