As some of you may be well aware, I really like Halloween. After putting on the WHB/Devolver show last year, I wanted to go to a show this Halloween. So way back in April I bought tixs to see String Cheese Incident’s Hullaween weekend spectacular at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, VA. Since I bought those tixs, a lot of other super cool stuff (Phish in AC, BoxCar Social at Kclinger’s, the Rally to Restore Sanity at the Mall) have been announced. But when it finally rolled around, I was so glad and super pumped I got to see it Caveat: I only tried to get 10/31 tixs for Phish and got shut out. If some magical unicorn had delivered me tixs for all three nights, then I would have had a dilemma.
Sorry in advance if this review is a little light on the songs of SCI. I’ve only seen them three times live (“96 or ’97 at Brandywine Farms, 2002 at Bonnaroo, and 2005 at All Good). I have a bunch of shows from throughout their history but I can’t be an expert on the Dead, Phish, Devolver, WSP, the Stones, the Beatles, Dylan, and Cheese……..something’s got to give.
Hampton is the best East Coast indoor venue because once you arrive, you don’t have to drive anywhere. There are 10 hotels, multiple restaurants, beer and liquor stores, a Target (what’s up with all the aggressive red throughout the store. Felt like I wanted to kick someone’s ass after shopping there). There’s even a car dealership. Wonder how many spunions accidentally bought a new vehicle while on tour? So we roll into the Courtyard right at 3 and get all of our shopping done with plenty of time for preshow partying.
When I checked in, they had me sign a paper that stated if I smoke cigs or anything else in the room, it would be a 250 fine tacked onto my bill. Holy shit, they're serious. All smoking had to be done outside, so everyone proceeded to do all their smoking of tobacco and anything else outside. Probably what it’s like to live in Cali right now. Luckily, the weather was perfect if not a little cool so it was a cool way to have forced socialization and meet our neighbors.
Shakedown was more like an alley than a street as most people stayed in the hotels and walked to the show. Hooked Productions, the people that made my amazing hoodie with Old and In the Way on it were there and a few food vendors. That was about it. Total lack of nitrous, which was very refreshing. The tixs said the show started at 7 but the Disco Biscuits (opening act for the first night only) started at 7. When if ever has a band started early?????? Made it in to hear Shimmy in a Conga Line (one of the few songs that I knew by them). Amazing light show and more Untz Untz Untz than you can imagine.
The Cheese sets the first night were really good. Again, not familiar with their whole catalog but got my dosage of bluegrass with Rolling In my Sweet Baby’s Arms. They can jam the fuck out of anything, whether it’s bluegrass, newgrass, or their own version of crazy glaxican dance music.
Jonny Mon rolled into town around 2 AM and we all crashed to get rested for the next day. Before we passed out. Matt did warn us that he snores really loud. Understatement of the year. He was so loud and I was rudely awakened by it at 5 AM. I yelled, hit him with a pillow, nothing. Already had earplugs in but tried to sleep on the floor. Bingo. Evidently, the chainsaw buzzing stays on a horizontal plane level with the generator of said noise.
We made a brief trip up the road to check out Colonial Williamsburg (first time I’ve ever done anything even remotely touristy while on tour and this is my 20th year of being on Tour.) Got back, took a nap and waited for Meg to roll into town. While there, Jonny Mon called his cousin, SCI lead singer Billy Nershi (how cool is THAT?!?!?!?!?) We roll into the venue and wait for the madness to start. My friend Bill Thompson (of Halloween 1994 fame) and someone I will dub Vdub were there. Bill joined us up top and the first set raged. Vdub joined us later. He was clad in a green body suit which left nothing to the imagination and was very drunk already. Later, the zipper in the front of his outfit got ripped and there was a giant pale patch of skin to highlight the day glo green lol.
The costumes were really good. Matt and Sarah went as the Mad Hatter and Alice. Jonny Mon and myself went as superfly guys (‘cause we are). Saw a Troy Palomaulo and got much love for my Steelers hat. Didn’t see any other fans flying their team colors. Pussies.
Highlight of the first set was Breathe by Pink Floyd. At one point, Billy was talking to the crowd and had a bunch of glowsticks thrown at him. Way to be classy Hampton. The second set consisted of covers having to do with space and travel. They opened with End of the World as We Know It (love me some late 80’s early 90’s REM) into Fly Like and Eagle. Kellar Williams and some chick named Liza (not Minelli) came out and Keller did his best impersonations of George Clinton on It’s Just Me and the Boys by p-Funk. Why P-Funk? Because we where in the Motheship and P-Funk is the Mothership Connection. The highlight of the second set was Deelite’s Groove is in the Heart. They had 20 disco balls hanging from the center of the Coliseum and turned all the spotlights on them and unleashed a ton of confetti, leading to a visual and stimulation overload.
During this segment, they had two towers rise up on either side and they had two barely clothed women on them who proceeded to shake what their mama’s gave them. The one was doing full blown stripper moves. Never really expected to see that at a Cheese show. Kid Rock, AC/DC yeah. My totally unscientific polling afterward reveled woman weren’t too keen on it. Another full set after that. Both nights the music went from 7 PM until 1 AM. Now that is getting your money’s worth.
Got up the next morning without an extra 250 bucks on my bill and headed back to Hanover to listen to the stream of Phish’s Halloween show (Waiting for Columbus, a good album but I’m glad I didn’t pay 300 bucks to scalper scum for a tix). Finished my Halloween weekend by starting the neverending job of doing the leaves at my mom’s house. What better way to celebrate Fall?
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