Here is the report from my LA trip to see THE PANIC CHANNEL
I got into LA Wednesday night at about midnight. I had a night cap with maria and we headed to bed.
I got up around 8 am of course and got on the board. When maria awoke we ran some errands and got some breakfast.
Then I took nap.
Around 4 pm Maria and I head over the hills and through the woods to get to the venue. We arive around 5pm, and the line to get the tickets was wrapped around the corner of the Roxy. Luckily we had found Jen (with one n) and she let us stand with her. Until i could figure what was going on with the the ticket situation.
After standing there about 10 minuets Steve walks out and says hi, then runs off to do some interview with MSN.
Security reoganizes the lines and eventully Steve comes and finds us again after the inteview. We stood around and chatted for about 30 minuets and only one person came up and asked for a picture with him. I knew by this moment that the mostly female crowd was at the venue to be woo'd by the other pretty boy singers.
So finally around 5:20 they start handing out the wristband. The girls who were handing them out had NO clue of what was actually going on. Steve was asking her about his own guestlist and she couldn't even tell him who had it. But we eventually got it all worked out and we were able to get Micheal in as he arrived late and wasn't in the first wave of 100 wristbands they were giving out.
Now Maria, Therea, Micheal, Jen, and a few other agents are all standing around watching the circus of reality tv. God... this was terrible. I couldn't believe how dumb the whole thing was with bringing these people onto some lame red carpet.
FINALLY at about 7:30 they started letting people in. I don't know what is worse... standing in line with these people... or being inside with these people. So ... i decided that the only way i am going to make it until TPC goes on is to invite my friend Jack to join the party. After a couple of drinks and a few shouts about how bad rockstar sucks... I mellow out slightly.
Mig apparently is the first opener... he played 4 songs.. and SUCKED. It was not rock... if you are going to call this a rockstar tour... fucking play rock songs... on and rockstar is over... stop playing covers... play your own shit you assclown. That the worse 30 minuets of the night.
Marty and the love hammers then take the stage. And I am already fucking bitter as hell that they are there. So i am as close to the stage as I can get without vomiting. I wanted to be in prime position to take a good spot when they left the stage. I wasn't thinking they would play for more than 30 minuets because we know the soccer moms and grand mas have to get home to dismiss thier babysitters. So I can feel that my presense is just not welcome. Most likely because i have a penis and it wasn't on some reality tv show and I was interupting thier fantasy.
Honestly i can say that the MC and the Hammers sounded good. The songs were good, energy was good... but i couldn't get into the show because of it still just seemed like some joke. So i take the time to stand still and watch the guitar player. He was pretty solid and he could tell i didn't give a shit about the rest of the band or the screaming women. During the last song he flings his pick at me and nails me right in the chest. So either he was giving me props for not giving a fuck.. or he was trying to get me into the show. Either way... they are a good band... but i would never see them again. Thier music may end up in my ... yes i downloaded this... and i don't want anyone to know pile.
This is when the drama starts...
Thier set ends and the hammerettes or whatever them bitches call each other start to spread out a bit... and i step forward pushing my way a bit to the front of the stage of course trying to get to front and center so stand in front of Steve. And wow... Jezzi... territorial is right. Had i waited 5 minuets to do this.. no problem... but because i moved up while thier little dream was going on all hell broke lose. I am getting pushed from all sides and being called all kinds of names that these women wish they could call thier husbands or babies daddies... or whatever. (PAUSE: I don't mean to sound sexist or anything cause you panic cats know i love you... but these women just make your gender look terrible) I refuse to move back and i am telling them I waited through thier shitty music before i moved up to see the band I came to see. I can already tell the crowd is thinning out. A specific soccer mom wearing some home made red wifebeater with love hammer lettering on it is still just letting me have it when i decide to make the bold move of turning around and just ignoring her. Seconds later i hear... YOU ARE A JERK.. and wham... i felt a punch to the back which that wasn't the problem... it was her ring that hurt... so i hope i bent her pretty little engagment ring given to her by some chump. Finally all the drama ends after these women start giving away the front row spots to anyone but me. Theresa takes a spot that some 65 year old woman wouldn't give up. And seconds after she moves Theresa tells me to take the spot. God i love my panic cats.
Around 10 pm TPC finally takes the stage and rocks the fucking house.
The them for the night appears to be technical difficulties. Daves amps at one point fell out of his rack unit. How this can happen i have no idea. A tube guitar head weighs close to 50 lbs. They don't just slide out easily. Steve had a few mic problems and at one point the V Stratocaster that I am currently in love with stoped working for him. The venuse was so hot that I was told after the Steve almost fainted. The boys were all sweaty and so was I. A few songs in I had to remove my shirt and then steve walked back and grabbed a towel and threw it at me... what a nice guy! So i spent the rest of the set wiping myself down with this towel and it will proudly be kept as my new playing / gig towel.
Here is the original set list:
Left to Lose
Teahouse
Go On
Awake
Why Cry
Said You'd Be
She Won't Last
Blue Bruises
Night One
well as blue bruises ended... so did dave's amps or guitars or SOMETHING. So they could not play Night One... and well you all know that I LOVE THAT SONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But they would not let the night end because of that. Dave pulled out the beautiful white acoustic and they did a acoustic version of Outsider with perk on bongos. It was great to hear them play that song again.
After the show I drag my tired, sweaty, no voice left, just SPENT ass out of the club. I soon met Gianna who is one of the sweetest people i have met to date. She called US celebrities. I couldn't believe it. She knew some stuff about us and said she always reads what we write. What a classy lady. We then decide to head over to the rainbow and G says she will round up the boys.
When we arrive we tell the manager we will need a table for 10 and that the band would be joining us. I was totally expecting him to be like ... yeah right and to not get us a table. But i was wrong.. he said he already has a table for dave in the back and gives us the two smaller tables in front of it.
In about 10 minuets Dave shows up and waves at us. Perk came a few minuets later and Steve and G showed up after that. Steve sat down with us for a few minuets and talked about the show. Then he went over to his table and ordered up some food.
This was simply the most home i have felt since i moved to Cali from Colorado. I was with people I love in a place that was amazing. I scarfed down half a large pizza and i needed that food BAD!!!
Around 1 Maria and I are starting to fad so I step out to have a smoke with Gianna and when I come back in everyone is wraping up. I tell dave to have a great night and reach out to shake his hand, but he won't have any of that... he brings me in for a big brotherly hug.
I got into LA Wednesday night at about midnight. I had a night cap with maria and we headed to bed.
I got up around 8 am of course and got on the board. When maria awoke we ran some errands and got some breakfast.
Then I took nap.
Around 4 pm Maria and I head over the hills and through the woods to get to the venue. We arive around 5pm, and the line to get the tickets was wrapped around the corner of the Roxy. Luckily we had found Jen (with one n) and she let us stand with her. Until i could figure what was going on with the the ticket situation.
After standing there about 10 minuets Steve walks out and says hi, then runs off to do some interview with MSN.
Security reoganizes the lines and eventully Steve comes and finds us again after the inteview. We stood around and chatted for about 30 minuets and only one person came up and asked for a picture with him. I knew by this moment that the mostly female crowd was at the venue to be woo'd by the other pretty boy singers.
So finally around 5:20 they start handing out the wristband. The girls who were handing them out had NO clue of what was actually going on. Steve was asking her about his own guestlist and she couldn't even tell him who had it. But we eventually got it all worked out and we were able to get Micheal in as he arrived late and wasn't in the first wave of 100 wristbands they were giving out.
Now Maria, Therea, Micheal, Jen, and a few other agents are all standing around watching the circus of reality tv. God... this was terrible. I couldn't believe how dumb the whole thing was with bringing these people onto some lame red carpet.
FINALLY at about 7:30 they started letting people in. I don't know what is worse... standing in line with these people... or being inside with these people. So ... i decided that the only way i am going to make it until TPC goes on is to invite my friend Jack to join the party. After a couple of drinks and a few shouts about how bad rockstar sucks... I mellow out slightly.
Mig apparently is the first opener... he played 4 songs.. and SUCKED. It was not rock... if you are going to call this a rockstar tour... fucking play rock songs... on and rockstar is over... stop playing covers... play your own shit you assclown. That the worse 30 minuets of the night.
Marty and the love hammers then take the stage. And I am already fucking bitter as hell that they are there. So i am as close to the stage as I can get without vomiting. I wanted to be in prime position to take a good spot when they left the stage. I wasn't thinking they would play for more than 30 minuets because we know the soccer moms and grand mas have to get home to dismiss thier babysitters. So I can feel that my presense is just not welcome. Most likely because i have a penis and it wasn't on some reality tv show and I was interupting thier fantasy.
Honestly i can say that the MC and the Hammers sounded good. The songs were good, energy was good... but i couldn't get into the show because of it still just seemed like some joke. So i take the time to stand still and watch the guitar player. He was pretty solid and he could tell i didn't give a shit about the rest of the band or the screaming women. During the last song he flings his pick at me and nails me right in the chest. So either he was giving me props for not giving a fuck.. or he was trying to get me into the show. Either way... they are a good band... but i would never see them again. Thier music may end up in my ... yes i downloaded this... and i don't want anyone to know pile.
This is when the drama starts...
Thier set ends and the hammerettes or whatever them bitches call each other start to spread out a bit... and i step forward pushing my way a bit to the front of the stage of course trying to get to front and center so stand in front of Steve. And wow... Jezzi... territorial is right. Had i waited 5 minuets to do this.. no problem... but because i moved up while thier little dream was going on all hell broke lose. I am getting pushed from all sides and being called all kinds of names that these women wish they could call thier husbands or babies daddies... or whatever. (PAUSE: I don't mean to sound sexist or anything cause you panic cats know i love you... but these women just make your gender look terrible) I refuse to move back and i am telling them I waited through thier shitty music before i moved up to see the band I came to see. I can already tell the crowd is thinning out. A specific soccer mom wearing some home made red wifebeater with love hammer lettering on it is still just letting me have it when i decide to make the bold move of turning around and just ignoring her. Seconds later i hear... YOU ARE A JERK.. and wham... i felt a punch to the back which that wasn't the problem... it was her ring that hurt... so i hope i bent her pretty little engagment ring given to her by some chump. Finally all the drama ends after these women start giving away the front row spots to anyone but me. Theresa takes a spot that some 65 year old woman wouldn't give up. And seconds after she moves Theresa tells me to take the spot. God i love my panic cats.
Around 10 pm TPC finally takes the stage and rocks the fucking house.
The them for the night appears to be technical difficulties. Daves amps at one point fell out of his rack unit. How this can happen i have no idea. A tube guitar head weighs close to 50 lbs. They don't just slide out easily. Steve had a few mic problems and at one point the V Stratocaster that I am currently in love with stoped working for him. The venuse was so hot that I was told after the Steve almost fainted. The boys were all sweaty and so was I. A few songs in I had to remove my shirt and then steve walked back and grabbed a towel and threw it at me... what a nice guy! So i spent the rest of the set wiping myself down with this towel and it will proudly be kept as my new playing / gig towel.
Here is the original set list:
Left to Lose
Teahouse
Go On
Awake
Why Cry
Said You'd Be
She Won't Last
Blue Bruises
Night One
well as blue bruises ended... so did dave's amps or guitars or SOMETHING. So they could not play Night One... and well you all know that I LOVE THAT SONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But they would not let the night end because of that. Dave pulled out the beautiful white acoustic and they did a acoustic version of Outsider with perk on bongos. It was great to hear them play that song again.
After the show I drag my tired, sweaty, no voice left, just SPENT ass out of the club. I soon met Gianna who is one of the sweetest people i have met to date. She called US celebrities. I couldn't believe it. She knew some stuff about us and said she always reads what we write. What a classy lady. We then decide to head over to the rainbow and G says she will round up the boys.
When we arrive we tell the manager we will need a table for 10 and that the band would be joining us. I was totally expecting him to be like ... yeah right and to not get us a table. But i was wrong.. he said he already has a table for dave in the back and gives us the two smaller tables in front of it.
In about 10 minuets Dave shows up and waves at us. Perk came a few minuets later and Steve and G showed up after that. Steve sat down with us for a few minuets and talked about the show. Then he went over to his table and ordered up some food.
This was simply the most home i have felt since i moved to Cali from Colorado. I was with people I love in a place that was amazing. I scarfed down half a large pizza and i needed that food BAD!!!
Around 1 Maria and I are starting to fad so I step out to have a smoke with Gianna and when I come back in everyone is wraping up. I tell dave to have a great night and reach out to shake his hand, but he won't have any of that... he brings me in for a big brotherly hug.
meow:
Thanx for the set comments!