soraparuq wrote:kinda surprised there's not been more mentioned here at ol SlipLIVE
Well, I started writing something in my typical rambling style, but realized I would have to censor it too much, so I'll whittle it down to something that's proper for the mass audience.
The afterparty was definitely a blast at Pete's Candy Store (a bar, don't let the name fool you). We raged until at least 7 AM and people were still drinking when we left! We also left four or five times, then came back as there were still no cabs and that nasty cold drizzle (which put me, Cleantone and several others into the sick tank -- or it coulda been the all-day-all-night drinking binge??? ;-} *ya think?*).
soraparuq wrote:Thanks for the awesome photos Phrazz (those shots from Pearl street? w/ Brad in the vest, kinda dark blue light, or maybe thats just what I remember, up on Picasa, were awesome)
The venues are listed in the gallery text on Picasa. I think you might be looking at Pearl St. or Lupo's. Glad you liked the shots. I wasn't too happy with the technical quality of the photos from NYE -- the smoke really messes with things even though it looks cool with the right lights. Since Andrew had a glaring yellow light behind him, he looks like a nuclear bomb and you can't even see him in many shots from Brad's side of the stage. I also had to pretty much run like an antelope at the countdown as the beer started flying and hitting my gear -- which is not condusive to optics (as one might guess) and an expensive endeavor to clean. I had a short flashback to the NYE at the Rhodes (killer room, lame lights, lamer staff, awesome crowd and costumes, phenomenal performance) where I set my first digicam in a "safe place" by the merch table so I could do some "parking lot recon" and when I got back, someone had stepped on it. That convinced me to upgrade (to the Canon G2), so perhaps it was meant to happen.
I miss those old NYE shows and doubtful they'll ever happen like that again. I also loved Bethel Farm even though I had third-degree burns on my arm from being knocked onto a red hot wood stove. A few more shots of Jagermeister fixed that problem temporarily, but it took four or five months to fully heal. Then there was the barefoot firewalking at Sammy's...but that wasn't a Slip show. Just another NYE injury event for me. Fortunately (and amazingly) I didn't get injured at all this year! I'll chalk that up to experience with many previous hospital visits. And lack of large open flames, of course.
soraparuq wrote: Here's hoping we don't have to wait too long for them to get back out west, but certainly won't be before April it doesn't appear. i guess we've been pretty damn lucky in SF w/ the couple night runs, as this does not seem to be happening elsewhere. Rats, even.
Haha!
CA always seems to be a second home (even moreso than Canada, except for when Brad and Andrew moved to Montreal ;-}) and since there's a huge fan base out there (not to mention Jambase), I know they'll get there at least a few times a year. Waiting 4 to 6 months is tough, but maybe it's incentive to travel to other parts of the country. So far I've seen Slip shows in California as well as Seattle, Oregon and Chicago. I've been all over the east coast, but not as far south as Florida (though I'm thinking about Langerado as I've heard it's a wonderful time). We'll see more southeast tours methinks as they are growing and that's an indication of a band's popularity (not just Texas, where Austin is pretty "dialed in" to the music scene). Atlanta seems to be a big proving ground for bands.
soraparuq wrote:ok, can't we all just pitch in to throw a 2-3 night remote/retreat festie somewhere new, cool & chill, & easy like Jackson Hole or Montana or Utah? oooo--that would be sweeeet. I need some Slip au naturalle!
Dana
Would be a nice retreat, and I'm all for it. However, having thrown at least a couple of parties in my day, I can assure you it is no easy task. Planning a few weeks out is tricky enough, but something of that magnitude would take months or a year since it involves travelling and coordination with tour. I was thinking Hawaii but then the plane tickets times however many hundreds who could afford it would be big bucks then there's the resort fees. The mountain retreats have been done so I'm thinking of an island retreat. Negril rents out small resorts for relatively cheap money, or with careful coordination you could carve out a spot somewhere if you have the right connections (helps if you're friends with someone who owns a resort). To just call a place out of the blue and ask about having a band (or two or three play) is not so feasible...there has to be some groundwork done ahead of time and better if they're already used to bands (things like stage, sound and lights are not just nice to have, without these you get a strange show experience and in some cases disaster). I guess a domestic venue would be easiest for the fans, but what about Montreal or Europe? I'm hoping BAM hits Amsterdam and London in the near future. There are Slip fans in Europe who can help pave the way over there, but what about Slipsters in the Carribean?
Even still there are plenty of islands everywhere, and certainly plenty of resorts. I saw Phish at Sugarbush Ski area, also Allman Brothers and Santana and they have the infrastructure (water, electricity, lodging), so ski areas definintely are doable. But if you're talking about a truly legendary show, I think the tropics is the way to go. My dream is to be able to see a show from the ocean. There's the fear of drowning and sharks which means you'd need sober lifeguards, but we never had anyone drown at Creekside, where you could swim and see the stage.
Anyhow, without lots of money these are all pipe dreams, but it's nice to start thinking about it way ahead of time. I hope my next big trip will be a Slip tour in Europe, but there'll be some great festivals in the states that will feed my jonesin' for a little while (who's going to High Sierra '07???).
-Peace,
Phrazz
