I Think The Pregame Brunch Had Some Guys Called "The Tumbling Rocks"

I read tonight that Earth, Wind & Fire is playing Red Rocks this September. That made me think of the moment when I realized how different working in the NFL was from any other job I'd ever had.

January 1998. Pat Bowlen was incredibly generous and paid to fly every team employee and a guest out to San Diego for Super Bowl XXXII, and Danelle and I were having a great time going to various events.

One night the NFL took over Sea World for a private party. Learning that was impressive, but not "the moment" -- I'd been to Six Flags Over Texas for something similar before through a conference Danelle's brother attended, so I already knew theme parks did that sort of stuff for organizations with deep pockets. Pretty clever alternate revenue stream, actually.

"The moment" came while we were waiting in a buffet line inside a ginormous hospitality tent. There was a band playing, and I commented to Danelle that they were doing a really good cover of "Boogie Wonderland."

We asked the 20-something server behind the table who the band was, and she mumbled disinterestedly, "I dunno. Dirt, Water & Air or something."

Yep, it was Earth, Wind & Fire. Just sort of playing in the background while people hit the carving station.

I don't know why that surprised me so much, but it did. It just never occurred to me that the National Football League simply doesn't DO cover bands. From that moment on, I understood that I was quite literally operating in a different league than I'd been used to.

I might just go catch Philip Bailey and the boys again in a couple of months, if I can confirm the presence of a pasta bar.