Post by Mistahgene on May 9, 2004 12:47:55 GMT -5
Hoy all. Got back from Fredricksburg, VA yesterday evening for a 2 show
run. There actually were 2 shows and I'll explain why later.
Roanoke First:
I believe Feat will be back here again sooner than later. The old Jefferson
High School turned arts center rocked on Thursday nite. Perhaps some of the
8.5 Mill funded for the renovation needs to be more foundation and helical
supports cuz the band and the crowd were shook up the place. I didn't get
to see alot of the show but ut didnt take much to figure it out. There were
plenty of folks dancin' in front of the stage, folks jumping up out of their
seats for standing ovations, and the merchandise was selling like hotcakes
at the IHOP. I didn't get a setlist but there should be one available on
Featbase, or perhaps Doug has one handy. Good seeing Him along with the
Foxes and my travelling partner, Mike "Gadget Boy" Gallimore who has more
toys than .007, Inspector Gadget, and Maxwell Smart combined. Oops, I almost
left out a very important guest. Tipyboy Todd was there too, a wonderful
surprise...Thanks for the goodies, my man! Near the end of the show I ran
upstairs to the balcony and the right lode section of the balcony to try and
get a few pictures. The lodes were part of the renovation, and the view was
spectacular. It's always a major treat to see the band from above because
you can see absolutely everything, especially the squidman and Billy's
keyboard action.
Spotsylvania:
Everything was calm, the sun was out, it was quite warm, the merch was all
set up nicely and in good hands (thanks to the good on site help. Paul had
mentioned earlier that the weatherman was calling for possible
thunderstorms. My brother and I and friends have done many a canoe trip a
few hours away in SW Virginia under questionable weather conditions, so I
really wasn't all that concerned at the time. I had just picked up a couple
Wayback's CDs at one of the vendor tents and was headed to another vendor
for a quick bite to eat. By this time (and it didn't take long) the sky
behind the stage was getting dark gray. There was a steady stream of people
briskly walking away from the stage area, through the vendor area and to
areas beyond to seek shelter or return to their camping area. Before I
could finish my slice of pizza, the wind began to gust and the crowd that
was in the field between the stage and the vendors made a massive rush to
find shelter. I was a little puzzled b/c it wasn't raining much if at all.
They were running for cover b/c they felt the wind..and it was
coming...FAST!
The wind came, the rain's came....luckily the merch and all the displays had
been removed from harm's way and secured inside a trailer provided by the
Haymaker folks. There were about a dozen folks taking cover under the tent.
Several camping tents and vendor tents had been uprooted or loosened during
the first few surges of wind gusts. The wind lifted our tent several times
in such a way that the aluminum poles lifted several inches off the ground
and back down again. I grabbed one of the senter poles and tried to anchor
it. My new digital camera was wrapped around my nack and I was trying to
shield it from the rain blowing in. I think I held that pole continuously
for about 20 minutes. I couldn't decide which would be worse...to be struck
by lightening or have the tent, poles and all be upended from it's
restraints and thick aluminum poles slinging and swirling around and causing
harm to those in their path. Another alternative was to make a run for it
behind the stage and seek shelter in my vehicle, but the stage area to me
was a potential lightening rod in addition to the potential that stuff might
be blown off the stage to goodness knows where. There was always the
potential that the wind could get worse. On a lighter note in order keep my
sanity there were flashes of Elmer Fudd and Bug's Bunny Opera going through
my head...."Wightening stwike, Typhoon, Huwwicane!" After about 20 or so
minutes total, the wind and rain settled down some...I spotted Denny
Aproaching the tent to check on the status of the Merchandise, and then he
clued us in on the damage on stage. I guess I never heard or saw the
collapse of the Light rack on the stage rear...so much wind noise where we
were, plus I trid not to look too much in the direction the wind was coming
from. I do remember that before the rain began, the dust and hay particles
from the fields was blowing around so intensely that it flooded my eyes
which are still hurting this minute.
So it was on to the stage area where the real show was taking shape. There
the crew was scurrying around trying to get the equipment off the stage that
wasn't obstructed by the fallen Light rack. They were taking care of their
own gear as well as that of the band that just finished playing. One of the
rear sections of the stage tent had come loose from it's restraints and in
some ways made it difficult for the other band to remove gear outside the
tent. At another place where the tent was anchored on the same side of the
stage, the 3-ft long stakes holding that flap of the tent had shifted in the
ground about a 45 deg. angle in the direction the wind was blowing. One
could see the marks in the ground left by the stake shift. Water was
running out of one of the keyboards that was carried from the stage to the
truck. Most of the gear was being removed from the stage and placed on the
truck for drying and packing into crates later. Denny, Tony (yes the guy
from DC), Chris C who had just arrived, and myself were wither pitching in
or forming a brigade. The whole scene just reinforced what we fans have
known all along, and that is that Rocky, Nick, Roger, Denny, Howard are all
pros who probably seen just about every situation and know how to handle
things. We are all fortunate to have them that's for sure.
The climax of the evening came when it was time to try and lift the light
rack back up into it's upright position. The thing was pretty heavy and
eventually every able bodied person was called upon to help lift the
rack...there were at least a dozen folks up there. IT turned out to be
quite a risky and dangerous move b/c the thing wanted to roll (as in off the
back of the stage) when everyone lifted somehow everyone was able to lift
it up while others were trying to anchor the back side. All the gear cases
that were behind the stage were moved out of the way but we were ablew to
successfully able to stand up the rack without it falling. Securing the
light rack enabled the crew to remove more of Sam's and Richie's gear
including the rack that helped protect the drum kits. The whole thing was
in some ways time-limited because there was another band of rain./storms
forcasted. Richie was wuite mesmerized by the multi-colored but
predominantly yellow sky (you know..that funky hue of the sky that says
"something bad has happened or something is bad is fixin' to).
Word was that no one was hurt during this incident, and that injuries on the
grounds were minimal. There were Civil War reinactments nearby (there are
only dozens and dozens of historic battlefields in the area) that yielded
more serious injuries. We were all very lucky b/c it could have been a
whole lot worse. A brief time was spent visiting with Mrs. Dulles Alice and
some of the band before departure. I took Tony with me so he could hitch a
ride back to DC from the highway I 95. Luckily we found our way back in the
rain, thunder and lightening (2nd wave). There was no power anywhere until
we got back to the outskirts of Fredericksburg. Tony and enough money to
get him a hot meal was dropped off at Dennys, right by the I-95 Ramp, and I
was off to try to hook up with the Foxes, who were supposed to be present
for this gig but I hadn't seen yet. Couldn't find them at their hotel...it
turns out they made their way to the venue once the main storm surge settled
down to check to see everyone was alright. I probably missed them by just a
few minutes but we did eventually did hook up and as expected, we reminisced
about this event....We'll remember this one for a long time. A motion has
been put into place to make "I survived Spotsylvania, Va" T-shirts for those
in attendaence, that is for sure. I wonder if the band will dust off "Front
Page News" anytime soon. Just to refresh everyone's memory, the following
is taken from http://www.littlefeat.net:
Front Page News
-- Bill Payne, Lowell George
Don't it always seem to hit you
Rght when you think you can lay back easy
Those times are hard to come by
Sittin' still with nothin' on your mind
Memories are friends that you had
It's so clear if you need to see
I can count on you, you can count
You can count on me
Those clouds outside your doorway
Don't seem so dark or move so fast
If you keep on rocking long as it keeps raining
Back and forth on your porch
Just keep on rocking, keep on rocking
If I could only tell you what I feel now
It's been so long inside of me
All the years that I've been trying
To stay in touch, to stay in line
Trying just to be myself, be myself
And no one else
Front page right through to back page
Have I got news for you
You know the story; it's the truth; love's the proof
If you keep on rocking long as it keeps raining
Back and forth on your porch
Just keep on rocking; keep on rocking
Have I got news for you
Front page, back page
Have I got news for you
Front page, back page
Have I got news for you
It's back to lurk mode for me. Everyone have fun out there and be safe!
Gene
run. There actually were 2 shows and I'll explain why later.
Roanoke First:
I believe Feat will be back here again sooner than later. The old Jefferson
High School turned arts center rocked on Thursday nite. Perhaps some of the
8.5 Mill funded for the renovation needs to be more foundation and helical
supports cuz the band and the crowd were shook up the place. I didn't get
to see alot of the show but ut didnt take much to figure it out. There were
plenty of folks dancin' in front of the stage, folks jumping up out of their
seats for standing ovations, and the merchandise was selling like hotcakes
at the IHOP. I didn't get a setlist but there should be one available on
Featbase, or perhaps Doug has one handy. Good seeing Him along with the
Foxes and my travelling partner, Mike "Gadget Boy" Gallimore who has more
toys than .007, Inspector Gadget, and Maxwell Smart combined. Oops, I almost
left out a very important guest. Tipyboy Todd was there too, a wonderful
surprise...Thanks for the goodies, my man! Near the end of the show I ran
upstairs to the balcony and the right lode section of the balcony to try and
get a few pictures. The lodes were part of the renovation, and the view was
spectacular. It's always a major treat to see the band from above because
you can see absolutely everything, especially the squidman and Billy's
keyboard action.
Spotsylvania:
Everything was calm, the sun was out, it was quite warm, the merch was all
set up nicely and in good hands (thanks to the good on site help. Paul had
mentioned earlier that the weatherman was calling for possible
thunderstorms. My brother and I and friends have done many a canoe trip a
few hours away in SW Virginia under questionable weather conditions, so I
really wasn't all that concerned at the time. I had just picked up a couple
Wayback's CDs at one of the vendor tents and was headed to another vendor
for a quick bite to eat. By this time (and it didn't take long) the sky
behind the stage was getting dark gray. There was a steady stream of people
briskly walking away from the stage area, through the vendor area and to
areas beyond to seek shelter or return to their camping area. Before I
could finish my slice of pizza, the wind began to gust and the crowd that
was in the field between the stage and the vendors made a massive rush to
find shelter. I was a little puzzled b/c it wasn't raining much if at all.
They were running for cover b/c they felt the wind..and it was
coming...FAST!
The wind came, the rain's came....luckily the merch and all the displays had
been removed from harm's way and secured inside a trailer provided by the
Haymaker folks. There were about a dozen folks taking cover under the tent.
Several camping tents and vendor tents had been uprooted or loosened during
the first few surges of wind gusts. The wind lifted our tent several times
in such a way that the aluminum poles lifted several inches off the ground
and back down again. I grabbed one of the senter poles and tried to anchor
it. My new digital camera was wrapped around my nack and I was trying to
shield it from the rain blowing in. I think I held that pole continuously
for about 20 minutes. I couldn't decide which would be worse...to be struck
by lightening or have the tent, poles and all be upended from it's
restraints and thick aluminum poles slinging and swirling around and causing
harm to those in their path. Another alternative was to make a run for it
behind the stage and seek shelter in my vehicle, but the stage area to me
was a potential lightening rod in addition to the potential that stuff might
be blown off the stage to goodness knows where. There was always the
potential that the wind could get worse. On a lighter note in order keep my
sanity there were flashes of Elmer Fudd and Bug's Bunny Opera going through
my head...."Wightening stwike, Typhoon, Huwwicane!" After about 20 or so
minutes total, the wind and rain settled down some...I spotted Denny
Aproaching the tent to check on the status of the Merchandise, and then he
clued us in on the damage on stage. I guess I never heard or saw the
collapse of the Light rack on the stage rear...so much wind noise where we
were, plus I trid not to look too much in the direction the wind was coming
from. I do remember that before the rain began, the dust and hay particles
from the fields was blowing around so intensely that it flooded my eyes
which are still hurting this minute.
So it was on to the stage area where the real show was taking shape. There
the crew was scurrying around trying to get the equipment off the stage that
wasn't obstructed by the fallen Light rack. They were taking care of their
own gear as well as that of the band that just finished playing. One of the
rear sections of the stage tent had come loose from it's restraints and in
some ways made it difficult for the other band to remove gear outside the
tent. At another place where the tent was anchored on the same side of the
stage, the 3-ft long stakes holding that flap of the tent had shifted in the
ground about a 45 deg. angle in the direction the wind was blowing. One
could see the marks in the ground left by the stake shift. Water was
running out of one of the keyboards that was carried from the stage to the
truck. Most of the gear was being removed from the stage and placed on the
truck for drying and packing into crates later. Denny, Tony (yes the guy
from DC), Chris C who had just arrived, and myself were wither pitching in
or forming a brigade. The whole scene just reinforced what we fans have
known all along, and that is that Rocky, Nick, Roger, Denny, Howard are all
pros who probably seen just about every situation and know how to handle
things. We are all fortunate to have them that's for sure.
The climax of the evening came when it was time to try and lift the light
rack back up into it's upright position. The thing was pretty heavy and
eventually every able bodied person was called upon to help lift the
rack...there were at least a dozen folks up there. IT turned out to be
quite a risky and dangerous move b/c the thing wanted to roll (as in off the
back of the stage) when everyone lifted somehow everyone was able to lift
it up while others were trying to anchor the back side. All the gear cases
that were behind the stage were moved out of the way but we were ablew to
successfully able to stand up the rack without it falling. Securing the
light rack enabled the crew to remove more of Sam's and Richie's gear
including the rack that helped protect the drum kits. The whole thing was
in some ways time-limited because there was another band of rain./storms
forcasted. Richie was wuite mesmerized by the multi-colored but
predominantly yellow sky (you know..that funky hue of the sky that says
"something bad has happened or something is bad is fixin' to).
Word was that no one was hurt during this incident, and that injuries on the
grounds were minimal. There were Civil War reinactments nearby (there are
only dozens and dozens of historic battlefields in the area) that yielded
more serious injuries. We were all very lucky b/c it could have been a
whole lot worse. A brief time was spent visiting with Mrs. Dulles Alice and
some of the band before departure. I took Tony with me so he could hitch a
ride back to DC from the highway I 95. Luckily we found our way back in the
rain, thunder and lightening (2nd wave). There was no power anywhere until
we got back to the outskirts of Fredericksburg. Tony and enough money to
get him a hot meal was dropped off at Dennys, right by the I-95 Ramp, and I
was off to try to hook up with the Foxes, who were supposed to be present
for this gig but I hadn't seen yet. Couldn't find them at their hotel...it
turns out they made their way to the venue once the main storm surge settled
down to check to see everyone was alright. I probably missed them by just a
few minutes but we did eventually did hook up and as expected, we reminisced
about this event....We'll remember this one for a long time. A motion has
been put into place to make "I survived Spotsylvania, Va" T-shirts for those
in attendaence, that is for sure. I wonder if the band will dust off "Front
Page News" anytime soon. Just to refresh everyone's memory, the following
is taken from http://www.littlefeat.net:
Front Page News
-- Bill Payne, Lowell George
Don't it always seem to hit you
Rght when you think you can lay back easy
Those times are hard to come by
Sittin' still with nothin' on your mind
Memories are friends that you had
It's so clear if you need to see
I can count on you, you can count
You can count on me
Those clouds outside your doorway
Don't seem so dark or move so fast
If you keep on rocking long as it keeps raining
Back and forth on your porch
Just keep on rocking, keep on rocking
If I could only tell you what I feel now
It's been so long inside of me
All the years that I've been trying
To stay in touch, to stay in line
Trying just to be myself, be myself
And no one else
Front page right through to back page
Have I got news for you
You know the story; it's the truth; love's the proof
If you keep on rocking long as it keeps raining
Back and forth on your porch
Just keep on rocking; keep on rocking
Have I got news for you
Front page, back page
Have I got news for you
Front page, back page
Have I got news for you
It's back to lurk mode for me. Everyone have fun out there and be safe!
Gene