8/9/18

First night of the actual tour we were at Lola’s in Ft Worth. I’m really glad we made the gig, it wasn’t looking like we were gonna at a few points. I was supposed to be the last pickup on the way out of town but the freak’s alternator bit it when they were just north of SA. It added fiveish hours to the SA fellas day while Cody, Lance and I sat around bullshitting. 

We pulled up to Lola’s when Blood of the Sun was on (missed Mos Generation entirely...). Two full stacks, keys, bass drums and a singer. They were an onslaught of sound and on fire! Really powerful shit. 

We did pretty well. Didn’t drive everyone off that fast. Pretty full for the first half. It thinned out after that but the folks who stayed were the hard rocks. 

In typical touring Hickoid fashion we packed it up, hit a pancake place and got on the road to miss the heat on the drive to the next show in New Mexico.  You sleep in a van, boy!

9/10/16

Hickoids went up to Ft Worth last week. Our set was good and the opener, Duel, kicked some twin lead ass. But I don't wanna talk that. This post is all about the Me-Thinks.


It was their record release and they asked us to come up and play. Those dudes are great people and the music is top notch, we couldn't say no!



We finish our set and swap the gear, the "thinks" load in their amps, drums, smoke machines and a bar! A bar! On to the stage!! Then they stared the set. Nothing but covers. For their record release party! Guts! They played the first two tunes from that Cheap Trick Live album. Two Spinal Tap songs. TWO! Replacements and Beaumonts (and many, many others.)



There was a raffle where seventeen of the twenty-odd spaces on the wheel were labeled "cold taco". I saw a few folks eating cold tacos at various points. No euphemism here.


Somewhere in the set they all left the stage and a guy dressed as Peter Criss came up and played a drum solo, then sang Beth to a backing track. Fuck me it was funny.



Later on, I don't remember what song it was but when it got around to the lead, Ray took off his guitar and handed it to one of the dudes from Duel. He plays the solo, Ray sits at the stage bar, orders a beer and has a couple of swigs (they let the solo go on and on!) then they swapped back. The ass-kicking continued.


I spent a lot of time up at the stage at the bar. I was getting pretty lit up in the best possible way. With that easy access to beer and shots it was impossible not to... Then they played "I Like Drinking" by the Beaumonts. The place went nuts and the smoke machines went on. Lance was standing next to me (we were still mostly behind the drums) so I lit up a joint. Passed it around and the good people in the stage bar had an extra good time.


Eventually they finished up with what they were planning on playing and they were gonna call it a night. But there were too many people yelling that they played both songs from the single. I mean it was the release party... Speaking of which I totally spaced on getting a copy... Idiot.



Thanks fellas, that was one hell of a night! Pure Rock and Roll.