And I feel so damn nostalgic…. DBT at The Fillmore Part 1

Part I

And I feel so damn nostalgic….

Thursday, May 4, 2006:

I left work early to do some last minute shopping to acquire all the goodies needed for the pending weekend of Rock. I got home early that evening with thoughts of getting a good nights sleep because I had a suspicion sleep would be a rare commodity until Sunday. Me and old Jack Daniels would become acquainted once again. With all prepared and in place I lay me down to sleep. Then that feeling hit. The one when you're 5 years old and its Christmas eve and you're just too damn excited to fall asleep. You stare at the ceiling dreaming with eyes wide open of all the possible gifts you might receive the next morning. You start to catalogue and categorize them. ("I hope I get the Shut Your Mouth and Get on the Plane set"). Gifts you feel pretty solid will be under the tree... ("I hope I get the Be My Valentine drum set so I can break the kick pedal in two.") and then those gifts that you really want but don't want to get too excited about because they're such a long shot Santy probably couldn't fit them on the sleigh ("A Tonka Bulldozers & Dirt would be sooooooo sweet"). It's OK if you don't get them but you really, really want them.

"You better watch out. You better not cry, you better not pout I'm tellin' you why", MotherFucking DBT is coming to town!

I have the occasional bout of insomnia and the sleepless nights are torture. You watch each hour pass on the clock feeling more miserable with each tick because it's another lost hour of sleep. Thursday night was quite the opposite. I spent the night trying to find some hidden super power that would allow me to mentally move the clock faster so the sun would come up quick because I had a very important task Friday morning.

The first gift of the day was being delivered by United Airlines via Athens, Georgia. This delivery was an important one and, unbeknownst at the time, one that would become very special. My first gift was to finally get to meet Jenn Bryant when I picked her up from the airport. I had invited Jenn out to San Francisco and she took me up on the offer. I've always admired Jenn for the enormous amount of work she puts into the band, her deft touch at dealing we knuckle-draggers on the lists, her southern charm, and the fact she is a home girl. I've been keeping an eye on the member counter of the Yahoo group and kept a finger to the pulse of the frenzy of questions and demands before the album came out. Jenn has a regular job like the rest of us and she does this for love. Of all the places in the world to see DBT the Fillmore is THE place. It would have been a goddamn shame if Jenn wasn't here to see her band. I invited her out... she accepted, and the rest, as they say, is history....

(Jenn on the bus)

History lesson....

May 5, 2006: Met Jenn at baggage claim.... we sniffed each others butts.... then “we'ze just like peas and care-rots”. I took Jenn on a drive around the coast and through the Golden Gate. We stopped periodically to check out the views.

After the B.A.A.T. (Bay Area Appreciation Tour) we went to my friend Rich's apartment situated a block from the Fillmore. This would be base camp for the next couple of days. After spending some time getting acquainted we headed out to get some lunch at Harry's on Fillmore. When we got to Fillmore and Geary we noticed the bus had arrived with road cases full of Rock and/or Roll. All of a sudden we hear a gravely voice call out "Jenn"! We turned around and it was none other than Patterson Hood with two arms full of coffee. I'm not kidding when I say two arms full of coffee. Somehow he was carrying about 6 cups of joe. By the way Patterson looked, I think all six were for him. He wasn't sharin'. I mumbled some sort of dumbass greeting to Patterson and then stood there with a goofy ass smile. I'm the freakin' man, let me tell you. We also briefly met Ryan (Silky) and Matt (The Matador), two members of the crew.

So there we had surreal moment #1 of a bazillion that happened that weekend. Jenn, Rich and I proceeded to Harry's where we had some Kobe Burgers and several adult beverages. It was Cinco de Mayo and the bartender handed us some shiny beads for the occasion. Rich and I would attempt to put those beads to good use later in the evening.

"He's got his own room in the back of the bus....."

Jenn says we can watch sound check so we head up to the Fillmore. When we get to the bus Jenn tells us to stay put while she pops in to get our passes. Never would I have imagined a cloth sticker could make one feel so cool. Wore that shit like a badge of honor:

After about 2 minutes Jenn sticks her head out and waves Rich and I into the bus. GULP!

We climb aboard and it’s all black leather interior, LCDs playing a Waylon Jennings concert, and Cooley sittin' in the front being... well... Cooley. Rich and I introduce ourselves and take a seat. After some initial pleasantries my phone rings and I remember that I've got 2 tickets I'm suppose to give to Mark G. from the Yahoo list. Mark was in the process of following the band from New Mexico to Seattle. Mark freakin' rocks! I'm gonna do that someday. Anyway, I excused myself and made for the bus door. Before I stepped out I asked if there was a secret knock I needed to get back in. Two will do......

(Here's where I end Part I. Check back next week for Part II)

(One of the beautiful chandeliers in the Fillmore)

(A picture of Jim Morrison hanging next to the bar)

(..for those about to Rock)