Originally Posted by
steelerstwin
I saw, although I did not talk to Maria Elena Holly, when she first attended the Winter Dance Party back in the early 1990's at the Surf Ballroom. Immediately the vibe in the room changed. Prior to that it was fun... drinking, music, dancing, talking with people, moving around the ballroom (which is fairly cavernous). When she spoke it was very, very clear that what she was experiencing wasn't what the rest of us were feeling. To us, it was a great party, but to her, she was visiting a haunted palace, the last building Buddy and company performed in before crashing into the earth a few minutes and a few miles away.
It was difficult for her to maintain her composure. Suddenly I realized that everyone views things like this from very different angles. The same thing occurred when I saw Waylon Jennings perform on the Surf stage. He was positively shell-shocked. He came out to a rousing ovation, waited 'till things quieted down and then, holding back tears, he said, "This is the first time I've been here since that night. And that's all I'm gonna say." It was positively chilling.
I have never been back to the Winter Dance Party. It has a whole new meaning to me after these encounters. I certainly don't criticize anyone else for enjoying the music and memories - in fact, I'd encourage anyone to experience the wonders of the Surf... it's a magic place. But for me, the Winter Dance Party reunions beckon the memories not of music, but of mangled bodies on a cold, dark winter's night, the screams of panic as that plane fell from the skies, the death of youthful potential, and the haunting images of shell-shocked and shattered lives left behind.
I'm not sure about the financial hassles and lawsuits, etc., I just know that the Maria Elena Holly that I saw that night was overwhelmed, and pretty quickly, with the whole thing at the Surf. She was not prepared for the flood of memories and it hit her like a ton of bricks in front of two thousand partiers. How could she have possibly related the horror and white-knuckle panic she was experiencing, while trying not to ruin everyone else's good time?