Thursday was actually the start of a long gigging weekend. Me and the ANB played the LIT Lounge at Fantasy Springs Casino. It was a special night because the local country music radio station, 106 point something, was giving away Stagecoach tickets to the winners of a dance contest. Then this Friday and Saturday night we'll be playing at Gilley's in Las Vegas. (Should I make two threads?)
It started as soon as I loaded up my trusty Astro van with all the necessary gear and luggage.
Hey! Look who I (figuratively) ran into on my way to the Palm Springs area. It's Bob van Astro's brother.
It looked exactly the same as mine except that it's missing the sideboards and all the peeling clearcoat.
Hey! Look at that! I'm playing at the same place as Earth, Wind, And Fire and Tom Jones. Should I put that on my resume?
I pulled into the parking lot at Fantasy Springs and snapped a picture of the marquis.
I parked on the bowling alley side. I didn't know where the LIT Lounge was so I went on an adventure. They've got some pretty nice lanes here.
That Fantasy Lounge is just a little bar off the bowling alley, no entertainment. As I wander through the casino I discover new sights. Hey! Look at that. We're on the posters.
I finally asked directions to the place and it turned out that I walked right past it. So I turned around and found a nice lounge, it's a good looking room.
The stage is plenty big for our four piece ensemble tonight.
I was told to pull to gate 28 to unload. It just so happens that's where the big garbage cans are too. Yuck.
I wheel my stuff in and try to decide which side to set up on. I decided to set up opposite the high hat for a couple of reasons.
That's "Big John" as the DJ tonight and running the dance contest. You also see the flying air pusher.
Right back stage are a couple of nice dressing rooms for us with private restrooms and showers.
Arnie and I are all set up. I've got my regular small rig and Arnie brought his little Little Walter.
It looks like we're just about done with the setup dance. We'll have a quick soundcheck before we have supper.
The FOH gear is upstairs overlooking the dance floor and stage. David was our soundguy, he did a great job, but is really camera shy. He likes to be behind the scenes.
The buffet at Fantasy Springs Casino is really terrific! Everything was delicious. I had the pork chop dish, the chicken dish, and a bunch of salad. Everything looked great and there was a huge variety.
When we returned the dance contest was just finishing up.
We had a few minutes before downbeat so Johnny and I hung out in the green room and ran over some tunes.
I think the DJ is just about done. We're going to start in a couple minutes.
John makes sure all of his instruments are functioning nominally.
Jason looks like he's about ready to do some of that drummer stuff.
Arnie is ready to do some pickin'.
That's Big Bob on the dance floor. He's ready to do some line dancing.
And away they go!
On a a break I go upstairs to take in the view.
I stepped outside the lounge into the comparative quiet of the casino so I could call Mrs. BassCliff. While we talked the band came up on the marquis.
There was a birthday in the house tonight. This is Mary and her friends.
This is Randy, a DJ from the radio station, and Big John, the club DJ tonight, giving away the last round of prizes. They gave away a couple more Stagecoach tickets, concert tickets for Little Big Town, movie tickets, dinners at fine restaurants, and other goodies.
Then we were back for one more set. Here's Johnny Fingers making Chopin turn over in his grave.
I gave Big John my phone so he could take a couple pictures out front.
We played three sets and were done at midnight. We had to load out all of our gear even though we were staying in the hotel. It was just too inconvenient for the staff there for us to come back in the morning to get our gear.
So we loaded out and I drove around to the hotel. It's pretty nice.
I got a room on the third floor. The staff was nice, the room was clean.
This was my view from the window, not particularly impressive but we are in the desert.
John and I grab some cold ones and a couple of cigars and enjoy them in a quiet area of the grounds.
We were next to an outdoor venue where the resort will host tribute bands. It looks pretty cool except for the fact that the stage area is surrounded by water.
In the morning I discover the view from my room is the trailer park. The mountains look nice.
Now it's time to hit the road for Las Vegas. It's a beautiful day for a drive.
The snow-capped peak you see is Mt. San Jacinto. You also see one of the windmill farms in the area. Now is the best time of year to ride the Palm Springs Arial Tramway up to the top. It's about 90 degrees on the desert floor but you can still play in the snow up there at 8500 feet.
About five hours later I was at Treasure Island in Las Vegas loading in to play at Gilley's. I'll start another blog post to talk about that gig. Thanks for looking at this one! You guys are too good to me.
Thank you for your indulgence,
BassCliff
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