| Cole Harley Davidson "Let Freedom Ride" weekend - June 11 & 12, 2004 |
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hi, this is Larry and here's how it happened.. |
| Darrell, Brian, Gina, T-Bone, Bub, me and special guest Corbin Fitzpatrick (adding guitar and vocals to our show) left for Bluefield, WV, Thurs evening about 6 pm and we stopped at Tamarack for our regulation Starbucks double shot expresso pick-me-up. Then we proceeded to Bluefield where we checked into our rooms and checked out the Weather Channel to see what the weather would be for the gig since it was gonna be outside. We then went over to Texas Steakhouse and Saloon for dinner and it was great. Thanks to the Texas staff and owner for great hospitality. |
| We got up the next day and it looked pretty nice outside, so we went to the job to set up. When we got there event coordinator Teresa was just as nice in person as on the phone and they were organizing some plastic for the roof of the stage. She said they were expecting rain. We were in the middle of getting the stage set up with time to spare, so Bub and Corbin decided to go get some extra plastic just in case we needed it. Five minutes after they left, the sky opened up and dumped a lot of rain on our stage. Rain started pouring down from the roof onto the stage and onto some of our gear. Brian, Darrell, T-Bone, Gina and I scrambled to move things to small patches where there was no water leaking through. We thought we had it under control and in dry spots when I looked over and saw rain dumping straight into Corbin's amp. T-bone and I both jumped over there and grabbed his amp and tried to save it. Mind you, this was Corbin's first gig with us. |
| Finally the rain stopped. We got things dried off and set up and put more plastic down on the roof and managed to play a couple of songs when Corbin's amp quit working. We played 2 more songs and then the rain came. So we had to stop playing and tear down quickly. We go back to the motel room and put a blow dryer on Corbin's amp. Corbin and T-Bone both took turns on the blow dryer. After several hours of this, they put the amp back together and it did not work right. So, we decided to use a spare peddle and spare monitor for Corbin to get through the gig. We were all "amped" to be playing together and wouldn't let anything get in our way. Of course there was a slight party that night and someone who shall remain nameless woke up puking. |
| The next day we get up and go to lunch at CiCi's Pizza, not everyone went, (great food!) and head back over to set up for the afternoon concert after stopping for more plastic. We start by mopping, then take a squeegee and blow dryer to the stage floor. Then we set up our gear. Even though the event had rain nothing could dampen the vibe when the bikes started rolling in. We were pumped for the after party celebration and played a great concert. Thanks to everyone who rocked out with us. We made a lot of new fans. |
| "Let Freedom Ride" was a big success and we were glad to be a part of it. Special thanks to the sponsors: Cole Harley Davidson, Wytheville Harley Davidson, Texas Steakhouse & Saloon, Ci Ci's Pizza, Sleep Inn and more... |
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And thanks to everyone for coming to the
shows and supporting the band we really appreciate it.
Larry
ps...we bought Corbin a new amp and he
did a great job.
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