4/25/09 Revolution, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Click here to stream free audio of the show!


My second day in Fort Lauderdale began with a lunch at Cheesecake Factory with Zach (he had the salad, of course), and a quick errand run to Walmart, where Zach bought a gay hat and I lamented over the disappearance of the women's graphic tee shelf. WTF??

I arrived at the venue for soundcheck/rehearsal and was pleased to meet the famous Billy Goodman, who was opening the show that night. Billy has an uncanny resemblance to Steve in both looks, actions, and demeanor, and was as sweet as they come.

We got up on stage to do a quick run-through of some tunes with Billy, and I immediately noticed that my prized polaroid of Steve giving the finger, taken by Johnny the night before and which graced my amp for the previous show and provided much inspiration, was missing! Billy was so taken by it that he stole it, but later offered top dollar to legally gain its possession. The exchange was made, but he did allow a picture of the picture before assuming custody, so this is all that remains of the iconic polaroid.

Billy kicked off the show with a short duo set with Steve, and then Melvin, Johnny, and I joined in for "Barbed Wire" and "Johnny Anonymous." It was nice to play some pretty straight up pop/folk tunes and not have to worry about creating moments of improvisational brilliance for a change. Billy writes some great tunes!

The Crazy Engine took the stage shortly thereafter. I don't think the crowd was as kickin' as the previous night, but hands-down the band played a much tighter show. First set highlights included "Brother Mike" and "Slow Down", with Billy Goodman sitting in on both. The second set featured the most smokin' "Merle's Boogie" we've ever played, with Steve shredding his axe into oblivion.

After the show, the bus headed off to Tampa, and I enjoyed a latenight hang with some of the guys, acquiring "TMI" (Too Much Information) about Charlie:

1. He wears tighty-whities
2. His ipod is graced with such quality artists as The Partridge Family, Shania Twain, and Kelly Clarkson
3. He once retaliated against a very nasty hotel by spreading a jar of mayonnaise between the mattresses


After one too many mom jokes, we all hit the hay while the bus trekked on to Tampa.

4/24/09 Revolution, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Click here to stream free audio of the show!

We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale around 1pm after driving all night from South Carolina. I did some sleepy math that 8 hours of sleeping on the bus barely amounted to even half that of actual sleep, so I was glad to grab a nap at the hotel before soundcheck.

The venue was probably the most impressive yet of the tour. Very nice stage and soundsystem, and cool layout with sizeable dance floor and 2 balconies around the perimeter. I was worried about the sound due to the size of the venue and the shiny wooden floor of the stage, but Brian got everything dialed in nicely, and I found the sound on stage to be quite good.

After soundcheck, I had some dinner with hardcore FGC fan, Zach, who was pumped to have any member of FGC in his home state. Oddly enough, it seems that big boy Zach has "switched teams" in the dietary department, going from Midwest-style hearty steak and potatoes to strictly salads. Quite an interesting dinner witnessing Zach dive into a bowlful of greens!

The show went off well, and while the crowd seemed kind of far away due to the high stage, I think it was one of our largest crowds yet on this tour, and they were dancing and enthusiastic. We didn't stretch out too much in the jam department at this show, with the exception of "Ice Cream," which went some cool places. "Tangled Hangers" had some interesting turns, but never really took off the way it did on the 4/20 Annapolis show. Second set's "Why Can't We Be Friends?" got the crowd engaged and Melvin and The Girls worked 'em pretty good.

After the show, I couldn't wait to get back to the hotel, but as luck would have it, was not able to fall asleep as quickly as I wanted. Oh well, at least I will be nice and tired for my overnight drive to Tampa tonight.