You Know They Got a Hell of a Band

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"You Know They Got a Hell of a Band" is a short story by Stephen King. It was first published in the horror anthology Shock Rock and later included in King's collection Nightmares and Dreamscapes.

[edit] Plot

A couple on a roadtrip in Oregon get lost and come into a small, cozy-looking town with the improbable name of Rock and Roll Heaven. A few people they see around town look disturbingly familiar. They stop in a restaurant for lunch, and the wife finally realizes who the townsfolk are: the waitress is Janis Joplin and the cook is Ricky Nelson. The two escape the restaurant and see other dead rockers, including Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, Otis Redding and Jim Morrison. When they try to leave the town, they crash into a bus escorting Jimi Hendrix and meet the town's mayor, Elvis, who informs that they won't be allowed to leave: they are not the only 'normal' people in town, and from now on, they will join the captive audience for the massive concerts that happen every night on the town square, and last for months, performed by late music idols like Marvin Gaye, Keith Moon and Cass Elliott. As emcee Alan Freed finishes his introduction with "rock n roll will never die." The wife simply says to herself "That's exactly what I'm afraid of." as they settle into a town where they will be staying forever.

[edit] Adaptations

The story was adapted as one of the episodes of the 2006 Turner Network Television series Nightmares & Dreamscapes.