Re: What's the craziest thing you've seen on stage??? (no coffee drinking GeriO)

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: Most unbelievable things I've seen on stage.  I apologize for obscurity.

: 1) David Thomas of Pere Ubu is playing in Hoboken.  He plays concertina and he's got a little combo supporting him: Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo on guitar, a cellist, and perhaps one other musician.

: So, they're playing a song in the middle of their set, and there's some sort of problem or something, and David just stops the band, and starts to launch into a hissy-fit, when he actually <i>stops himself</i> and says, right into the vocal mic, "This has nothing to with anyone else.  <i>This is all me.</i>"  All in attendance were stunned speechless.

: 2) Pop-music genius and Big Star front-man Alex Chilton is playing Hoboken with his usual trio.  I had seen him be astonishingly harsh, almost vicious, to soundmen.  Needless to say, I steeled myself for the inevitable vitriol.  No soundcheck; he sets up right before his set.  I introduce myself.  He asks that the monitor EQ be set "flat above 1K."  Quick line check, and off they go.  Chilton and crew proceed to play the set that <i>every Chilton fan knows he is capable of doing</i> but he invariably doesn't.  They play "September Gurls."  They even come back for an encore.  Before they play the encore, Chilton says from the stage, "I want to thank Andy, the soundman, for doing such a great job!" and I drop the beer I was drinking as 200 pairs of eyes turn around to face me and utter, in unison, "Holy Fucking Shit!"

: 2a) I have the Fleshtones (who Rock, y'all) at the club the next night, and as we are setting up for soundcheck, someone walks in and asks me a question.  Fleshtones singer Peter Zaremba asked me who it was.  I told him that it was Alex Chilton, and he asked me if I could work his show at Tramps a couple of days later.  Zaremba said, "Holy Fucking Shit!"

: Corollary to 2): I understand that Chilton has mellowed considerably in the eight or so years since that show.

: --a



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