Belated birthday concert is Wesleyan Village resident's wish

ELYRIA — The Wesleyan Village assisted living facility was rocking on Tuesday for a belated birthday show. Clockwork, a Led Zeppelin cover band from Lakewood, put on the concert for resident Dave Fries, who turned 82 on Aug. 17. "It's pretty amazing," Fries said. "I didn't have any idea they were gonna go to this extent." The concert was organized by Crossroads Hospice, specifically hospice social worker Amy Montgomery, who meets with Fries multiple times a month. Montgomery organized the concert through Crossroads' Gift of a Day program. "It's kind of like Make-a-Wish but our own, and (Fries) really wanted Led Zeppelin," Montgomery said. "I fortunately knew a band who played Led Zeppelin so here we are. … It means so much, it warms my heart." Before his retirement, Fries said that he was a traveling salesman who drove across the eastern U.S. and that music was a huge part of his life throughout that time. "I had accounts in Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania and I covered them all by car. It was a wonderful time," Fries said. "… I'm driving all over and I had a great time. Music was a big part of it because it breaks the monotony when you're driving four or five hours at a time." Clockwork bassist Freddy Hill said that to him there is no purpose in playing music if you aren't sharing it, and sharing it with an invested audience is even more special. "When you have an audience who isn't there to just sit at a bar and drink, they're really there to pay attention, it just makes it so much more worthwhile," Hill said. "This is one of those gigs I'll remember for a long time, because (Fries) was just so grateful, it just makes the whole experience that much better for everybody." The turnout at the concert was one of the largest Gift of a Day projects that Crossroads has done, Montgomery said, and Fries said he was happy to share his day and his favorite music. Fries said that his favorite band is either Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd and he had great memories with every song that was played. "That's the thing about music," Fries said. "You're feeling down or put-upon or something, you get in the car and turn on the car radio and boom, all of a sudden you're raising up several notches." Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.