You don’t have to go home

For the first time in about a year, I worked the door for a show at the local bbq establishment, rather than some Greek society function. I’d had a long day at work, and meeting up with friends from out of town. Such a long day that I came home afterwards and crashed four nearly four and a half hours before I had to go work the show. It was, as per usual, a local show, made up of bands who aren’t likely to play any of the more “name” clubs, aside from the occasional bone thrown to them. This may have something to do with the quality of their performances or the style of music the bands play. It may also be due to the fact that the guest list for last night’s show was a two-column affair that consumed an entire piece of college-rule notebook paper.

While working, I had to listen to some shitty indie rock, a band made up of most of the former members of Nowhere Fast (The Gunning System), and Sacco & Vanzetti, who are this awful drum and guitar duo. Yet, despite all their awfulness and fondness for Pink Floyd-style guitar excurisions, they’re still a band who managed to play a fucking note-perfect version of the Kingmen’s “Louie, Louie”. Bizarre.

There were quite a few young rock skanks / sluts there, as well. I’d thought that slip dresses fell out of style sometime around 1998, but evidently blonde girls with low self-esteem are still into them. One young lass dressed as such was leaned against the wall next to her boyfriend, and as she bent over to rummage through her purse, he lifted up the back of her dress and fondled her ass. Classy.

Sacco & Vanzetti ended up playing until ten ’til two, making the guy running the show a total inconsiderate dick for letting them go on that long. There was still a sound-system to tear down, tables to move, floors to sweep, chairs to be put on tables… and that’s to say nothing of getting folks out the fucking door by two. They sent me home as soon as things were normal, which was good, ’cause the wife seemed a bit worried.

So, to all you kids wanting to put on shows, here’s a few rules you might want to follow:
1) Set a definite end time for the show. I don’t care if the bands are awesome or your friends or whatever. The venue can’t really get cracking on the clean-up until you’re out of there.
2) Limit your guestlist numbers. The bands will make more money, and if the folks can’t afford three bucks, they can’t afford to drink or (more importantly) tip, and that’s going to make the venue not want them in their establishment.
3) Most importantly… be consistent. Make EVERYONE get ID’d. Band members, the folks taking the money, your sound man – EVERYONE. It makes the door guy’s job easier, it makes shit easier on security, and it makes the bartenders less likely to ask the door guy and security to watch people drinking underage.

the Kingsmen – “Louie, Louie