Scott's Blog

Due to the difficulty of getting groups of over 6 people motivated, especially during a drizzly cold (for Floridans) Chicago afternoon, we got to Touch and Go Friday a little late for Pegboy, one of the bands I really wanted to see. They were so damn good. Unpracticed, sloppy and drunk at 2 in the afternoon, they still put on an entertaining show. Larry's running around the stage flashing his big pot belly would be eerily recreated by myself later that night.

Heard a little of The Ex while eating, they sounded pretty good.

Killdozer was up next, one of those bands I always wanted to like more than I actually did. They sounded great, at least for a couple of songs, til they all sort of sounded the same.

Holy crap, were The Didjits amazing! After standing in a parking lot for hours, they completely gave the thing a much-needed shot in the arm.

Rick Sims gave his patented Ric Flair meets Little Richard rock star poses, and heckled the crowd through the whole set. They stuck to stuff off Hornet Pinata and Hey Judester, the latest song they played was "Who's Ready to Get High? " which is how it should be. I do have to deduct a few points for not wearing the feather boa, though.

Negative Approach was really good -- singer's voice sounds as scary as it did in the '80s. Started out with "Can't Tell No One," but a bad sound mix cut out the guitar. Most of the hardcore I listened to back in high school was of the Minor Threat/7 Seconds "we're all on the same team, let's work together" school; Negative Approach will still make me want to slap a cop or say bad words to my dad.

About this time I realize that I really need to get that photo pass. I made a half-ass attempt the night before, but nobody knew where I needed to go. After a lot of walking around, I finally get my pass.

"So what does this get me into?"

"Well, that means you can bring in professional equipment."

"Oh."

" And you can get in behind the barricade up front."

Now that sounded alright.

I had had a few beers throughout the day, not an excessive amount by any means, and I had been eating all day as well.

None of that mattered as I walked to the barricade to get a good position for Scratch Acid. Walking across the parking lot, all of a sudden it hit me that I was quite possibly the drunkest man in the world.

The pass worked like a charm, I was up next to the stage clutching my little $150 Canon while everyone else had these huge Hubble cameras. I hung out on the far end of the stage, because I didn't want to call any attention to myself, although I couldn't help standing up and snapping pictures of the crowd while screaming every now and then.

Scratch Acid were as good as I hoped. Opened with "She Said" and "Cannibal." I took a ton of pictures, but after a while one of the bouncer guys told me I had taken enough. I was happy just to be there, so I didn't raise a stink, and I figured it was pretty obvious I didn't belong, as I was dancing around in my little corner while all the other photographers were fiddling with f-stops and what not.

Man or Astroman were up next, and were as good as I remembered them in their heyday, although I was a bit put off by the fact that they had like, beards and stuff, and weren't as costumed as I would have liked. They don't wear beards in the future! Didn't have the usual assortment of stuff on stage, although after the bouncer kicked me out, and I went to get a good position for Big Black, I was told they took out a 7 foot Tesla Coil (those things in Frankenstein movies with the electricity shooting out) and handed pieces of the drum set to the crowd.

Big Black started out by firing up a brick of firecrackers, then did a short set -- "Cables," "Dead Billy," "Pigeon Kill" and "Racer X." The sound was just tremendous. Like a jet plane taking off. Some people seemed to think they were just going through the motions and were upset they didn't do any later stuff, but I thought they were amazing. And who would have thought I would have ever seen Big Black in front of 7,000 people?

About this time, all that beer is starting to really work on my bladder, but I really don't want to lose my sweet spot up front. So I sort of, well...discretely aim away from myself while still taking pictures. Nobody is the wiser, which is good, because those bouncers would have beat the shit out of me if they realized what was going on.

I had been standing by David Yow of Jesus Lizard and Scratch Acid and some other Chicago big cheese. I've been discrete with my pass, although again, it is obvious through my singing and happiness that I'm not as professional as my brothers and sisters up towards the front.

Anyway, after a couple of Shellac songs, the bouncer again comes up and says, "alright, that's enough." As I'm leaving, David Yow, the guy that made a career out of showing his nuts and terrorizing crowds, says, "Yeah, I think he's had enough tonight." Perhaps I wasnt as discrete as I thought.

The rest of the night is a blur. I found a group of my friends who told me I was screaming at random people while flashing my press pass. Sample quotes:

"You see this? This means I can do whatever I want! First Amendment, baby! Power of the press!"

"Oh. I'm from CHICAGO! Who cares about seeing Big Black? Well you know what? I'm from Bradenton, Florida, motherfuckers! Show some enthusiasm!"

Again, its a miracle I didn't get my ass beat.

But yeah, Shellac was really good, too. After that, we end up a bar, just where I needed to be. This was the point I started eating big chunks out of dollar bills and fliers. I also have a picture where I twisted my shirt up into a Daisy Duke-style bikini. Nobody needs to see that. I'm sorry, Chicago, but you drove me to it with your lack of enthusiasm.

Next morning, I get up at 7:30, feeling better than I have in weeks. I had managed to flush out my system. Bryan and Sara made an amazing brunch, and then later that day we catch Seam, who sounded really good, especially the drummer, although they're certainly not the most exciting band in the world. I was going to use my pass to take some photos, but after the night before, I was terrified that there was a wanted photo of me up there or the bouncers would remember me.

Brick Layer Cake did a 2 song 20 minute set. I liked 'em a lot. Both bands were perfect for a drizzly, cold Sunday.

That was really about it. I saw about 13 out of the 25 bands, missed a couple I would have liked to have seen, and provided my gracious hosts with some entertainment. Hey, you pay for the monkey to fly up there, you're at least gonna get a show out of it. I'm still just amazed at the whole thing - the bands, my friends arranging the whole thing for me - I feel like a Make A Wish Kid or something. Now I'm ready for the next big festival.