My First (and last) Pony Bet
Thursday, 23 June 2005
Another couple of Fairmount Park gigs with BenWahBob were to start off this weekend. The Michelob Ultra Thursdays had not been too great in the past, but this year seemed to be catching on quite well. As always, there was food aplenty at the free buffet and the dollar AB bottles were as popular as ever (with those who drink). There was a group of wild young ladies who planted themselves in the first three tables in front of the stage and had a grand time amongst themselves. This is always infectious with others around them. They were spreading good cheer.
We drove our sets through the usual paces. I even did that screeching thing at the end of Cat Scratch Fever, which I should call Throat Scratch Fever because of the affect it has on my throat. I’ve got to get Dale to start putting that later in the evening, especially if he wants me to keep singing Rush songs. I even broke my own tradition and bet on a horse. One of my co-workers at my day job owns several race horses and had one in the 8th race this night. I had seen one of his horses run away from the field the last time we played there, so I took his word for it this time when he spent the whole week talking this one up. At 6-1 odds, I thought I might cash in on this one. Unfortunately, 5th out of 6 doesn’t pay very much on a $20-to-win bet. He still hasn’t said another word to me about that horse.
We found through the course of the evening that there was a young lady there celebrating her birthday who’s name was Nicole. Well, that naturally lead us to suggest playing the song of the same name. Not only have we never played this song together, I haven’t played it at all since I was in high school in the 1980s. Throwing caution to the wind, ala Knucklehead, we jumped right into it nonetheless. It actually came off pretty well. Who says you always get the same show with BWB?
Friday, 24 June 2005
Part two of the Fairmount Park gig is the Budweiser Party at the Park on Friday. Again the same deal with the food buffet and drinks, but the food buffet has a much larger selection on Fridays and there are usually about twice as many people there. This Friday didn’t seem quite as crowded to me, though. There was actually room to walk through the place without squeezing past everyone.
The women of BWB showed up in force, too. Although Dawna didn’t stay long because of her family obligations, she was there long enough to go after Dale for spending way too much time flirting with an attractive young lady in-between sets. As she approached him, she realized it was his wife Chris with her hair unusually straight. Everyone got a kick out of that. We can’t get away with anything – they’re looking out for each other at every turn.
We played that Nicole song again to wrap up the night. It went quite a bit smoother this time, as we had all had time to give it a whirl in our heads since the night before. Another fun night drew to a close, and I rambled back up the highway to my new hole under my new rock.
Saturday, 25 June 2005
Knucklehead played at Ten Pin in Alton, IL this night. I am not so fond of this gig for several reasons, not the least of which are the sparse crowds and the fact that I have to lug in a PA. At least I didn’t have to work that day and then hurry to the gig.
We offered up the standard KH fare to those who were willing to listen. I don’t honestly recall delving into any uncharted territory that night – a very unusual thing for this band at this bar. I do recall dancing with two left feet on the new MIDI controller during Fight the Good Fight, though. I really need to practice that one. It needs to be a Zen moment, and it’s not even close to that yet. I just need to practice (other than my cello) in general. Since I don’t play everyday like I use to at St. Louis Music, my playing has taken a serious down-hill slide. I’ll work on that…I promise.
There were no real odd happenings that night (another unusual thing for this bar) other than the guy who decided that a chair was his best choice for a dance partner. He was quickly removed from the premises before he hurt himself. I did get a couple of "Hey, didn't you use to play in Those1Guys" comments. Odd that people still remember that band, since it was around less than a year. Other than that, it was a pretty uneventful night. We did end early (?), though…before 02:30! Apparently the local constabulary has been cracking down on the bars staying open late in the city. Bummer. Does that mean we can’t play until 04:00 in the morning any more? That really breaks my heart (ahem…sniff, sniff).
Another couple of Fairmount Park gigs with BenWahBob were to start off this weekend. The Michelob Ultra Thursdays had not been too great in the past, but this year seemed to be catching on quite well. As always, there was food aplenty at the free buffet and the dollar AB bottles were as popular as ever (with those who drink). There was a group of wild young ladies who planted themselves in the first three tables in front of the stage and had a grand time amongst themselves. This is always infectious with others around them. They were spreading good cheer.
We drove our sets through the usual paces. I even did that screeching thing at the end of Cat Scratch Fever, which I should call Throat Scratch Fever because of the affect it has on my throat. I’ve got to get Dale to start putting that later in the evening, especially if he wants me to keep singing Rush songs. I even broke my own tradition and bet on a horse. One of my co-workers at my day job owns several race horses and had one in the 8th race this night. I had seen one of his horses run away from the field the last time we played there, so I took his word for it this time when he spent the whole week talking this one up. At 6-1 odds, I thought I might cash in on this one. Unfortunately, 5th out of 6 doesn’t pay very much on a $20-to-win bet. He still hasn’t said another word to me about that horse.
We found through the course of the evening that there was a young lady there celebrating her birthday who’s name was Nicole. Well, that naturally lead us to suggest playing the song of the same name. Not only have we never played this song together, I haven’t played it at all since I was in high school in the 1980s. Throwing caution to the wind, ala Knucklehead, we jumped right into it nonetheless. It actually came off pretty well. Who says you always get the same show with BWB?
Friday, 24 June 2005
Part two of the Fairmount Park gig is the Budweiser Party at the Park on Friday. Again the same deal with the food buffet and drinks, but the food buffet has a much larger selection on Fridays and there are usually about twice as many people there. This Friday didn’t seem quite as crowded to me, though. There was actually room to walk through the place without squeezing past everyone.
The women of BWB showed up in force, too. Although Dawna didn’t stay long because of her family obligations, she was there long enough to go after Dale for spending way too much time flirting with an attractive young lady in-between sets. As she approached him, she realized it was his wife Chris with her hair unusually straight. Everyone got a kick out of that. We can’t get away with anything – they’re looking out for each other at every turn.
We played that Nicole song again to wrap up the night. It went quite a bit smoother this time, as we had all had time to give it a whirl in our heads since the night before. Another fun night drew to a close, and I rambled back up the highway to my new hole under my new rock.
Saturday, 25 June 2005
Knucklehead played at Ten Pin in Alton, IL this night. I am not so fond of this gig for several reasons, not the least of which are the sparse crowds and the fact that I have to lug in a PA. At least I didn’t have to work that day and then hurry to the gig.
We offered up the standard KH fare to those who were willing to listen. I don’t honestly recall delving into any uncharted territory that night – a very unusual thing for this band at this bar. I do recall dancing with two left feet on the new MIDI controller during Fight the Good Fight, though. I really need to practice that one. It needs to be a Zen moment, and it’s not even close to that yet. I just need to practice (other than my cello) in general. Since I don’t play everyday like I use to at St. Louis Music, my playing has taken a serious down-hill slide. I’ll work on that…I promise.
There were no real odd happenings that night (another unusual thing for this bar) other than the guy who decided that a chair was his best choice for a dance partner. He was quickly removed from the premises before he hurt himself. I did get a couple of "Hey, didn't you use to play in Those1Guys" comments. Odd that people still remember that band, since it was around less than a year. Other than that, it was a pretty uneventful night. We did end early (?), though…before 02:30! Apparently the local constabulary has been cracking down on the bars staying open late in the city. Bummer. Does that mean we can’t play until 04:00 in the morning any more? That really breaks my heart (ahem…sniff, sniff).
posted by Paul J. Smith | 07:51
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