SHARING THE SHOWS
So this week was back to school for me. Classes haven’t started, but we’re in academic mode anyway. For me, that involved setting up my classes on Blackboard and planning my first week’s lessons (my introductory activities for the classes I’ve taught I’ve been a hit, so why fuck with a winner?). I am excited about this new Blogging class I’ll be debuting, which was inspired by this blog.
I was determined not to let this congestion keep me from making it to Zoso; like I said the other night, I’ll sleep when I’m dead. This would make the third show in seven days. I did resolve to make less shows this year, which I posted on Facebook; Xan and Nicole made funny comments; Phish and Stringdusters were last year, so they don’t count. However, Maggie (the Black Dog, as per the picture) helpfully pointed out to me (I am the Walrus, as per the picture) that the Stringdusters went into this year, so that’s half a show. Touche. We drove through a rain-soaked yet traffic-free I-64 to get to the Norva. We heard through a source (*cough* JENN *cough) that the tickets were $12 if you got them at the door, but they were actually $15.50, dammit! Just kidding; love you, Jenn. As we waited for the opener, a Jimi Hendrix tribute called Kiss the Sky, some 90s hits played (Collective Soul’s “Shine” and Alice in Chains’s “Rooster” being among them), bringing me back to adolescence. It got me thinking of this scholarly article (puffs on pipe pretentiously). Maggie had texted me earlier about the opener, saying they may get us wanting to “kiss the sky.” I then laughed at her joke for ten minutes. True story. She then said, “we might go into a purple haze,” at which I laughed for another ten minutes. Also a true story. The band appeared in their 60s garb to interrupt Filter’s complex lyrics, “Hey man nice shot; what a good shot man.” I hadn’t listened to a ton of Hendrix for a long time, but I was 17 when I first got into him. He opened with “Are You Experienced,” a tune I hadn’t heard in a long time. “Spanish Castle Magic,” my favorite Hendrix song was next. The lead singer, channeling Hendrix’s Afro and LSD-infused sweatband, welcomed the group, saying they had come all the way down from New York. New York rockers are some of my favorite people in the world; they’re edgy and they don’t give a f**k. And this dude talked quickly, a feature I love in my fellow Empire Staters. We were transported further into the 60s (Maggie’s line) with tunes like “Hey Joe,” Foxy Lady” (first time I heard this one was in Wayne’s World), “Stone Free,” ‘Fire,” “Little Wing,” “All Along the Watchtower,” “Red House,” and “Purple Haze” (during which he sang, “that bitch put a spell on me” instead of “that girl”). Two observations:
The band closed, and I did my requisite “Special Guest!” yell. During the set break, some classic rock came on, including the Eagles’s “Hotel California” and James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain.” Some drunk dude fist-bumped me (I guess I have one of those faces that says, fist bump me! I’m chill like that!) Finally, the speakers blared the “Bron-Yr-Aur” intro before the boys launched into “Rock and Roll.” “The Wanton Song,” one of my favorites, followed. “The Ocean” and “Ramble On” came before that Cheeto guy’s anthem, “The Immigrant Song.” “Black Dog” was next, and then “Over the Hills and Far Away.” At that point, Maggie and I moved away from the back due to the young women that were yapping during the show (I couldn’t remember where I placed the “Please Stop Talking” card). “Kashmir” followed wah-wah pedal-infused opening. We thought the band had left the stage, but instead, the band went acoustic for a couple of songs with the trippy “That’s the Way” and a mournful “Going to California.” The singer then mentioned it was the third day of their 25th year playing (that’s a pretty damn long time for a band to be together; kudos. As a tribute, they played “The Song Remains the Same” followed by another favorite, “The Rain Song.” I started fading out during “Living Loving Maid,” and we pondered leaving, but once “Moby Dick” came on, I needed to stay. I would have regretting missing the drum solo. “Stairway to Heaven” closed the set, and we decided “Whole Lotta Love” wasn’t that much of a lure to stay since we were both a little tired. The drive home was rain-free; Maggie brought a big bag of Cheetos and some Nutty bars; I’m trying to be “good” after indulging in all that New York food, but I felt the need to save some for my cheat day so I took a Nutty Bar, and I slowly poured some Cheetos into a Ziploc bag, as I said, “Yeah, I need to help you so you don’t have to eat that unhealthy food yourself.” I’m such a good friend! (Looks around). Ummmmm, yeahhhhhh… And now a clip of a Zeppelin parody that really did have me LOTF for ten minutes at the :57 mark.
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May 2024
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