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| The view of Stonewall's as we strolled down Jackson Street, artistically rendered by Google+. |
Made my way over to DF Studios after a whirlwind Friday morning. Too much stuff going on to relay here. Time to shift into performance mode, and this one is a biggie. A trip to Athens ensures a great evening of music and some hard work. We returned to Stonewall's on Jackson, a fine bar in the heart of downtown Athens with an upstairs performance space. The name certainly does bring to mind the great Civil War Confederate General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson. Then you see it from the front, situated next to "Toppers" and you realize that it's not a place to take your parents to. Ah, what am I talking about? I'm the parent, and wouldn't take my sons to this place! It's actually a fine drinking establishment, but not much more. The fact that it has a good stage with plenty of room for both the bands and the crowd makes it quite attractive.
We loaded the gear up into the cargo van that David procured and set about heading East. As we did the week before, we had the new 2nd subwoofer, new lights, new snake, lots of good stuff. Plus my stuff. Heading East on a Friday afternoon is always a challenge. Traffic along I-85 North is a bear, even at 3 p.m. Still, it's an early stat, considering we cannot load in any gear until management shows up at 8 or so. It's not the kind of place that hosts happy hour. We made the best of it, arriving in Athens close to 4:30 and flopping down at the lobby bar in the Hotel Indigo. We quaffed a heady IPA and discussed song selections. After meeting up with a sizable selection of family members and guests, not to mention key volunteers to help us load in and out, we enjoyed a really fine dinner. Karl had joined us already, as parched as we were. The big news was that Ira got an early flight back from Vegas and was on his way with Julie. We all feasted at a very long table. It was quite a memorable scenario. Did anybody get a good picture?
Getting the gear up there is always a big deal. With the hired help, it happened in about 10 minutes. Then it was time to set it all up. Lots to do, including the mixing board and snake, lights (yeah, yeah, I already blabbed about that), David's piano (more on that later), etc. The real challenge, as always, is how to fit us all up there and make it look good. We decided on having Ira at stage left, with my pedals cozied up to his elaborate kit. A savvy player also prepares a stage plot with the idea of minimizing party spills, particularly with the the throngs of drinkers enjoying themselves in the front row. No party fowls on the pedalboard! Before you knew it, we were ready, tuned up, and it was time to hit it - a 3 1/2 hour set of party favorites. No break. Non-stop hits and party favorites for the college kids. Some great surprise tunes called by David, including a raucous Refugee and a stomping Jumpin' Jack Flash. Also threw in Comfortably Numb, if I recall correctly. So many tunes that I lose track.
Many highlights, with our new Who triple-treat going over very well. It was a big sing-along! So powerful! Farrel's tunes are always a highlight here, with Magic Power being the surprise once again. David played piano on Let It Be and Hey Jude and those were perhaps the best tunes of the night. The boy's got some chops! Talk about another sing-along! Ira had serious energy, perhaps from the energy drinks he consumed. Whatever it was, we were on fire! The crowd was a lot of fun, cheering us on and really getting into it. A great night for escapism in Athens.
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