...18 years ago...

Up early at 6AM. We all shower and pack up. Out by 8AM. Drive to New Orleans - 10 hours. Find club - nice place. Arrive early - Repo Man is on the video system. I get to see about 45 minutes of it. Looks like a great flick. I must see it all.

I find it amazing that we'd drive for 6-10 hours and then hop out of the van in be in any kind of shape to play a show and stay up late. This is why I don't do this anymore. While we did do a few bus tours over the years, the main way for us to travel was by van. It did get a little better when we began using a separate truck for the gear. I now own Repo Man.

After discussion with club, we must use in-house PA - pay $50 dollars for it (we had a small PA arranged by Art - the dude who set the show up for us, but the club said no - they were originally going to charge $100 bucks). We unload. Buy stuff across the street at the super market - eat sandwiches and cheese etc. Other band (Art's) sets up (we had already done a sound check). I hang out in van. BJ's brother and friends show up. We meet them - give us beer. Hang out. About 50 people? They play - supposedly half decent. We set up and play an OK set. Received well. Get paid $75 dollars.

This is total B.S. I can't believe clubs still pull this kind of crap. Gee - we drove 10 hours to make $25 dollars!

Pack up. We had met Ham Bell earlier. Dave B. Joe and I decided to go to Baton Rouge with him - we were tired. Rod and Dave R. stay in New Orleans - party - wild adventures (more later). Get to Ham's about 3AM. to bed 3:30AM. Real bed.

Hamilton Bell was a friend of Joe's who he corresponded with. I remember getting to Ham's parent's place and out of the heat and humidity and into a real bed.