The Jackson Five, Lionel Richie, the Commodores and Me

As Tito and Jermaine Jackson, the brand opening guitar riffs and little Michael Jackson played wailed:

"Ooooh, yeahh, you now let me ...,"

the opening lyrics of their hit Motown song "I Want You Back", my 13-year-old next door neighbor, Traci and I thought we'd lost our youthful minds. It was formed in 1971 to a big concert at Veteran's Memorial in Columbus, Ohio.

With backup from his beautiful brothers, scary old-soul, 12-year-old Michael Jackson singing gum-loveSongs, as if his heart was broken a thousand times. Traci and I spent the rest of the whole concert was standing on our seats, screaming like crazy.

I remember the warm-up group, although in any case, men had become. I could never forget their names, because in the third stage patter between songs that are worth mentioning Lionel Richie:

"We are the Commodores!" 25-times available. He tried to leave an impression.

They were good, playing many familiar melodies that do nottheir own, were yet on the original material, write hits. This was already "Miss Brick House" and "Easy" and "Sail On" and so, above all, Lionel Richie and The Commodores shamelessly made famous in the coming years.

But then they have a lot of what sounded like generic danceable funk. I remember, "Large Group", but I had never seen before. But Lionel definitely stood out - tall and thin, square shoulders and easily with a huge afro skin - he alternatelyto play saxophone and sing between the leadership of a strong, edgy country and rhythm and blues influenced tenor.

Although he seemed nice, I only remember that a much talked between her songs, Lionel was a hell of a lot. Traci and I slid into our seats and after a while, all I heard was blah, blah, blah. Nice looking, good music, but we move on.

"We want to see the Jackson Five!" shouted one young girl rude and impatient.

"This is not the last of theCommodores! "I heard Lionel call after the last song.

"Get off the stage!" cried a brash young man, fist pumping the air.

"We love you, Columbus!" shouted an almost unshakable Lionel.

"WE WANT MICHAEL JACKSON!" was the explosive piercing scream my friend Traci, who had, to my surprise to properly stand in their place, absolutely shrill.

"Coming up is The Jackson Five. You have a large audience was - and WE" RE the Commodores! "Lionel hasIn his last plug.

I remember laughing, he was so steadfast. And then they were gone, and frankly I thought that the last thing I had ever seen from them.