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The Lifetime and Lifeline of a Band
 The Bob & the Beachcombers band played their first performance on Friday, December 7th, 1986 at the Blainbrook Bowl. Thirty-eight years later I can't believe it went by as quickly as it did. We got off to a great start when Valleyfair agreed to a show and play I had written for the venue, which we called "Beach Party Summer". 
We played four nights each week and two shows per day. At the time, I was pretty impressed with my first ever scripted show and the way it incorporated the band's image and style along with the family fun atmosphere of ValleyFair. We finished the season and left Valleyfair to pursue work throughout Minnesota and the five state area, focusing on corporate parties and small town street dances and city celebrations. I recently surveyed the last 20 years and charted out an interesting couple of graphs showing what our work experiences were like during the years from 2006 - 2025.This data shows two obvious characteristics - COVID-19 in 2020 cut our number of shows by 80%. Our calendar never recovered, but it also reflects the general decline in opportunities to perform, resulting from the aging of the baby boomers generation along with a declining interest in and diminishing popularity of live rock & roll entertainment.
  This graph shows the changes in the entertainment market for Bob & the Beachcombers over the past 14 years, showing the same trends and the same results. And I'm certain that most other cover bands in the Midwest have experienced similar results. Times change and life goes on, but the demand for live entertainment has diminished to where making a living as a musician is no longer a viable career choice. There a few exceptions, of course. Johnny Holm continues to be popular, but he is only averaging 14 show per month in the summer of 2025 and Hairball - the best tribute band in the Midwest - has an average of 12 shows over three months. But it was great fun while it lasted. Thanks for the memories!
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