Hello Pittsburgh and everywhere else, welcome to the birdcage at 100.7 WXXP, Pittsburgh's station that Dares to be Different. It's taken me a few days to recover from the weekend I spent in the Steel City. We'll have all season to discuss the Rangers so I'm going to attempt to describe what took place on October 7th and 8th, 2005 at the Rex Theatre in Pittsburgh for the WXXP reunion.

Friday was a traveling day and after getting the kids off to school my wife and I headed off to the airport. We arrived in Pittsburgh on time but an accident delayed our arrival at the hotel. I made it to the Rex in time for soundcheck with the band and then we went off to dinner. At this point it was still such a blur that what was happening and what was about to happen didn't set in yet. You should know that former Double X jock, Cris Winter along with her husband Ron had worked tirelessly to set this whole thing up and Rod Schwartz, the bass player from the Eleventh Hour had extended himself in setting up the band Generation Double X, it's playlist and practices in addition to all the other things he did. They had practiced countless hours to cover over 50 WXXP faves. Their work will never be forgotten by anyone who was a part of this and I wish to thank them for all they did.

After dinner we went back to the Rex and I can't tell you how much fun it was to see all the former WXXP DJs. Deb Brady had flown in from California, others had come in from NY and elsewhere. I couldn't believe I was about to do a show with these people whom I had come to love so much. Phil Kirzyc, Garrett Hart, Deb Brady, Bob Studebaker, Deej, Paul Cramer, Darren Smith, Dave Reedy and of course Cris Winter were people who I had not seen for nearly twenty years and yet when asked, they all found a way to show up. Sure, it was for charity but I think we all kinda knew that what had happened at WXXP was part of the history of the Pittsburgh music scene. It was quite humbling to see all the people who showed up to be a part of this event. The listeners had not forgotten the station nor the bands that we helped to support.

At 8pm the Affordable Floors took the stage to a packed house. I of course grabbed a beer as I watched and interacted with my former co-workers as well as listeners who had traveled from places like Jacksonville FL, NY and Virginia. Just like the old days, The Floors did not disappoint. Just to the right of the stage was a huge picture of Harry the Wire, a DJ who had passed away. He had played a big part in the WXXP music scene.

After the Floors set ended, the Double X DJs gathered at the side of the stage and Generation Double X began their opening number. I hadn't been on a stage since a WLIR thing I had done about 4 years earlier when Howard Jones played at the Vanderbuilt on Long Island. Man was this exciting. Each of us were introduced and again, I can't really explain just how cool it was to be on a stage with these people, in that theatre, in Pittsburgh. It was kind of a "you had to be there" thing. After we were intro'd to the audience the band kicked into the Ramones' Do You Remember Rock & Roll Radio. From there on in it was hit after hit with many of Pittsburgh's best musicians taking the stage for different numbers.

I was already exhausted and had lost my voice early in the night. Somewhere around one AM I took the stage and performed U2's I Will Follow. It's hard for me to describe just how much fun that was. After watching some of the great performances during the night I was sure I had no business getting up there and I need to express my gratitude to Rod and the other musicians who allowed me to do it. Nearly spent, exhausted and filled with beer, my wife and I were taken back to the hotel for some much needed rest.

The following morning I woke up and went down to the lobby for a smoke. I walked outside and looked around. I have no problem admitting that I became overcome with emotion. I was in Pittsburgh, a place that welcomed me so many years before. It was my home for nearly two years. There is something uniquely American about this place. The people are warm, hard working and they had adopted me as one of their own. My wife was beginning to see the same thing. She had been treated like a friend by so many the night before and it touched her. I began to think back on those days in the 80's.....I was young and couldn't fully appreciate what was happening. I mean for me it was my job. It all happened so quick and it was only years later that I began to realize just how special those years were. It was all hitting me now and as I wiped a tear from my eye I felt like one of the luckiest people on the planet. I was in the right place at the right time and completely honored to have been a part of it. The other jocks had expressed similar feelings the night before. I think I can say that all the jocks were pleasently surprised at the amount of people who showed up to remember WXXP along with the bands.

Now I should mention that I was lucky to have made some lifelong friends in Pittsburgh and while it may not be fair to single people out I do feel the need to mention Duncan and his wife Sara as well as Judy and Doug Smith. Duncan and Sara came to the hotel and took us on a little tour of some of the old places I used to hang out at. While there have been many changes in the last twenty years, so much remains just as I remembered it. Duncan took me to my old apartment in Shadyside. Wow, I was blown away. We then had lunch at the Elbow Room, a place I was a regular at for both food and libations. It was around the block from where I lived. If that wasn't enough of an emotional trip.....we then headed into Millvale. The old WXXP studios are now gone but the old door was there and sure enough, it was unlocked so I just had to go up those stairs again and did. That area had been flooded by Hurricane Frances, the same storm that pounded me here in Florida a year before. Duncan returned us to the hotel as we needed to prepare for one more show. It was hard to believe that we were going to do this again.

Judy and Doug picked us up and we had dinner at a great Japanese place right across from the Rex giving us a chance to catch up a bit. While I had many good friends in this city, Judy and Duncan were my best friends. We had stayed in touch and saw each other a few times over the years and it's always great to spend time with such wonderful people. My wife now understands why I speak of my time there with such fondness. After a great meal we crossed the street back to the Rex to catch the Floors set.

While I was a fan of many of the different bands we got to work with back in the day, I have a special place in my heart for the S.P.U.D.S. (Special People Under Doctors Supervision) and it was great to see some of those guys. I also believed that a band called the Sponges had a shot at the bigtime. Their lead singer Chris Theoret now runs the Rex theatre and seeing him was only surpassed by watching him perform again. What a great voice. I'm right now listening to a CD he gave me where he fronts a band called LEON. It's an excellent recording so I guess I'm still a fan. It's fair to say that all the musicians who performed did so at a high level. The crowd obviously agreed with me as they sold the place out both nights and reacted to each and every song.

I had asked to sing my song a little earlier than the night before as we needed to catch a ride to the airport for an early flight back to Florida, I knew I would miss my little girls so we had scheduled the return to allow for us to have part of a day with them. I took the stage and spit out a rather weak vocal effort as I was pretty spent at this point but the crowd was energizing. I managed to blow the lyrics on the third verse which was disappointing to me but I still had more fun than a human being should be allowed to have. It may not have been the best version of I Will Follow but I'll remember it for the rest of my life. Of course, getting to spend some time talking to my former co-workers made it a night for the ages. Physically and emotionally drained, we left a little early to try and grab a four hour nap before leaving for the airport.

I'm not sure what the best part of this weekend was. Seeing and talking to the Double X personnel and old friends, seeing the musicians perform again and spending some time with the people who listened to WXXP and supported us were all individually wondrous aspects but when combined together, I'm not sure I can really put it into words. I'm so thankful to Cris and Rod for inviting me back, making sure my wife and I had everything we needed and making our trip pretty much perfect.

I was sad to leave Pittsburgh, I wanted our stay to last much longer as I was reminded why I loved the city so much years earlier. It wasn't just the station, it wasn't just the people I worked with or my many friends. It wasn't just the brilliant music scene that had developed. It was all of that plus the people of the city and it's surrounding areas. To all of those who were involved, performed or attended I want to thank you for making me feel all the emotions I did and thanks for making my wife feel the same way. By the way, we raised money for charity making the whole thing an even better experience.

Thank you Pittsburgh for still "Daring to be Different" even twenty years later.

More pictures and some video can be found here.

You can read or join our messageboards and a WXXP discussion can be found here.

To send me email, use this address. DJBird@hockeybird.com I try and respond to all of them.

----}- Bird

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