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The Front Lines at The Channel
Kier says:
The Channel was not quite The Ritz or The Continental, but it was one of the better gigs on the tour. Our draws in DC or Philly were not as impressive as New York, but in Boston we were opening for The Nighthawks, a great harmonica-based blue-eyed blues band from DC (ironically), and the place was crowded. We didn't play blues, but the crowd was into us anyway. There were some ringers there - Northwestern students home for the summer - and that helped.
This was long before I even thought about losing hair, but I stilled liked hats. On the tour, I had brought a light Panama straw hat, though I never wore it on stage. Bruce asked if he could wear it on stage that night, so I let him try it on. It looked pretty good on him - probably better than on me - so I let him wear it. During the set, we were really rocking out at one point, and for some reason the spirit moved Bruce to fling the hat out into the crowd like a Frisbee. I glared at him in disbelief. As we left the stage I asked him "Are you crazy? Why did you do that?"
"It just felt right," he said. "Sorry, man."
I told him he had better find that hat. "Now."
I went to the dressing room and talked to some Northwestern students who were outside it. Bruce showed up with the hat, looking only a little more disheveled (the hat, not Bruce).
"This guy was wearing it, and didn't think he should have to give it back," he said.
"Did you have to fight him for it?"
"I just told him it wasn't mine, I had borrowed it, and shouldn't have tossed it out there. And he gave it back."
And it was at that moment that Bruce decided that if the music career didn't pan out, he would like to be a haberdasher. Or was that in Spinal Tap?
Bruce says:
I'm so glad you're still not mad at me about that... at least give me some credit for being in touch with my "spiritual side."
Plus, your long-term memory is ASTOUNDING !!
Kevin says:
I recall being told by the wait staff in Boston it would be best if I stayed in the dressing room after our set. I recall the crowd at this club did not take kindly to African Americans was the reason.
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