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Bluesfest artist antics


AdamH

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I've not got much for you this year except the following:

1. Cat Power's rider contains two novel requests: an autograph from Bob Dylan, and a pair of Ray Ban Sunglasses. She will get neither.

2. One of my backstage volunteers went on a champagne run for the white stripes. Their tour has several "bus moms" who are in charge of keeping thins stocked, picking up the after-show and load-out meals and so on. Evidently one of their bus moms had left the tour and they'd held elections to pick a new one. They were announcing the winner that night on the bus.

3. Surprise surprise Manu Chao loves the ganga!

4. Hawksley Workman was sociable, polite and sober. The complete opposite of the previous bluesfest show he gave. I told him he looked less like a goth and more stocky and built, almost like a fit soccer hooligan and he said it's because he's stopped binge drinking and instead smokes pot that gives him "wild sexual hallucinations"

5. Though their music blew, in-flight safety reigns supreme as the absolute nicest guys I've ever had the pleasure of serving at bluesfest.

6. We have had 3 backstage lockdowns so far this year: Dylan, Morrison, White Stripes. This effectively removes every person from the backstage area except the hospitality manager and the artist's guest list.

7. George Thorogood had a mysterious shrine of incense and dreamcatchers, packed very professionally into a road case, that was to remain open for the entire pre-show and after-show period. There was a picture of a black man inside it but I had no clue who it was.

8. 20 bras in the backstage area after Hedley's performance yesterday.

9. The diapered dude from George Clinton shat all over the floor of the washroom trailer backstage. My poor cohorts had to clean up human feces.

10. After the clearout of Dylan's backstage area, he went into his trailer and emerged wearing a blonde wig and sunglasses

11. I drank Kanye's leftover Hennessey

12. Todd Snider and manager blew through a half ounce in two days. It's not really gossip more an observation

13. Someone in Alexisonfire's party likes the yayo

14. Umm..Xavier Rudd drinks soymilk?

15. Danny Michel's trunk latch broke

16. Sharon Jones Rider includes 2 bottles of Jameson's, and only a half bottle was leftover.

16.5 I got to kiss Sharon Jones on the cheek

Overall this year was pretty mundane and unexceptional except the dropping a load on the floor. next year I'm hoping for more wildness, sex and drugs especially if it's coming from artists and not roadies, backstage volunteers and other less interesting people.

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AdamH (or anybody else who might know), do you know if the acts (especially those on the MBNA and/or Rogers stages) are bringing their own sound engineers?

Aloha,

Brad

P.S. I, too, am digging the backstage stories. Keep 'em coming!

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In the case of black sheep most of my headliners have had their own sound guys.

All of the stages this year have a few paid staff: usually FOH, boards and the stage manager whereas in the past it was just the stage manager that was paid.

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All of the stages this year have a few paid staff: usually FOH, boards and the stage manager whereas in the past it was just the stage manager that was paid.

Thanks. I'm hoping at least some of moe.'s people will be there (in the sound tent, or otherwise easily accessible) tonight.

Aloha,

Brad

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keep up the stories! if you need me to smooth things over with cat power i might have what she needs. ahem. (ps it's not a bob dylan autograph)

my favourite on-stage 'antic' was during the Spiral Beach set, the exchange between the two brothers (guitar and drums)

Guitar guy: why are you looking at me like that?

drummer: TUNE YOUR FUCKING GUITAR!

guitar guy: learn how to play a real instrument!

that was hilarious. to me. and others i'm sure.

i got the feeling that in-flight safety were very nice guys just from their demeanour on stage. glad it wasn't an act.

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Fucking Sprial Beach. I was a kid once too but I was never as retarded as those twits.

Not knowing what a rider was, and being 90% underage, they drove to Hull and bought their own beer. When they found out we would give them booze but card them they got all pissy. Then they decided that My Dad vs. Yours had stolen their gear.

A quick-thinking stagehand also caught them loading a very nice gibson in with their gear...said gibson belonging to My Dad vs. yours!

Then they went and got more beer and loitered just outside the fence until midnight when their manager, the "oldest" guy there being about 22, finally drove away...leaving someone's passport and shoes on the stage.

It felt like running a kindergarten. Other than the dark-haired brother of the twins set and one other dude they were tiring.

I liked their music though.

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hahaha i had a feeling they were like that as well, you can tell just by looking at them that they're a bit higher maintenance than normal kids.

must be nice / intimidating to learn the ropes at a big festival like this. they have chops for sure. can't listen to it all the time though.

i feel bad that i missed my dad vs yours trying to find out about the secret Stripes show. love those guys.

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