SHARING THE SHOWS
Today was Singles Empowerment Day, which I renamed from Singles Awareness Day because the acronym for the latter just isn’t cool. So after a day of grading and writing, I picked Maggie up at 5:00, and we stopped at our new hot spot, NY Deli in Williamsburg. Maggie got her usual Italian sub with a couple of nice pastries (I took a bite of her chocolate chunk cookie, and it was heavenly), while I experimented with a hot dog platter; they use Nathan’s hot dogs, a nice taste of New York for me. When we pulled off 64/95 to get to Richmond, we looked for a place to answer nature’s call, and instead of a gas station, we found a spot called Sugar Shack Donuts. I knew I was going to have to spend a few dollars in order to justify using their facilities. And that was the, uhhh, only reason. (Looks around). Yeahhhhh… I was elated to see their variety, which reminded me of Portland, Oregon’s Voodoo Donuts. I was even more stoked to hear they were selling them for $1.64 each, down from $3, due to closing time. I set my limit at six, though only five made it to the freezer below. When I used the bathroom, I saw Maggie had written this little gem on the blackboard on the left side. I saw the board on the right side was empty. Somehow, when I left, this message magically appeared. (Looks around). Uhhhhh, yeahhhhh... We were able to find parking on Broad Street pretty easily, just .2 miles from the venue. We probably could have parked closer, but it’s always good to walk off carbs. The concert hall was relatively small, although not as tiny as Cogan’s or Cary Street Café. I was happy to see there was a water station so we wouldn’t have to keep asking the bartender. The place was near empty, so we were able to place our coats on the benches against the wall. We ran into Bert and Eve, as well as Eve’s friend Debra. Salsa music graced the speakers, which brought me back to my El Paso days. We also saw an awesomely progressive Gender-Neutral bathroom sign. The room got packed pretty quickly, and the band took the stage at five after 8. They opened with a Jerry Garcia Band (JGB) tune I had never heard, but it got me moving quickly. “I Need a Miracle” followed, and although “They Love Each Other” is my least favorite of the GD repertoire, this group managed to jam the hell out of it. In a nice Valentine’s Day candy metaphor, the singer said, “We’re gonna give you a nice Whitman’s Sampler of Dead and JGB tunes.” “Box of Rain” was nice, and then “Crazy Fingers” came. I think it’s a beautiful tune, but I got annoyed because everybody seemed to use that as an excuse to start conversing. Maggie had to leave the room. I wish I had that “Stop Talking” card I had gotten at Phish a couple of months ago. Oh well… Maggie and I jumped up on the benches, where we got a nice view of the crowd AND the stage, not to mention a nice light show on the ceiling (see above). A couple of JGB tunes followed, and then “The Greatest Story Ever Told” was told. In V-Day spirit, JGB’s “That’s What Love Will Make You Do” was next. During that song, a young lady who looked exactly like this gal Valerie I dated briefly walked by (cue the horror music). It wasn’t her though; Valerie wouldn’t be caught dead with us Deadhead types. “Samson and Delilah” closed the set.
I started to fade a little during the setbreak, but when “How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You” opened the second set, I woke up. This dude named Odie, whom we met at Stringdusters on NYE, talked to us, and I gave them the URL for my blog. Odie, if you’re reading, you seem like a cool dude; hope to see you at more shows. “Good Lovin’” and “Gimme Some Lovin” closed the love/romance trifecta. I do love hearing the Dead and Dead-related bands do that old Spencer Davis tune, and while I am on the aro spectrum (this is Aromantic Awareness Week), I do like that song a lot. It’s just got a good beat. A few of us Deadheads expressed our love for each other by high-fiving each other. Love takes many forms, indeed, not just romantic. But that’s just my humble opinion. SPOILER ALERT IF YOU’VE NEVER SEEN BREAKING BAD: “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue” was next, which I would have loved to close Breaking Bad, as opposed to Badfinger’s version (which rocks too). “Help-Slipknot-Franklin’s” was next, and they jammed the fuck out of “Slipknot.” At that point, I decided Suggesting Rhythm is now my favorite local area Dead tribute. No disrespect to Last Fair Deal, Blind and Dirty, the Deadbeats (upstate NY), Reckoning (NYC and Long Island), and Uncle John’s Band (Tampa), but these guys just rocked. And I like this venue too; the young crowd from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and the Richmond hipsters give this place an edge that reminded me of Monopole’s (Plattsburgh, NY) and The Oasis (New Paltz, NY), places I frequented in my college and post-college years, respectively. “Passenger,” my favorite Dead tune, came next, followed by “Man Smart, Woman Smarter,” a good song because the message is based in science. I also sang it a little in my best Boston (Bahstan) accent: “That’s right, the women ahhhh, smahhhhtaaaaa!” “Estimated Prophet” and “Shakedown Street” led to a rousing finale with Smokey Robinson’s “Second That Emotion.” On our way out, we stopped at a gas station to grab caffeine, and I tried Blue Cheese Combos. They were pretty good. I had also gotten some Lindor’s chocolates at half-price earlier this morning, which we munched on during the ride home. The Fox played some loud classic rock tunes to keep us awake. I dropped Maggie off at around 1, got home, and fell asleep to an episode from Season 4 of Better Call Saul (just released this week). All in all, a great night!
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This Friday, I decided to debut a new turtleneck I got from Kohl’s. Students in my ENG102 class have a major assignment coming due this Sunday, and I typically give them the Friday before class “off” to work on their projects; of course, they can see me in my office for feedback on drafts if they wish. On those days, I don’t put on a button-down shirt; it’s a sweater or turtleneck day. I accessorized with the necklace I got at Uncle John’s Band in Tampa last year, an enter “hippie instructor.” I decided to go with that ensemble at the show tonight. Maggie picked me up at 6, and we preshowed it at NY Deli in Williamsburg. Maggie and I both got Italian subs; it was good, and those peppers added a nice kick to it. I don’t normally drink soda, but I make an exception for Dr. Brown’s (to be consumed at places at Katz’s Deli, and of course, NY Deli). When we were talking about my upcoming book, I mentioned it would be marketed as a textbook. Maggie said, “Textbooks are expensive.” “I know,” was my reply, followed by me laughing for ten minutes. True story. Once we got into downtown Richmond, we encountered a Kafkaesque nightmare of trying to find a parking space near the venue. All the street spots were taken, and all the garages had only monthly parking. Finally, we settled on the garage near The National, and it was about a 12-minute walk to the venue.
I was overjoyed to find plenty of room in the music hall. Preshow, we ran into Greg, the keyboard player, his wife, Kat, as well as Burt (pictured here, and thanks to his friend Wayne for his mad photography skills). Burt’s fiancé, Eve greeted me with, “Chazz Pop!” I guess my Facebook identity has become my real identity. Chester’s Dad!!! The band tore up the venue in ways I didn’t know a venue could be torn up. They opened up with a ripping “Second That Emotion” and followed with “Mama Tried.” After my requisite “Special Guest” yell, “Jack-a-Roe” came next. As I grooved in this sea of tye-dye, I thought of a line I’ll use when autographing my book for readers: “Stay true to you, and you’ll never be blue.” I then did that thing where I laughed for ten minutes. True story. “Dear Mr. Fantasy/Hey Jude/Wheel,” so often played by the Dead in the 1980s, followed by “Bertha.” “Scarlet Begonias” was next. Maggie called “Fire on the Mountain,” which typically follows “Begonias,” but the band gave us a twist: “Sugaree.” They then closed with “Fire on the Mountain.” During the break, Maggie, Burt, and I shot the shit, and Burt’s friend Wayne came over, whom we recruited to take our 3-shot for this posting. Burt and I talked our commutes on I-64, and he told me about a band called Blue Rooster. As I wrote, I clicked on the hyperlink to their Reverb Nation site, and I dug their version of “Big Railroad Blues.” Before they began the set, Todd busted out the opening to Rush’s “La Villa Strangiato,” which a lot of guitarists cite as the hardest Rush tune to play. There was also a dude in a bandana that looked a lot like Neal Peart. Both of them were great tributes to the Holy Trinity. “Deal” opened the second set; then the band sang Happy Birthday to a woman named Angie. While that was going on, I definitely did not substitute “Little Baby Chester” for “Angie.” I certainly do not do that on a regular basis when I’m with Chester in my home. Ummmmm, yeahhhhhhh… The guys surprised us with “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” The first time I heard the Dead played is was when I listened to their show from 12/13/93 at San Diego Sports Arena. I liked that version better than the Beatles’ recording; in fact, I loved it so much that I had it on repeat for a while. Pink Floyd’s “Have a Cigar” was next; then the band really jammed out with “The Other One” and “New Speedway Boogie.” I started to fade when the “Morning Dew” hit. At that point, Maggie suggested leaving. As an introvert, my “people-o-Meter” reaches a certain level, and it had been maxed at that point, so I was all about that. We stopped at a Wawa to get munchies, and Maggie pointed out a special on Combos, two packages for $1.50. #dugit On the way home, we discussed covers of songs vs. originals, and covers we liked better. We both agreed that Hendrix’s version of “All Along the Watchtower” trumps Dylan’s. I also dig Sheryl Crow’s “Dyer Maker” over Zeppelin’s. All in all, a great night. |
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February 2024
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