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July 4 |
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Six Days in Sin City Day Five - Independence Day - July 4, 2005 
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Rob, Sven, and I all woke up early to start our big day. Our Fourth of July plans included going to the Sahara Casino to go on the roller coaster called "Speed: The Ride." Later in the day we would be VIP's at "Red, White & Boom!," the combined Las Vegas Centennial/Independence Day Celebration put on by Clark County. Bands on the bill included Fatty Koo, Crossfade, Bowling for Soup, Better Than Ezra, and the one and only: Social Distortion. Everybody that knows me is aware that Social D is one of my all-time favorite bands. Plus, I was going to be interviewing and photographing Bowling for Soup so I was really pumped up for the show. At the time, the Bowling for Soup song "1985" was one of the hottest songs in the country. |
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I looked at Sven and his face seemed to twist and shift like silly putty. I laughed out loud and the guys looked at me. They asked what was funny. I told them, "Nothing in particular… The Shrooms are starting to work." I was rather giggly and everything suddenly became VERY funny. I looked at my hands. As I moved them it looked as if I had about a dozen fingers. The trails were like watching stop motion films played at the wrong speed and objects warped out of shape and focus. It was a very intense peak. I kept myself together and all was well. We hopped off the bus about a block from the Sahara Casino and walked around the grounds. They were done in the style of a lovely desert oasis. Suddenly, thunder roared above us. We looked up to see part of the track for Speed: The Ride. The cars whizzed past our uplifted eyes and I felt a wave of excitement... I couldn't wait to hop on that Rollercoaster! It would be fun! We found our way through the casino to the NASCAR Café and looked at all the cool racing stuff. The last time we were here, the place was closed and many of the lights were off, but this time we actually got a chance to look around for a few minutes. After our short tour, we set off to eat. The Sahara had a great buffet at around twelve dollars. They had Brunch going on. I love Brunch. It's like two meals in one. I went up the first time and got some breakfast stuff. The second time, I got lunch. And for Dessert, I had some fresh fruit and yogurt. All the food was delicious. After our brunch, we sat back and had a smoke. Rob informed us that he would not be riding the coaster. He had ridden it before and wasn't in the mood to do a coaster so early in the day. |
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He said that instead, he would stand on the platform and video tape us as we left and returned from the ride. That idea sounded like a plan and we ran with it. I gave rob a quick lesson in the workings of the camera, and then we headed over to the ticket counter. Being early in the day (for Las Vegas anyway…), there were not a lot of people in line. Admission for the coaster was ten dollars, so we doled out the cash and got our ducats. We only had to wait for two turns to get the front car. I was ready! As we waited, we shot a quick video piece about the ride and realized that we only had about eight minutes of tape left. Rob filmed us getting into the car, strapping in, and listening to the standard recording that the ride plays. Then like a shot from a gun, we were gone. Speed: The Ride is not like the standard roller coaster in the fact that it doesn't take the car up a steep incline then release it to coast. Instead, Speed: The Ride uses a high-tech system of Electromagnetic Conduction System. Long electromagnets that alternately reverse polarity in rapid succession simultaneously push and pull the coaster forward. |
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It accelerates riders from zero to seventy miles per hour in less than four seconds. The take off was intense and pulled us to the back of our seats. We rushed out the end of a short tunnel, up a slight inclining turn, down a short drop and then up and around through a giant loop. As we cleared the loop and the car righted itself with the horizon, we could see for a few seconds what was coming next. It was like something from a rollercoaster fan's worst nightmare... The track in front of us took a few more twists before turning nearly ninety degree turn straight upwards like one of those Hot Wheels ® Tracks that go up the wall. As we were turned skyward the track went straight up for nearly two hundred feet and then seemed to run out… I mean it, the track just ended! The coaster shot right up the track towards an apparent certain doom! Just as we thought it looked like we would fly off the end, gravity caught up to the cars, pulling them backward. Sven and I experienced some cool negative G's and become weightless for a second or two. The coaster came back down, across another series of magnets, accelerated again, and shot us back through the loop in Reverse! Seconds later the coaster screeched to a halt in exactly the same spot we started from. The whole ride had taken about a minute and a half. I was flying from the mushrooms and jacked on adrenaline. I let out a "Whoo-hoo!" ala Homer Simpson and then turned to the camera. I yelled out, "Yo, Rob! That shit was faster than your sister on Prom Night!" The timing was perfect. |
| The noise from the coaster had just ended and there was a second of silence that allowed everyone in the whole loading area hear it. The entire place fell out laughing. The other riders were laughing. I was laughing, Sven and Rob were laughing, and even the ride operators were cracking up. One of them was doubled over and could hardly breathe. It was one of those things you absolutely had to be there for. I just opened my mouth and it came out in the moment, unrehearsed and extremely funny. It made it the whole ride experience just that much better. And we got it all on tape. By the time we were done filming there was only about a minute and a half of recording time left on the tape. I gave the ride operators buttons as we left and told them to watch the site check out the story. My companions and I exited the Sahara and walked up The Strip. I stopped at several different shops and convenience stores looking for MiniDV Digital Video tapes. Places would have VHS tapes, but not what I needed. We eventually wound up at a Walgreen's located on The Strip. I purchased a pack of two video tapes. I was all set for the big show. Rob knew where we had to go to get our bus and we took off towards the appropriate stop. On the way we past by Caesar's Palace and I photographed some of the beautiful statues and fountains. When we finally got to the bus stop, we had just enough time to smoke a cigarette before our ride showed up. We asked the driver to let us know when we were close to Desert Breeze Park. |
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There were other people on the bus headed for the Red, White, & Boom Concert and when we got to the stop most of the bus cleared out. We walked to the nearest entrance, but when we got there we discovered that the "Will Call" window was all the way at the other side of the park. We hiked all the way around to the other side to find it. The fence surrounding the park was covered in banners from local radio stations and concert sponsors. I walked up to the ticket table, produced my identification. The lady couldn't find my name and I used Rob's cell phone to call the tour manager. I explained our situation and he asked to speak with the lady at the "Will Call" set-up. She spoke to him for a moment and then flipped through some pages on a different clip board. Seconds later, she found my name and handed me back the phone, two tickets, and two photo passes. I thanked the tour manager for sorting out the situation and he said to meet hip at the side of the stage. Rob bought himself a ticket and we made a beeline for the VIP area on the left-hand side. The band Crossfade was rocking out as we made our way over. He tour manager told me to meet him back at that spot in about ten minutes to go do the interview. That worked out perfectly because Sven, Rob, and I all needed to find a bathroom. We found a Port-A-John with no line, did our business, grabbed beers, and headed back towards the VIP area. We arrived precisely at the right moment. The tour manager had just walked up to the gate. He let me know that we would be doing the interview on the band's bus. I asked if Rob could come back with us, but because he didn't have a pass, he was not allowed to join us. He agreed to meet up with us at that spot in a half hour and then Sven and I were off to interview Jaret Riddick. When we got to the bus, Jaret was waiting for us. Also waiting were guitarist Chris Burney and drummer Gary Wiseman. |
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We introduced ourselves and got down to business. Sven readied the video camera and we got started with the interview. We had to keep the interview short because it was nearly time for them to go on stage. Jaret and I discussed the current tour and the popularity of the band's latest single "1985." We also talked about Bowling for Soup's plans for the future. The guys were all very friendly and fun to talk with. After the interview, Sven and I posed for a few photos with the band. We thanked them for their time, wished them a great show, and then found our way back out to meet up with Big Rob. He was waiting right where he said he would be. The band would be going on momentarily, so Sven and I had Rob hold our bags as we went up to take photos. We entered the photo area and one of the security guys told us we couldn't be there. I informed him that we were taking photos of Bowling for Soup and showed him my photo pass. He still said that we could not shoot. I was getting mad and told him, "We'll see about that…" I went back to the band's bus and got the tour manager. I explained the problem and he came out to speak to the security guys. He told them that we were, in fact, allowed to take photos. Moments later, we walked right past the guy that held us up with smug looks on our faces. He didn't seem to like that too much, but there we were, standing in front of the stage with our cameras at the ready. Ha ha ha. We didn't have to wait long. About two minutes later, the local radio personality came out and introduced the band, and the crowd went nuts. |
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Bowling for Soup was formed in 1994 in Wichita Falls, Texas by Jaret Reddick (lead vocal/guitar), Chris Burney (guitar/vocal), Erik Chandler (bass), and Gary Wiseman (drums). Over the next few years the band toured heavily and built a large following. In 1997 Bowling for Soup secured opening spots for many prominent punk and ska bands. By 1998, their base of operations had been moved to Denton, Texas where they recorded a debut EP titled Tell Me When to Whoa! Later in 1998, Bowling for Soup issued its first full-length album called Rock on Honorable Ones!!! and ended up scoring a deal with Jive/Silvertone. For their 2000 major-label debut, Let's Do It for Johnny!, the band re-recorded some of the best songs from their indie records and added a few new tracks, including "The Bitch Song" and a cover of the Bryan Adams song "Summer of '69." In 2002, the band released Drunk Enough to Dance. A Hangover You Don't Deserve followed in 2004. |
| I found a quiet space and quickly puffed down a half joint to bring my sinking buzz back up and then Sven and I interviewed several groups of people from all over the country who were at the show. We met an old couple dressed in stars and stripes, posed for photos with them and moved on. We grabbed a few drinks and continued looking around the festival grounds. There were so many people and they were all having fun. Sven and I were too. We hoped Rob was as well. |
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We made our way to the rest rooms next and had to wait in line for a while. As we were waiting I talked with a woman and her son about the show and what I do. She was a USAF weapons trainer. I gave her a button and she gave me a really cool Air Force coin that airmen get when they finish weapons training. The coin is beautiful. It is big; about one and three quarters inches across. On the front it says "U.S. Air Force Weapons School" and has a target surrounded by a ring of the different aircraft that are currently in use. The back has a shield with a yellow and black checkered flag behind it. Above the shield it says "Graduate" and below it is a place to be engraved with the airmen's name. It was not engraved and she explained that it gets done after graduation. She also explained that all the USAF airmen must carry the coin with them at all times. |
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| I learned that if they are out and someone lays the coin down on a bar and someone doesn't have theirs, they have to buy the round. I thought that was pretty cool. I thanked her for the great gift and slipped it into my pocket. I got a photo with her and her son and we talked until it was finally my turn to use the facilities. Afterwards, I said goodbye to the lady, thanked her again for the cool souvenir, and then Sven and I headed back to the stage. We fought our way back through the crowd toward the VIP section. As we got closer, we saw a group of people getting autographs from the members of Crossfade. |
| Hard rock/heavy metal band Crossfade is based in Columbia, SC, where its members reside. The group came together in the late 1990s with the merging of singer/guitarist Ed Sloan with bassist/backup singer Mitch James and drummer Brian Geiger as the power trio the Nothing. Sloan, a Columbia native, had begun taking piano lessons at eight. He joined his first band, Darkchilde, in the eighth grade. By the time he began attending the University of South Carolina and majoring in computer science, however, he was looking for new musicians to play with. Geiger, also a native of Columbia, had played drums since his childhood and was a member of another local band, Celestian Slant. For James, who took up the bass after becoming enamored of the instrument at a David Lee Roth concert, the Nothing was his first band. The group added singer and club DJ Tony Byroads, who had grown up in Buffalo, NY, playing in a band called Final Wave. The resulting quartet renamed itself Sugardaddy Superstar. While building up a local following, the band recorded in its own Sugarstar Studio and self-released the album COLD. It attracted the interest of the Los Angeles A&R company Taxi, and Los Angeles promoter Chris Long. That lead to an L.A. showcase in March 2002. That, in turn, led to a signing to the Earshot subsidiary of Columbia Records. The band then retooled its self-released album, Cold, under the auspices of mixer/engineer Randy Staub and renamed itself Crossfade. The revised self titled album was released by Columbia in April 2004. |
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| They had been playing when we came in and we could hear them as we walked around. They had sounded pretty good from what I had heard. Sven and I walked up when there were only a few people left and started talking to them. They were really friendly and were happy to sign our programs. I explained who I was and what I do. I said that I would like to sit down with them in the futre and do a full-on interview. They seemed down with that idea. I gave them buttons and told them to be sure and check out the site. They were ready to go backstage and relax and it was time for Better Than Ezra. |
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The New Orleans trio Better Than Ezra helped open the floodgates for countless alternative-pop bands by merging rock with melody and creating a more easily digestible form of alternative music for the masses. Originally formed in 1988, the band consisted of members Kevin Griffin (vocals, guitar), Joel Rundell (guitar), Tom Drummond (bass), and Cary Bonnecaze (drums). They met while they were all attending Louisiana State University. In 1990 BTE issued, Surprise, which received positive press and comparisons to such alt-punk stalwarts as The Replacements and Dinosaur Jr. The group's future was suddenly thrust into doubt when guitarist Rundell committed suicide on August 8, 1990. The remaining members opted to go their separate ways, but by the end of the year had reunited as a trio. Better Than Ezra relocated to Los Angeles, where they recorded the 1993 independent release Deluxe. The album gathered much interest in the band, resulting in several major labels vying to sign them. They signed on with Elektra, and label reissued Deluxe two years after its original release, which generated a radio hit with the song "Good." The album reached platinum status by the end of 1995. Despite the fact that they were a hit band, Bonnecaze opted to leave the group in early 1996 and was replaced by a fellow New Orleans native Travis McNabb, who at the time was living in San Francisco. Later in the year, BTE issued their second major-label release: Friction, Baby. The song "Long Lost" earned much praise and solidified the band's standing in the rock community. The group created their own studio, called Fudge Studios, in their hometown of New Orleans. |
| There, they recorded their fourth release overall, 1998's How Does Your Garden Grow? Better Than Ezra soon parted ways with Elektra and issued a compilation of rare tracks entitled Artifakt using their official website. In 2001, the trio signed on with the independent Beyond Music label, issuing their next release, Closer. BTE took another hiatus before resurfacing in 2004 with a live album for Sanctuary. A greatest hits collection came along the following year, but to the delight of their devoted fans (known as the "Ezralites"), Better than Ezra were not finished. The band headed out to tour through the summer in support of Before the Robots which was released in May of that same year on the Artemis label. The band played a tight set and the crowd was very much into it. I only knew the few songs that I had heard on the radio. I had no pass to shoot photos from the pit, so I snapped off a dozen as I watched them perform. They didn't come out so hot, and few were usable. The band played for about forty-five minutes. After Better Than Ezra finished, the roadies set the stage for Social Distortion. But before we would be allowed to see the Orange County legends, there was to be a huge fireworks display. To start it off, the National Anthem was sung by a lovely young woman. The event program said that the song was supposed to be sung by a performer named Facia. But, the girl that sang it didn't look like the girl in the program. I heard that she was one of the American Idol finalists. Either way, whoever she was, she turned in a wonderful performance. I will give credit to anyone that tackles that tune. As soon as she finished the pyrotechnics began. |
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The display was awesome. It was not as long as the one from the Chili Peppers show, but had a lot of really cool fireworks that I had never seen before. Some exploded to form smiley faces and hearts. It was pretty neat. The fireworks lasted about twenty minutes and then it was time for Social D! Before the start of their set, there was a woman in the audience right up by where we were holding a baby. The kid caused a lot of concert goers to be angry. Not because she had him there, but because the child was only three months old! The woman had the infant right up near the front speakers and had no ear protection for the poor kid. Some of us said something to her and told her the loud music would hurt her baby's ears and could possibly do permanent damage to someone so young. She told us that she planned on heading back as soon as the band started… Not a good plan! Anyone that has ever attended a concert with general admission knows that as soon as the band comes on there is a huge push towards the front as waves of fans try to get as close to the stage as they can. |
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| Well, sure enough, that is what happened and she had to try to find the way out through all the chaos. I hope that for her child's sake that she made it out safely. Some people have no concept of how to raise children. Seconds later, we forgot all about her as the band began to play. Social Distortion was formed in 1978 around founder and singer/guitarist Mike Ness. The band gained mainstream recognition for their rootsy, hard-hitting punk without compromise. The original line-up consisted of drummer Casey Royer and brothers Frank (bass) and Rikk Agnew (guitar). |
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When the Agnew brothers left to join The Adolescents, Ness' schoolmate Dennis Danell joined on bass; the next few years saw a revolving-door membership. When the group finally recorded its debut album, Mommy's Little Monster in 1983, the band consisted of Ness, Danell (now on guitar), bassist Brent Liles, and drummer Derek O'Brien. Their music was often described as a punk version of the Rolling Stones, and "Another State of Mind" was one of the few punk videos to air on MTV in 1984. However, the band took four years to record a follow-up, as Ness descended into heroin addiction and self-consciously rebellious behavior. Liles and O'Brien left, and Ness, after straightening himself out, finally regrouped in 1988 with John Maurer on bass and Chris Reece on drums. This lineup recorded Prison Bound, a mature album broadening Social Distortion's roots rock influences with a country feel. Their self-titled 1990 effort included a cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" and returned the group to MTV via "Ball and Chain." |
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| Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell became their most popular album to date, producing a minor radio hit in "Bad Luck" and keeping with their now-established blend of punk, blues, country, and rockabilly. After an extended hiatus, Social Distortion returned in 1996 with White Light, White Heat, White Trash. Former Black Flag and D.O.A. drummer Chuck Biscuits made his debut on the album. (Bonus Flashback: It was during the subsequent tour that I first saw Mike Ness perform with Social Distortion at Club Atlantis in Syracuse. When we arrived, we had no idea who the opening acts were going to be. The posters and tickets had just said special guests. It turned out they were touring with The Supersuckers and a band from Lowell, Massachusetts called The Shods. I was already a hardcore Supersuckers fan by then, but had never seen them live. It was a Mega Super Bonus! I was as psyched that The Supersuckers were playing as I was for Social D. All three bands played great. After the show, I met all the current members of Social Distortion and got them all to sign my liner notes from the CD. It is one of my favorite items that I own. And now back to the story…) Live at the Roxy dropped in 1998, and a year later Ness issued a pair of solo albums, Cheating at Solitaire and a collection of covers entitled Under the Influences. In February of 2000, Dennis Danell died of an apparent brain aneurysm at just thirty-eight years old. The tragedy devastated Mike Ness. In the fall of 2000, Jonny Wickersham signed on as the group's new guitarist, and Charlie Quintana took over on drums from the often busy Biscuits. After extensive touring, the band went back into the studio early in 2004 to record Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll. The album was released in the fall and included a song dedicated to Dennis Danell called "Angel's Wings." In my opinion, Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll is Mike Ness' greatest collection of new material. The songs show an amazing amount of personal growth. They also offer a great deal of introspection about Mike Ness' life after drugs, marriage, fatherhood, and loss of his best friend. |
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Like a survival manual from the trenches of punk, Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll takes listeners on a hardcore ride inside the hearts of saints and sinners, winners and losers, jailhouse poets and Cadillac tramps, all brought to life with Social Distortion's trademark sound. Mike Ness assures listeners that it's okay to grow up, it's cool to fall in Love, and sometimes even the toughest people shed a few tears. It is a blend of blistering guitars and Ness' rebel-with-a-cause vocals. Equal parts poet and punk, Ness has cemented his place in the Pantheon of Punk as one of the all-time great songwriters. He is one of my biggest heroes and is included in my HeroQuest Campaign. I have met him on many occasions and he was always very polite and friendly to me. I finally got a photo with him in May of 2005 when Social Distortion played in Binghamton, NY. It is one of my all-time favorite photos! But I digress… |
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Moments later, Mike Ness called for the crowd to get a circle pit going and people were jumping in and dancing their asses off. Sven was one of them. He handed off his camera and bag to me and Rob and then shoved his way to the mosh pit. Every once in a while I could see him slamming away and having a blast. I didn't have a pass and was not allowed to photograph Social Distortion, so I once again utilized the zoom on my camera and snapped off a bunch of "bootleg" photos. Most of the photos were fuzzy and had motion blurs. I decided to move closer and get a few more. I got up to where I was about seven people back from the stage and snapped a few more pictures. Unfortunately, the same security guy that had given me a problem earlier saw me shooting and tried to tell me to stop. I quickly lowered my camera and ducked into the crowd and disappeared. (It is amazing how easily I can do that for a big fat guy… lol) I returned to Rob, and took a few more photos. I even got one of a hot chick showing me her tit! It was very nice! I let Big Rob know I wanted to mosh for a few songs, and handed him my camera. Seconds later I joined the hectic circle and moshed to my heart's content. I even got to slam into Sven a few times and we laughed. It was so fun! After a few songs, I went back to get my camera again. I walked back over to the mosh pit and used it as cover while I shot a few more photos and a thirty second video clip of Social D's version of "Ring of Fire" on my digital camera. After that, I returned to where Rob was, grabbed the video camera again and shot the last two songs. |
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Social Distortion had played for about an hour and a half before calling it a night. It was an awesome performance!!! After the lights came up, the crowd started to disperse and Sven found his way back to us. He was sweaty from moshing and had a big smile on his face. We joined the exodus of the concert grounds and walked to the nearest bus stop. There were a lot of people waiting, but we were able to jump on one of the first busses to leave. As we were riding the route to our destination, a group of African-American teen-agers in the back of the bus began to cause trouble. They were hollering and yelling, swearing and dropping "F-Bombs" like crazy. The driver asked them to quiet down and they did for about thirty seconds before they began laughing at her and doing it all over again. This time the youths got personal and started calling the bus driver derogatory names. It went on for a while. The driver told them to behave or she would stop the bus and put them out right there. They just laughed at the driver. But, true to her word, she pulled the bus over and ejected them under a threat that she would call the police if they didn't leave. They got off the bus and screamed at her as they did so. But in the end, the driver got the last laugh. As she drove away she radioed the other busses in the area and gave a description of the group, what they had done, and what street they were on. She warned the other drivers not to pick them up because they were trouble. The rest of the people on the bus applauded her, and I believe that she deserved it. The rest of the trip was peaceful. |
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The bus brought us back to The Strip and Rob, Sven, and I checked out Treasure Island for a little while. It was so cool. There were full size pirate ships there that they had shows on several times a day. Being nearly midnight, we were far too late to catch one. We walked through the casino and marveled at the sculptures, etc. My favorites were the Sirens above the entry doors. They were so beautiful. We went to the cashier and got a Treasure Island coin for our collection. On it is a skull wearing a bandana and an eye patch with two swords crossed behind it. Being a collector of skull items, it is my favorite of all the coins. After touring Treasure Island we headed up to Harrah's where we caught a cab to Rob's. Upon our arrival, we dropped all our gear and relaxed. Rob and I smoked a fat joint as I checked email. When I was done, we all called it a day and turned in for the night. |
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July 4 |
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