Duluth, Minnesota 8/26/04

[MCH]

I can't flippin believe that LF is finally going to make it to
Duluth, MN!!!!! I'd like to think that it is the result of my relentless e-mails to Deep South suggesting that they play the Norshor Theater (dream on). You're all invited to the shores of Lake Superior to a great venue. Hope you can make the trip north.......

[DPK]

Oh, crap! Here they go again.... 8-26-Duluth, 8-27-Clear Lake, IA, 8-28 & 29 St. Paul... Who's making up this tour, YoYo Man? ;D

Gotta get my oil changed, rotate the tires, get the air conditioning charged up, buy more NoDoze... Mark, what time do they play and where?

[chadgumbo]

The venue in Clear Lake is the Surf Ballroom... ala Buddy Holly's last gig in February '59 It's only 20 miles from where I grew up and I've been to the Surf on many an occasion for various rock shows (my earliest was summer 1975 for Head East, back when they were... well... Head East I wish like hell I could make the Feat show there on the 27th of August and help welcome them to my old stomping grounds. But duty calls and I am tied down that night as I am "on-call" for the business by which I am employed in Minnesota. So I shall instead make the 75 mile journey to the Minnesota State Fair the following night!
Since it'll by August, not February, and since the Feat'll be getting on a bus instead of a plane, I can only assume that not only shall I arrive at the state fair safely, but the Feat shall too. I'll certainly be praying for that scenario anyway.
Hey, seriously though, if any of you can make the trek to Clear Lake DO IT!!! You'll see a charming historical old ballroom (where the acoustics are pretty good), and of course you'll be getting a great show from the Feat!
DPK hope to shake hands with you in Saint Paul. Have fun boucing around Minnesota and Iowa (I see you've been to South Dakota and one or two other shows already). Wish I coulda been there.
Chadgumbo

[DPK]

Anyone having the same trouble I was tracking down ticket info for this Duluth show should find this link useful. Thanks Mark!

www.norshor.biz/

Payment is by PayPal only on the web site, but a phone call could get you other options such as will-call...

[DPK]

(originaly posted to HHD @ 4:55 EDT)

Why do I even do this at this hour?... I blame coffee at 2am...

'Hooked up w/D. Kehoe north of the Twin Cities and we rolled up Hwy 35
around 3pm. Got into foggy lake side Duluth by 5:30 and stumble down an
alley near the theatre where the tantilizing aroma of tailgate brats and
alied Bar B Que fare wafted into the van... Humm that big red bus looks
familiar and the tailgaters do too.

Having set off our personal craving for a bit-o-food, we parked the van and
grabed a couple fine and fast tacos at a local Mex establishment down the
street and were back to the business of getting to the show by 6:30.

Returning to the tailgate area, we Chatted a bit w/Fred as he negotiated a
tasty looking portion of baked beans on a full plate... looked like he had
the art of "plate management" down pretty good: Brats on one side, slaw
and beans on the other with very little unused space. He followed Sam onto
the bus to better deal with the job.

Being at the back door of the theatre, we followed Howard through an alley
door that lead to what was the upstairs bar of the old theatre, thus
bypassing the need to attempt early entry via normal channels. Built on the
side of the hill... what isn't in Duluth?... the Norshor Theatre, in it's
day, was a pretty grand place with a large balcony (now closed off to make a
small theatre/performance area) and bar facilities up stairs. The theatre
proper is down stairs which we inspected after greeting Jim Drew who maned
the merch w/Denny. At one time there must have been 500+ seats in the
Theatre and perhaps 150 still exists in the rear half of the hall. A large
open area now runs from stage to balcony overhang where the crowd of about
300-400 (I could be wrong) spent the night in motion. UofM/Duluth students
have not yet returned to class so the audience was primarily your standard
Feat demographic. An enthusiastic crowd none the less and I think they got
their $26 worth for sure, you bet.

The theatre had some very hard surfaces to work with and Howard did the best
he could to get a good mix. Depending on your vantage the sound was hit or
miss to my ears, as is often the case with these high ceiling front/low
ceiling back sort of arangements. Probably not Woverhampton'ish but some
what less than optimum & Howard agreed. I may be picking nits as well...
Tape rolled and we'll see what came out.

The band came out at 8pm sharpe and for the record played:

Set One (51min)
Rag Mama, Rag
Honest Man
Time Loves a Hero>
Day Or Night
Walkin' As Two
Shake Me Up>
Let It Roll

Set Two (76min)
Fat Man> drums> Fat Man*
It Takes a Lot to Laugh...
Texas Rose Cafe
Willin'> Bogart... (Dylan style)> This Land is Your Land
Milestones> Dark Star tease> Dixie Chicken>Bass/Keys/Mosquito Wars
tease> C>"Telephone"> DC
Encore
Oh, Atlanta


After the show, Don and I assisted Jim Drew and Denny in taking stock and
packing up the merch, had a few words with Richie in the lot and eventualy
made an uneventful run south to home. Having been up the previous two
nights capturing the excelent Jazz Mandolin Project, I was able/required to
catch a bit of sleep... Sorry Don to hang you out so, I couldn't help it.

Off to Clear Lake in the afternoon and the home of "stuff-on-a-Stick", the
Minnesota State Fair, on Saturday and Sunday... pray for me on the high way.

* The set break, not something I was used to seeing in my limited
experience, proved to be a bad thing since it gave a well meaning individual
ample time to distract me in conversation which resulted in me missing my
que to roll tape... consequently the start of Fat Man was lost to the air
and wasn't captured till "Spot Check Billy got down..." I told Denny after
the show that If I did this for a living I'd be fired by now...