Friday night was an interesting night for Model Stranger to say the least. We were slotted in Lansing to play at Gus's Bar for a long set that was supposed to start at 9 pm. So when we didn't show up until 10:15pm and still had a P.A. to set up, we were left with no choice but to play from 10:45pm to 2:30am instead - with no breaks.
Playing 3 hrs and 45 minutes is just nutty. I can't decide...either I hate it or I love.
Now the question is - "How exactly does a band end up starting 1 hour and 45 minutes later then they are the only band playing?" I can let you in that it was one of the rare times in our careers that it wasn't the bar's fault.
First of all, we left 1 hour later than we planned. This was no ones fault and not worth explaining - just 10 minutes here, 1 forgotten key forgot there, confusion everywhere and suddenly we were an hour behind schedule. Next we forgot that there was a time change between Illinois and Michigan.....no comment. Then our distraction with trying to beat the clock was trumped by the new distraction that we were running out of gas. Once again....no comment.
Yeah....we ran out of gas.
Vincent and I went sprinting down the side of the highway to the next exit leaving Kevin and Coate to watch the trailer. I96 is a highway has no lights and the term 'pitch black' applies. Part painful from running in rock boots - and exhausting because running 2 miles is tiring in general. When we finally arrived in Olivet, MI, huffing and puffing, we were happy to see a gas station sign down the dark road.
2 random acts of kindness would soon happen. First, the attendants at the gas station lent us a gas can, and next a young couple by the name of Ben and Sarah actually drove us back to I96! Thank you guys for this. You saved us time and our legs.
When we arrived, the 'nicest police officer ever' Officer Campbell had been staying with Kevin and Coate to make sure they were safe on the side of the dark highway.
By the time we filled up and made it to the venue it was already 10:15pm. We unloaded the trailer at a frantic pace and were started by 10:45.
As if being sick in the first place wasn't enough, the 2 mile jog to the gas station and late start were quite draining. Our set was loose and...interesting. It included impromptu medleys and space jams fueled by free whiskey and the 2 am crowd. At one point I recall Kevin and Vincent taking over lead vocals for me on "Fire Fire". This show also marked the first time we played the same song two times in a row - at two different tempos and two different times! You do what you have to do to fill a set like that. Not to say that this is bad but sometimes it isn't good. At Gus's anything goes, and is the perfect place to do 1 verse and chorus of "Helter Skelter" before wanking on a guitar solo.
Upon conclusion of the show I lay on the dirty stage and stared at the ceiling contemplating our journey to Gus's, the 1 tee shirt and the 5 cds we sold and the trainwreck of a set we played. Murphy had nothing to with this one.
Idiocy. There is no question.
One last act of kindess....
Mike, a new friend, and his wife took us to their house, fed us and put us to bed. Thank you Mike for allowing us into your home... your couch is very comfortable.
Stephen Francis
Plug: WATCH NEW MODEL STRANGER VIDEOS on YouTube and Vimeo.
No comments:
Post a Comment