The Lost Weekend
This weekend wasn't really a weekend for me...between shows and rehearsals, I barely got any sleep, and was quite punchy and exhausted the whole time.
Nevertheless, it was quite smooth "Rudolph" wise...all the cues were right on, and our pacing was better. Saturday sold out, and was so packed that we were all trying not to step on audience members' feet--there were chairs on the main floor. I remembered the cork for the booze bottle, incidentally, and Ed Jones didn't end up getting wet again. "Bare Naked Lads Save Christmas" has now opened, so we're sharing the performance space with them. This means we have to pack up and change extra fast on Saturday night so they can get in the dressing room (for naked guys, they sure have a lot of costumes! :-)). Fortunately, I'm a quick change and Jason, the assistant stage manager, kindly hung the costume up for me.
It was a crazy fucking weekend. Tracy, the lead singer of my band, called Friday night just before I left the theatre. The booking person at Lilly's Pub called her and asked if we'd be available to play the late slot the next night. From 1:00 AM to 3:00 AM. I wasn't really excited about it, but since I'm doing "Rudolph," I'm not available for many gigs, and I don't want to deprive the band of opportunities to play.
But 1:00 to 3:00 AM? On one day's notice? I knew I was just going to grit my teeth and bear this one.
So Saturday, I drove my fully-packed car to Lincoln Park at 5:00 PM, found a sweet parking spot right around the corner from Lilly's, and walked back to the theatre for our 6:00 PM call. "Rudolph" ended around 8:30 (we started just a teeny bit late, since there were so many people on the books), and I walked back down to Lincoln Park (actually a pretty enjoyable walk, especially with all the decorations up). I still had four hours to kill. I went to this punk bar called Delilah's near Lincoln and Diversey, where they always show death movies and have cool drink specials. Tonight they were showing "Girl on a Motorcycle" with Marianne Faithfull. Even if I didn't worship Ms. M, I would love the movie for its scenery alone--Germany and Switzerland are gorgeous. I got to Lilly's about 11:00 and there was a "bongo blues" band playing. They were pretty decent.
We actually got to start around 12:30, since that band finished early. The set went OK, but it was not our most shining hour. Tracy always does this audience-participation thing during one of the numbers, and this time it went haywire. One of the guys was drunk off his skeevy little ass and kept screaming into the microphone like a football hooligan. Tracy finally had to tell him to sit down.
This place attracts mainly college kids, situated as it is near DePaul University. I pegged this guy right off as some pre-law, pre-medicine (God help us) or business student who's being totally subsidized by Mommy and Daddy, and has a large supply of disposable income, a cabinet full of liquor, and a shelf full of "Girls Gone Wild" videotapes at home. We simply must stop playing places like this! As atmospheric as it is, it's not our demographic.
Our favorite venue (so far!) is the one we'll be playing New Year's Eve, Gallery Cabaret in Bucktown...Baby Kage, another awesome Chicago band, will be opening for us. Prize drawings, contests and rock and roll! Join the fun...
GALLERY CABARET
2020 N. OAKLEY
CHICAGO, IL
Show starts at 10:00PM
This weekend, more "Rudolph!" My mom is coming this Saturday, along with a few friends, so this ought to be interesting...
Nevertheless, it was quite smooth "Rudolph" wise...all the cues were right on, and our pacing was better. Saturday sold out, and was so packed that we were all trying not to step on audience members' feet--there were chairs on the main floor. I remembered the cork for the booze bottle, incidentally, and Ed Jones didn't end up getting wet again. "Bare Naked Lads Save Christmas" has now opened, so we're sharing the performance space with them. This means we have to pack up and change extra fast on Saturday night so they can get in the dressing room (for naked guys, they sure have a lot of costumes! :-)). Fortunately, I'm a quick change and Jason, the assistant stage manager, kindly hung the costume up for me.
It was a crazy fucking weekend. Tracy, the lead singer of my band, called Friday night just before I left the theatre. The booking person at Lilly's Pub called her and asked if we'd be available to play the late slot the next night. From 1:00 AM to 3:00 AM. I wasn't really excited about it, but since I'm doing "Rudolph," I'm not available for many gigs, and I don't want to deprive the band of opportunities to play.
But 1:00 to 3:00 AM? On one day's notice? I knew I was just going to grit my teeth and bear this one.
So Saturday, I drove my fully-packed car to Lincoln Park at 5:00 PM, found a sweet parking spot right around the corner from Lilly's, and walked back to the theatre for our 6:00 PM call. "Rudolph" ended around 8:30 (we started just a teeny bit late, since there were so many people on the books), and I walked back down to Lincoln Park (actually a pretty enjoyable walk, especially with all the decorations up). I still had four hours to kill. I went to this punk bar called Delilah's near Lincoln and Diversey, where they always show death movies and have cool drink specials. Tonight they were showing "Girl on a Motorcycle" with Marianne Faithfull. Even if I didn't worship Ms. M, I would love the movie for its scenery alone--Germany and Switzerland are gorgeous. I got to Lilly's about 11:00 and there was a "bongo blues" band playing. They were pretty decent.
We actually got to start around 12:30, since that band finished early. The set went OK, but it was not our most shining hour. Tracy always does this audience-participation thing during one of the numbers, and this time it went haywire. One of the guys was drunk off his skeevy little ass and kept screaming into the microphone like a football hooligan. Tracy finally had to tell him to sit down.
This place attracts mainly college kids, situated as it is near DePaul University. I pegged this guy right off as some pre-law, pre-medicine (God help us) or business student who's being totally subsidized by Mommy and Daddy, and has a large supply of disposable income, a cabinet full of liquor, and a shelf full of "Girls Gone Wild" videotapes at home. We simply must stop playing places like this! As atmospheric as it is, it's not our demographic.
Our favorite venue (so far!) is the one we'll be playing New Year's Eve, Gallery Cabaret in Bucktown...Baby Kage, another awesome Chicago band, will be opening for us. Prize drawings, contests and rock and roll! Join the fun...
GALLERY CABARET
2020 N. OAKLEY
CHICAGO, IL
Show starts at 10:00PM
This weekend, more "Rudolph!" My mom is coming this Saturday, along with a few friends, so this ought to be interesting...
posted by Aaron at 4:12 PM
2 Comments:
Damn what a day.
You have far more oomph and stamina than I.
You didn't see me when it was all over!
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