Clear look toward two new performances in the coming week and I wanted to catch up on the tall-tales that surrounded our last gig at The Fast Lane in Bristol, VA. We all had a great time time and they seemed to really like the band because we’re booked throughout the year, but they need to do something about their security – especially for the band.
I suppose there was a time a woman with a tongue in my ear might usher erotic memories, but that wasn’t the case the last time Clear played at the Fast Lane. In fact, it’s taken me a while to assemble my thoughts about this last gig and before our next performance this Saturday at the Office in Johnson City, I’m wondering if we’ll need chicken wire?
Remember that scene from the Blues Brothers where the band played behind the chicken wire? Well they weren’t throwing things in Bristol and it really wasn’t that big of a deal either. I still remember the tears coming down Willie’s face as we kept on playing our set. I was hunched over way to the left of my keyboard, my stool bending on two legs trying to keep pace with the music and listening to this drunk woman with big, overtly goofy glasses steaming with cheap dime-store perfume whisper in a growl – “You make me hot!”
She was in her late (late) forties and wore a frumpy blue pantsuit like you might smile at in a Saturday Night Live skit. We noticed her acting off balance at the bar, but she kept pushing her way to the band and as the music kicked up during our second set, she was the center of attention for everyone. I guess there are performances and tales we can all remember and this one will go down among the many stories of Clear lore.
This was our first gig at a sports bar called Fast Lane on Exit 7 in Bristol, VA. Located in the Old Dominion Shopping center strategically near a Walmart and a Taco Bell, this used to be a Sagebrush Steak House. It’s a nice place too and they have a terrific wait staff who opened the door and was eager to serve us all night long. There are plenty of TVs – pool tables to the left, a bar in the middle and a dining area on the right. After the dinner rush on Friday and Saturday, The Fast Lane becomes a live stage and is one of the most popular new venues near TinselTown.
It was cloudy, but it didn’t feel like rain. Lance and Greg were right behind me as I parked the Jeep. Inside about 7.30, there were plenty of people still having dinner in front of the stage, so we decided to grab a bite too. On the menu…”Our World Famous Philly Cheese.” I had to know too and it wasn’t bad. Lots of steak, cheese and mushrooms – only thing missing…green peppers. Maybe that’s why I still believe “Pugs Subs” and “Sloopy’s” in Kingsport serves the best PhillySteak around here in the TRI.
Jared came in after our food came out and it wasn’t long before their wait staff were moving tables around. Several of our closest groupies were there early too including Seth and Sandy and the always-radiant Officer Cunningham (that glow really meant something after all). Heather brought her friend and the old drummer for Carbon Blue – Reagan Bogg’s pop band was there along with crazy Kevin Jackson.
We didn’t take long to get the stage set and the band was into the first set. Although we had a decent pocket and things seemed to be going well, the audience was a bit reserved. Tom Bettini told me a few days earlier that most everyone hangs out in the bar in the early sets and he was right. By the second set, we had gathered an interested crowd including the barfly I mentioned earlier and the music was risky and adventerous as we rambled across original jams and other cover songs we like to recreate.
We must have performed well though because after three sets we were well into the next day before the music stopped. The vamp who had been causing trouble spent the night in jail. Having cops in the band is good for protection and although they rarely give anyone a hard time – they are not the type to let people risk other lives. They tried to intervene before she left the bar, but she refused a cab. Foul ball indeed.
The Fast Lane was a good place to play for Clear and a few days later they had called back and booked us through the rest of the year, so plenty of stories are sure to come from our next gig there in August.
The band has had a few weeks off too. Vacations have come and gone for most everyone. We’ve had barbecue at Willies – got a few things focused, learned a couple of new songs from the Police and Phish and we should be locked and loaded for this weekend’s adventure at The Office.
As far as the Fast Lane, I hope that next time, the audience is a bit more tame and if they’re not, I’d like to request that the woman biting my ear be a little more desirable and responsible (who doesn’t like their ear gnawed on) – if not bring on the chicken wire!