Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp is an event where ordinary folks (who put up a nice piece of change for the privelege) study and jam with some of the biggest names in music for a few days, and then put on a show. This is for adults, not kids. The Ides/Peterik "Family" is well represented by having such favorites as Kelly Keagy and Kip Winger on the staff. (Our own JP is always asked, but it's been hard to fit in his schedule). This past week PAUL STANLEY from KISS chose a bunch of timeless Rock tunes by the Stones, Cream, Bad Company, Grand Funk, and of course, KISS; but the video that has been making waves on You Tube is Paul and his "student" band performing...VEHICLE! Paul Stanley has featured this clip front and center on his website, as well. Click on the photo of Paul below to view the clip.......Thanks Paul!

PaulStanley.com
RockandRollFantasyCamp.com

JP & Foghat Rip It Up!!!

Recently Jim Peterik was invited to join the guys of Foghat on stage to play their mega hit "I Just Wanna Make Love To You" Jim wants to thank all the guys of Foghat, their crew and RC McWilliams for making it happen.............

World Stage 2007

This years World Stage Event was once again an amazing thing to witness. There was so much going on that we can not do it justice with only one update. Therefore we will be presenting this years event in a couple of installments.

We have a LOT of great photos to share of this event and have split them up into different sections. Just click the links below to veiw them all.

Rehearsal Photos
by Paul Braun

Backstage Photos
by Roy Ferrer

Concert Photos
by Roy Ferrer

Backstage Hi-Jinx
by Roy Ferrer

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WORLD STAGE 2007-by Billy James

You can take a trip to Soho in New York, and visit the dank cellars  where experimentalists spin new music from rare thread; or perhaps to  London, the traditional vanguard of trend. Nose around Los Angeles,  ‘Frisco, Austin or Nashville and rummage around the nightclubs-you’ll  pick up a trace of something you’ve not heard before. But to  experience the most radical and outrageous happening in popular  entertainment, you’d have to set your sights on Elgin, Illinois.

Elgin, Illinois?

Yes, Elgin, Illinois; for that is where Jim Peterik’s World Stage  recently touched down for its annual concert. Radical, Outrageous?  Didn’t the show feature stalwarts performing their hits from the 70’s  and 80’s like Rik Emmett from Triumph, Kip Winger, and Kelly Keagy  from Night Ranger? Peterik and the Ides Of March had their first  chart hit in 1966, this is cutting edge?

As in all puzzles, the truth lies beneath the surface. A cynic might  look at the lineup, and the songlist, only to proclaim it as an  oldies show. But why is a World Stage concert peculiarly engrossing?  Why do folks travel cross country just to see this show? How does a  four-hour extravaganza leave an audience not lethargic, but energized  and demanding an encore? What’s the miracle?

The miracle, of course is not a what, but a who. Jim Peterik loves  music. Plain and simple. Yes, he’s had material success, but that’s a  by-product. He doesn’t do it for the glory, or the money, or to pull  chicks, or for any of the other myriad reasons that lesser lights get  into the rock and roll business. He loves to play guitar, piano, and  sing; and especially to write music. It’s the only thing that matters  to him, second only to his family. Here’s where the paradox starts.  Jim is very selfish and demanding, but in a good way. He won’t have  anything to do with anyone who doesn’t share his love of music.  Period. He has no tolerance for phonies or egotists, in a business  where phonies and egotists run rampant. He cares not if you can out- gun him on the guitar, or sing him under the table; in fact, if  you’re that person, he wants you on his team.

His team. That’s what does it. When you collect twenty or thirty  artists that are made of the same precious stuff as Jim Peterik,  magic happens. It’s a coincidence that some of them have sold  millions of records. They stand together with their kindred spirits,  and celebrate music. It sounds rude, but the whole World Stage thing  has little to do with the audience. Jim didn’t plan it that way, but  that’s how it’s happily evolved. They’re playing and singing their  hearts out for each other. The generosity, respect,  and enthusiasm  between the performers is so authentic, that it never tips into self- indulgence. It is at that point, that the thousands sitting in the  seats cease being spectators, and are drawn into the energy onstage.  The line between becomes invisible. Magic is born.

So what if Jeff Boyle hasn’t sold as many records as Rik Emmett? They  share a passion, and a selfless dedication. In Jim Peterik’s world,  that is why they belong on stage together, as do the rest of the cast.

That’s what makes World Stage so outrageous and radical. It’s not  about ego and star power. Everyone who steps into the spotlight is  cheered on by those who have just stepped away, and no one fears  being upstaged. No jealousy, no envy, no ego, no b.s.. The veneer of  the Rock Stars are peeled away, and guess what...there’s good stuff  inside! This freedom bears fruit in outstanding performances.  Everybody can’t wait for the next person to step up. The same  anticipation is shared by both the audience and those onstage. This  is show business in its most pristine and honest form.

This might be the core of Jim Peterik’s genius, and the source of his  remarkably long career. The evils of ego and elitism have never  poisoned his soul, and as such, have left his honest heart unspoiled  to inspire songs which touch our hearts, by the millions. In  marshalling the troops to mount a super-concert like World Stage, he  gives us a brief holiday from our daily grind, which can be cruel and  impersonal.

If only the rest of the World could have the same spirit  as Jim Peterik’s Stage.

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