Let’s record an album in quarantine.

I have been a fan of the rock band Dragon for nearly 40 years. It all started when a Melbourne, Australia-based friend shipped me a cassette of their then-current hit “Rain,” along with some of their earlier tracks.

A few years alter, I was blessed to interview several of the band members for a Goldmine magazine profile on the band. And yeah, I’ve even modified my cell phone so that the standard ringtone is the opening riff to “April Sun in Cuba.” If you don’t know of these songs or references, man you’re missing out.

Dragon has continued on over the years, even after the passing of lead singer Marc Hunter in 1998. They still record and perform, mostly doing shows in Australia and New Zealand. They even have an online store, where one can purchase shirts, CD’s, “soundboard concert” recordings and the like. Go here and enjoy.

In January 2021, Dragon traveled to New Zealand for a concert tour. But although Australia and New Zealand had both beaten back the COVID-19 virus, there were still strict quarantine rules for travelers between the two nations. And for Dragon, that meant two weeks in an Auckland hotel for quarantine clearance.

Now there is only so much you can do while in quarantine without going completely mental. Binge-watch some television, read some books, contemplate your existence on this planet. But Dragon turned their experience into a bit of fun. They acquired some recording equipment, took over some hotel rooms, and put together a live stream of their greatest hits.

And it was just released on their store as the Live in Lockdown album.

But, see, I’m going to do you a solid. I’m going to provide you with a link, so you can actually watch the live stream quarantine concert. Consider it the equivalent of an NPR “Tiny Desk” show, if the tiny desk was a hotel room in Lord of the Rings country.

So here’s your chance to experience a Dragon concert in 2021 … Click on this link to watch the show. And enjoy the music I’ve been enjoying for the past 40 years. Really good stuff. Do not argue with me on this.