The history of the Vagodas reunion tour is well documented and will soon elevate Poughkeepsie NY to being the cultural center of New York State on August 26, 2023 at the Revel32. The audacious idea to produce an immense amount of good vibes while focusing that energy on the alumni of John Jay (and anyone else from Dutches County NY) has taken root. The groundswell of positivity has the Vagodas riding a wave like no band in the history of Dutches County.
The majority of the Vagoda resurgence has taken place through connecting and sharing ideas/content on social media platforms. This is an incredibly efficient way to quickly reach a large audience, but doesn’t come close to replicating the value of actually being with people to feel their sentiment.
On a recent trip to Fishkill NY I stumbled across the chance to really get a first hand sense for whether or not the positive energy being created by the Vagodas is real. The great Dutchess County band Circle 65 was playing at a classic John Jay alumni hangout called the White House in Fishkill NY. My wife Paige (John Jay class of 89) and I made a plan to slip into the show with as little fanfare as possible to see what we could discover.
The first impression was we were in a highly packed space of people that we didn’t know or recognize. Had Fishkill changed so much that not a single John Jay alumni was in attendance for this stellar rock show? That became an immediate concern because if true, did that mean that the Vagoda good vibes only existed on social media? We had to discover more.
We slowly made our way through the packed crowd to get closer to where Circle 65 was playing. If we could get closer to the band then we would have a better vantage point from which to locate the John Jay alumni. It was a risky move that could have resulted in total failure and an early exit from the White House, but we had to take that chance.
The moment that everything changed was when I made eye contact with Vinny Troy - the great lead singer/guitar player of Circle 65 and John Jay alumni. Even though we hadn’t seen each other in many years the recognition was immediate leading to a fist bump from the stage and audible recognition through his microphone.
The domino effect from this interaction was immediate and impactful. Suddenly Paige and I were surrounded by folks like Kim and Mike Gillespie, Guy and Deanna Caffrey, Bill and Brian Sohan, Scott Classey, and Joe Schmid. The high-fives, hugs, and clinking of drinks were non-stop! Top of mind for everyone that I spent time with that night was the upcoming Vagoda Reunion show on August 26. The gratitude expressed for pulling together such an event was genuine.
Most importantly for me the positive perception that I had for what the Vagodas were trying to pull together was validated in real life. The experience from the White House that night elevated my conviction that the Vagodas had been called upon once more to pull people together spreading peace, love, and good vibes.
And if the sample size from the John Jay alumni at the White House that night is an indication of what’s to come, then the Vagodas Reunion show at the Revel32 in Poughkeepsie NY on August 26 could once again demonstrate how the most important band to come out of Dutchess County NY can change the trajectory of history for the better.
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