Freeman displays latest piano Caddy

Bobby Freeman brought his bright yellow, fire-breathing, rock ’n roll Cadillac to Carson City Friday, the first state capital in a 50-state tour and more.

Freeman, an old school rock ‘n roll recording artist and a friend of Garth Richards, trucked his off-the-wall and above-the-street creation into Richards’ Silver Oak Golf Club and Executive Conference Center parking lot. It was there about noon for a show-and-tell session to delight Richards and some friends.

Friday night and today, the performer was taking it up to show off for crowds at South Lake Tahoe, and then planned to head on to the Hot August Nights event in Reno. Freeman said the showpiece piano Caddy was a tribute to military service veterans and is a way to let post-1950s and 60s generations capture the flavor of America’s rock ‘n roll era.

“Our children need to see and hear what it was like when we were growing up,” he said after playing the piano in the topless Caddy, which is bedecked with keyboard and mega-speakers. “It’s about America and us growing up. It’s a major league deal.”

Called the Spirit of America, the car makes no political statement in Freeman’s view. He said it’s an entertaining way to recapture the time when cars and music made mobility the rage on the road or dance floor. He belted out a few songs from the car, then climbed down and let the speakers continue offering up a selection of recorded music.

He said when he plays “Great Balls Afire,” the mega-hit from Jerry Lee Lewis, fire shoots out of the Caddy. On a lift system, the car slowly swirls 360 degrees as it goes up and down during a mobile performance.

Freeman and Richards, who has vintage cars and a memorabilia collection, came up with the first version. The latest upgrade is more complex and Freeman intends to take it to all 50 state capital cities and Washington, D.C, He said eventually, he intends to take it on tour worldwide.