BY: Tbone_Jag
http://www.geocities.com/tbone_jag
(pics coming soon!)
My trip to my first show began with a mini-trip to the local Tower Records to pick up my tickets for the show. I picked up four tickets for the show for around a hundred dollars.
The tickets read:
LA County Fair/Kroq
BIG BAD VOODOO
DADDY
Fairplex at Pomona
I got the tickets about a half a month before the show, so we got pretty good seats. The day of the show I got dressed up in my suit and Black fedora hat. My friend and his wife picked me and my friend Alex and took us there. He too was dress up; he wore a black fedora hat and a pinstriped suit. I wore a dark green suit.
When we got to the fair my other friend was waiting for us with his sister. He too was wearing a pinstriped suit.
It was kinda funny all four of us dress up in swing clothing.
We had about two hours before the show began so we wondered about the fair lookin' around. Right at the entrance we saw other people who dressed up for BBVD.
And we saw some of the pro dancers who would perform as a pre-show for BBVD.
Later we were going to another part of the fair and some people who were really happy or drunk said: "Hey there goes the Cherry Poppin' "Blank'n" Daddies" so that was pretty funny. (Lesley: okay, i'll let that one slide)
For the forty-five minutes before the show we were basically circling the entrance trying to find out what we could about getting in. My friend and his wife only had one ticket between them soo they sold that one and got the money for it. Then they got the free tickets in the grand stands that were free. This wasn't a real biggie for them since they weren't really into BBVD.
The show was to start at eight, and our little group was still walking around the entrance. They caught sight of the little KROQ counter and they went nuts! My friend Steve who gets crazy at these kinds of things went and started to mess with the people there. So this led up to him running up there and stealing a poster or something. it was really funny, no harm, and even the people at the counter were laughing.
Then I got the idea to get up a side set of stairs that were on the side of the grandstands. We saw the band tuning up, doin' there sound check. It was a perfect view. While up there we started yelling "SCOTTY!!!!" but we weren’t loud enough.
But we saw that they weren't in their swing suits until the show began.
I got the idea of going over there, because they started the soundcheck and one could hear that. Especially when Kurt was beating away on his drums, I could hear it from across the fair.
While up on the stairs they began playing ‘You and Me and The Bottle Makes Three’, just to warm up, but then they stopped after being satisfied.
It was getting pretty close to show time so we found out that we had to get in line to get our seats, so we got in back of a huge crowded line, that was really a bunch of people behind a gate.
Once we were let in we saw a stand selling shirts! I got a white classic one with the print on both sides, so did Alex. We got some stickers and I bought my friend’s sister a baby T, she quickly got to the bathroom and put it on!
Then we practically ran to our seat, even though we had to show our tickets every couple of seconds. Then I finally found out were the seats were! They were almost right in front! Like third row back and just a little to the side! Coool!
We got to our seats and we were wired! This nice man next to me said he liked the band and that he was excited.
Then we were still waiting, then the show started!
The announcer started asking trivia, and
people obviously got the easy questions like:
What’s the name
of the lead singer? Duh! Scotty Morris!
Next they ran some kind of preview stuff like a commercial for the Los Angeles Times.
Then they invited people to dance on designated floors. My friend and his sis went to start dancing, since I didn't dance, I just absorbed everything!
Another person came up to us and asked if we wanted info on their swing band, he said "I got the impression you guys like swing" (Obviously, from the suits!). During the easy quiz and the announcements they had those pro dancers teaching people how to dance and they were really good.
Then the real show began!
The band slowly came up on stage; we could see their feet under the board on the side of the stage. First came Dirk, and then the rest, I think Kurt came next. Dirk pretended to throw his bass into the crowd, by the way we were screaming - including me!
I brought my big deep (kinda like the yell you'd hear in a bar) voice.
They started with Jumpin' Jack! It was awesome I was just standing there in awe.... With my mouth open.
So was my friend who was staring at the same thing, Andy's new silver job on his big bari. Wow!
I was taking a look over the band everyone was the same except for Jeff, except, oops there wasn't a Jeff, but there was a Shef! He got really into it, one could see in his facial expressions while playin'.
Then they played a lot of songs, which I could not remember the order for the life of me right now, but this is what I did remember:
Mr. Pinstriped Suit
King of Swing
Minnie the Moocher
You and Me and The Bottle Makes Three
Tonight
Jump with my Baby
Go Daddy-o
Mambo Swing
Jumpin' Jack
I Wanna Be Just Like You
I'm Not Sleepin'
Who's That Creepin'
Big Time Operator
And of course, "So Long Farewell Goodbye"
They played every song CD perfect and even better! :)
What I thought was awwwwwwsome was that practically every one around me was singing along after the stun wore off in the beginning - I wanna be just like yooouu!
This was especially done during Minnie the Moocher, where Scotty asked every one to sing - No problem! Hidi, hidi, hidi Hooo!
Then he asked everyone to show who was playin' tonight by yelling out: "BIG, BAD, VOO, DOO, DADDY!" - big bad voodoo daddy!
Then they played the extra long version of Jump With My Baby!
It was cool, everyone had a solo, even Andy! Then in the middle Scotty explain New Orleans jazz and had the band play that! Yeah!
Oh by the way the on stage antics were greeeat! Andy followed a stage hand while playin', The Kid, and the others were helpin' Scotty out with support while he did his guitar solo. Scotty then asked the crowd to help The Kid out with confidence. Then, later, after the Kid got really into it, [Scotty] made the "he's got a big head" expression behind The Kid! It was tooo funny!
Oh, oh, stop! you're killing me!
Then they ran around while playin', my friends and I call this "Mardi Gras on parade". If we ever get our band together that'll be the name of our first album.
Next came Everyone's fav - GOOOOO DAADDDY-OOOOO!!!
This was toooooooo awwwwsome! While playin' awesomely (this the only way I can describe Karl) Karl started doin' somethin' awesome. Ever see that movie Back to the Future? Remember that thing Mike Fox does while playin' guitar. Karl did that.
He [did it] while playin'; he was kick/walkin'/slidin' across the floor! All at once!
TOO much! Woooo!
Then it happened - the concert was over! Nooooo! Not before they played "So Long, Farewell, Goodbye!" Yeah!
Tooo cool, they played it better then I’ve heard ever on CD! Especially the ending where they finished with "Smells Like Teen spirit" from Nirvana!
Then they said they’d sign afterwards. So we waited, with our CD’s and pics, in our hot little hands.
Then the big mean evil security guards told us to leave: "The show's over, get out!"
But we stood our ground, knowing that Scotty would come soon, so we stayed. Even our friends to everyone's enjoyment started chanting, "Hell no we won't go!"
Then they came, first Scotty! Woooo! He came out of some curtains with a finger close to his mouth making the "shush" sound - too funny, and too classy!>
Then my friends and me made it around to every one. Alex got his matchbook almost completely signed, and an 8 by 10 glossy of the band he had signed by everyone but Karl! I got my matchbook almost completely signed, I talked to Kid, Shef, and Andy. It was coool!
I shook hands with Glen, and then I said hi, (just then I realized that my voice dropped a couple octaves! I’ve been yelling sooo much that my voice deepened, almost like Barry Whites, but not as sexy).
All these girls were crazy over Scotty and Dirk!
I talked to Shef, congratulated him, and then asked him about Jeff, he told me that Jeff started an internet company that did multimedia. Which is cool, but I wish he was still here!
Then they were leaving! I saw Kurt with his little one, wearing a little BBVD jacket, sooo cute!
Then they got in a big van and left.
WHOA, that was a lot for one day!
My friends and I were in shock, basically for a few minutes after that. So much that Steve laughed soo much that he tossed his cookies, and had to change ties.
Then, since it was getting late, and I was starving, I grabbed a funnel cake and went home with my friend and his wife.
By the way, they [the band] saw us and
said that they recognized us because of our hats. Cool!