...18 years ago...

Woke at 1:30 or so. Shower and drink a cup of black coffee. Everybody gets up, showers and gets cleaned up. It's too late to go to the garage. We go an eat while Dave R. stays at Beth's to call and do the "Mobile Office" thing.

This truly dates this diary because in 1986 we didn't have mobile phones or laptop computers with Internet connectivity. Dave had to find a phone, camp out there, and lug his address and contacts around and write everything down on a legal pad. He did embrace computers as soon as possible and I remember he had a laptop very early on - one with hand writing recognition even. I seem to remember a mobile phone on some of the tours we did later - very expensive and very spotty coverage.

We get back at 4:30 - Dave R. set up a radio interview at WDJM in Framingham. We drive 45 minutes to station. Interview was good - lots of fun. More jokes about "Eat Your Pageant" and "Life's Rich Paisley". Leave at 5:45 - "have" to be at "TT the Bear's" club at 6:00 - HAHA!. Drive back and unload. I stay - the others go back and pick up guitars and Dave R. Sound check - OK sound. Dan M. does his first show [as sound man]. We go back to Beth's and hang out.

We're breaking Dan in. He had some home recording experience and played guitar as well as being a Radio/Television/Film student with both Joe and Dave R. so sitting behind the sound board and changing a guitar string wasn't completely alien to him. Here's the TT's website.

Back to club at 9:00. Eat club food - beef stew and salad. Dawn and Beth show up. I make set lists. As usual I think I feel more comfortable when I know that it's my fault that I forgot a song on the list. I hope that we don't keep doing the same set over and over again (it is easier though...).

Oh my god!- I actually ate beef stew from a rock club kitchen! We had a tradition in the band called "Mr. Set List". Each member got to be the set list maker in turn. When it was your turn, you got to put some of your favorite songs in the set as well as some of the more popular tracks the crowd wanted to hear. This kept it fresher and a little more interesting than playing the same songs in the same order over and over again. A running joke though was us being a little uneasy the nights Joe took the helm. He was far more adventurous than some of us would have liked occasionally! There were a few un-official guidelines like keeping 'Bitchin' roughly in the middle of the set and certain songs naturally flowed together. We also tried to put about 21 songs in the set. Some songs seemed to be natural "openers" while others where good for finishing the night. Joe tried things like alphabetical night or "backwards" night.

First band on at 10 to 10. Hardcore looking - lots of synthesizers and drum machines/guitars. Noisy - funny. We finish dinner and and set up. On at 11:15 - good show. Give Dave B. (his birthday today) the tube of red icing. Bras are thrown, Jenn sent friends from college. We finish - encore with "Swordfish" and "Jellyfish Heaven". Hang out and pack up. Back to house and drink vodka and orange juice. Crash at 4:30 or so. See you at the Burlington Vermont show.