OK... gather around... I have a few more bits of news from the South.
First off I didn't get any sleep last night, what with everything I had to
impart to all of you concerning the last few shows... I sat up all night
after the show typing away furiously as Hazdra tried to sleep and now here I
am doing it again... it's a wonder he doesn't throw me out in the hall with
my clicking and clacking and signing onto the internet for hours on end...
But as a good friend of mine likes to say, "I'll sleep when I'm DEAD."
I need to get this evening down while it's still fresh.
We were playing the second of two nights in Ashville and the first night had
been so perfect I was hoping for at least a repeat... the energy and jams of
the first night were some potent stuff and I couldn't see the trip not
continuing...
Having slept most of the day, I got up and loaded out with the rest of the
band (pay attention here because I'm using some of that 'forshadowing'
crap... neat trick that lets me crack a joke or point out a messed up
situation later... watch for it)...
... so as I was saying, we all met down at the vans to head to the club... we
were ALL THERE and we knew we had ALL OF OUR CREW AND BAND MEMBERS before
leaving the hotel...
The show tonight was 12/1/73, Boston Music Hall... and like most shows from
'73, it was an endurance match... looooong sets filled with dance songs and
tripped out jams happening equally instead of the "weighted" sets of the 80's
and 90's with the more strange explorations being reserved until later in the
evening...
First set highlights for me were a crowd-pleasing "Tennessee Jed", a touching
"Looks Like Rain", a "China->Rider" with the signature jams that were later
dropped... and a "Brokedown Palace" with the "Do Do Do"s that took everyone
by sweet suprise...
To quote a woman I talked to for awhile after the show, " 'Brokedown' in the
middle of the first set... who'd have thought? This is pretty messed up, what
you guys do..."
Got that straight, Kara.
It IS pretty messed up... at least when it's GOOD.
The second set opened with "Around N' Round" and Maraat, I guess not wanting
Ashville to be left out of the fun, soundly screwed up a verse of the lyrics
to great crowd approval... other hot spots included another "They Love Each
Other" that had me shuffling around like another member of the crowd and a
nicely enveloped "Playin->UJB->Playin" that nibbled at the synapses but
didn't aspire to reach out as far as last night's version, instead following
more of a groove... and while the band was smokin' away onstage weaving rich
tapestries of sound I noticed a couple dancing so close that I could swear
they were joined into one person... it was wonderful to see two people so
given up to the moment as to lose identity... they were completely absorbed
by the music and being so connected with each other that it was hard not to
watch, or I guess stare at them... hypnotic in every sense... it was one of
those beautiful moments I'm privy to every now and then in the course of my
work day that makes the paycheck seem so worthless in comparison... to be
able to move people THAT MUCH...
I've said it before but it's been awhile... "I Love My Job".
And while I'm at it, I guess I really do need to tip the hat to a few more
distinguished weirdos of the evening... the guy in the dress... the puppeteer
with his funky Pink Floydian sidekick...
You are the reason for my being... all of you freaks who paint the canvas
infront of me on a nightly basis... bless ALL of you... and you know who you
are...
The "Greatest Story" was flat-out GREAT, with a jam that again, had been
dropped in later years... I love it when the band goes into these early years
because I hear things I forgot about or in some cases things I never heard
before... both Dino AND I were suprised by the "Greatest" tonight... he said
he had just learned it too...
Pretty damned good for "just pickin' it up"...
As a final touch, the band chose to play "Scarlet Begonias", and not only was
it a joyous celebration of the evening but also a last chance for strange
happenings... an old African-American guy with a sax got up onstage after
Lisa had finished her scatting during the jam and approached Maraat, who
looked up at the guy like he'd been there all night and adjusted his vocal
mic so that the guy could play into it... and he WAILED!!! I mean he blew the
stage clean away... for just-not-long-enough... and then he bowed and walked
off the stage and out of the venue, still playing...
Magic Does Happen.
I've seen it.
OK...
Who out there remembers the 'forshadowing' stuff... show of hands?
Good.
BECAUSE I GOT LEFT AT THE VENUE TONIGHT.
REALLY.
Drove off and left me.
BOTH vehicles.
I was in thanking the local crew... and I would be remiss if I didn't thank
Bud the house sound engineer at this point for all his help in putting the
show on... the guy KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING everyone... next time you're in
there thank him, he's a patient and skilled guy who probably doesn't get the
recognition he deserves...
... although I bet he's never been LEFT BEHIND after a gig like a COMMON
GUITAR CABLE OR SOMETHING ELSE EASILY PICKED UP IN THE NEXT TOWN...
As my roomate likes to say, "Stop me when I sound bitter!"
Speaking of which... some of you have met my roomate... well, I met his twin
tonight... SPITTING IMAGE... and he had much the same sense of humor and
demeanor as Chris, too... just much longer hair and a beard... welcome to my
Theater of the Surreal... so on a thick foggy night I got a ride home with
this dude and Forrest, who's cell phone saved my ass...
BIG THANKS to Shane (Chris's double) and my driver Forrest for getting me
back to this hotel after several wrong turns and incorrect hotels... who knew
there were so many of this chain here... and ALL of them near Waffle House
resturants... too weird...
OK... my tale is told for the night... an' shoot, it's 6:30a already...
I'm going to zone out to some HBO after I transmit this copy through the
intergallactic airwaves of the internet and TRY to get a few winks before we
need to load up...
WOULDN'T WANT TO GET LEFT BEHIND OR ANYTHING...
I feel like such a valued member of this band sometimes.
Thank GOD we weren't on our way to Winston-Salem tonight... SHEESH...
And like I always say, I couldn't make this stuff up, folks!
See you on these pages again soon!