Gilley's Las Vegas, 9/4-6/2020

Greetings ladies and gentlemen, friends and neighbors, boys and girls, in-laws and outlaws,

The Country Club Band is back at Gilley's, on the strip in Fabulous Las Vegas. The last time we were here was in February just a couple weeks before the virus madness struck. It's good to be back.

 

We had a rehearsal on Wednesday at Arnie's place to knock the dust off and learn a couple new tunes. I think Dave is excited to be working with us this weekend. Paul is also with the rest of us hairy legged pickers as the utility guy. 

I normally go amp-less at this gig so I tossed a few basses, my suitcase, and a little practice amp (because we're going to rehearse some more new material) into the back of Big Betsy.

I put my hanging clothes (stage clothes) on the hanger in the back seat and climbed in for the four and a half hour drive. Sometimes it's only four hours but there was more traffic getting out of town than I expected on a Thursday night.

As I pull into Vegas I notice that the new Raiders stadium is looking pretty much complete.

Johnny also drove up on Thursday, a little earlier than I, and we met up to hit the town a little bit.

John and I both have birthdays in the same week so we decided to have a small celebration while we're out of town, cigars and drinks at a spot across the street.

 If you're wondering who took that picture, it was our lovely hostess, Ashley. She was very nice to these two old guys.

We closed the place at 1am, the party was over. I headed back to my room on the 4th floor. Since we've been gone the hotel has resurfaced almost everything, new wallpaper, paint, carpet, new furniture, etc.

 

I've got a pretty good view even though it's only the 4th floor. We're looking south down the Strip.

I filled my fridge with essentials, good beer and energy drinks.

After stocking up on cold ones I let Johnny talk me into playing some stadium blackjack. I'm a lousy gambler but I stuck $20 into the machine anyway. I made only $1 bets and won only a few hands. But my money lasted long enough for our server to deliver two vodka martinis. Twenty bucks for two well "martinis" is not that great of a bargain. I shan't gamble any more this trip, or probably ever.

After losing all that money we were hungry so we wandered down to the "Sad Cafe" for a late meal. It's different in the employee cafeteria now. All the tables are distanced and the chefs have to serve your plate as you go through the line. You don't get to help yourself to the buffet any more.

I opted for a bunch of protein and a few vegetables. The sausages were great. The chicken and fish were just OK.

I slept really late on Friday and rolled into soundcheck a little after 3pm. You see the honky tonk now has tables on the dance floor which are properly distanced according to the local protocols.

The area off to stage left is also distanced and the mechanical bull is closed.

I just found out that there is now a backline here on the stage at Gilley's. But I'm not going to use this SWR rig. We're supposed to be, more or less, "ambient" music for the drinkers and diners. Besides, I'm all IEMs anyway.

On the left is Daniel, our soundguy. He's working alone because Bob has been furloughed since this virus madness started. Daniel is always super nice and takes care of everything we need. It just takes him a little longer now that he's working solo. Dave brought his own snare and brass to put with the house kit.

OSHA and other governing bodies require us to be masked up unless we're singing, eating, or drinking. Johnny Magic Fingers and I are smiling really big, just because we're glad to be here.

As we continue our soundcheck, here are the WMDs I brought. I will mainly play my Fender Kingman since this is a mellow, acoustic, dinner music kind of show. I'm even sitting on a stool.

Making its debut at a live performance is my Kala U-Bass. I like using this for our bluegrass tunes. What do you think, Tony?

My PB5 is actually here just for backup this weekend.

Yes Mr. Soundman, I'm ready for my soundcheck.

Arnie and Paul are taking their turns, getting their levels, tweaking their IEM mix, etc.

John is jus' chillin', waiting for his turn. He brought only two keyboards this weekend.

Dave is happy the drum riser is level. Dave does not overplay so he does not have to be caged.

After our soundcheck we have a quick band meeting. Who was that masked band?

I noticed during soundcheck that the D string on the Kala bass was a bit weak. When I got back to my room I worked on the piezo pickup, trying to get the bridge to make consistent contact all the way across. I sanded the underside of the bridge a little bit and it seemed to even out the volume across all four strings.

Arnie brought three different acoustic guitars.

Paul and I take the stage selfie. We're just about to get started.

Paul brought four instruments this weekend, his pedal steel, dobro, banjo, and fiddle.

Here's the view from my mic just before we start. It's a little slow but it will pick up. My mic stand is full of my sheet holder and the iPad for my IEM mix.

Arnie points to his favorite bass player on this stage.

Dave gives me the "stick eyes".

I caught John chillin' again.

 

 

 Hi! I'm Cliff! I'm your bass player!

 

 

We started making live music in front of warm bodies. Even though there was no dance floor, and supposedly no dancing, as long they were wearing their mask while not sitting at the table, customers could dance right next to their table, a little bit.  Mark and Cristy and their friends came up from the OC to see us this weekend. We'll have even more friends coming out Saturday night. I hope I can reserve a table for them.

 

The crowd was into the scene but they were not overly rowdy. 

 

Here are a couple of shots of the stage while we're on break. 

 

 

 

These four ladies decided to do a little line dancing next to their table.  

 

All the tables in front of us filled up. Most to our left were full too. They will only let as many people into the place as their are seats at the tables. Gilley's is trying very hard to comply to guidelines so they can stay open without being fined. 

 

All weekend we'll be playing from 9pm-12:30am, just three sets. At the end of the evening I thought I'd better get the gig report started. Here I am editing pictures and enjoying a local brew that I had brought from home.

When I say local I mean right on the other side of the hill from my work. This is the Innovation Brew Works American Brown Ale. It's brewed at Cal Poly Pomona where they also have a restaurant. I've been there a few times for lunch and a glass of suds.

Unfortunately this brew does not have the body I like in a dark beer. The barley flavor is nice but it seems watery, almost like a "lite" dark beer. I'm not complaining. It was a gift. But I'll probably not buy this brew. There are others at that brewery that I really like.

There you have it, you're all caught up with the happenings as of Friday night. Hopefully we'll have a few TB members in the house tomorrow and we're planning to get together for a meal on Sunday. I'm looking forward to getting caught up with all my Las Vegas friends. It's been too long.

 On Saturday Arnie, Paul, and I had to make a run to pick up some supplies. We drove past where Tony works, McCarran Airport.

We ended up at the Las Vegas Guitar Center. It was actually a pretty nice store. The people who work here seem to care. I'm squinting because it was bright and REALLY HOT this weekend.

I had to take a selfie in front of the bass wall and this old Kustom 300 PA setup.

We were like kids in a candy store but I got out of there buying only a 1 foot patch cable and a couple of 2032 batteries. Arnie needed strings and Paul bought an analog delay pedal.

When we got back to the hotel I was really hungry so I immediately went to the Sad Cafe. The Thai chicken and spicy catfish were really good today.

The crowd started off pretty good Saturday night and got better as the night progressed.

Here's the rhythm section for tonight's festivities. Dave's had a ton of material to lean and he did a fine job.

Arnie says, "Pull my finger."

My good friend Tony was in the house with his lovely girlfriend Kris. I got to play the U-Bass he gave me while they were in the audience. I like using the Kala U-Bass on the bluegrass tunes we've worked up.

The crowd stayed pretty full all night long.

This must be the end of Saturday night. Johnny's already got his boards covered.

After our last set we decided to spend our tip money at the bar.

The lovely Melba joins me for a selfie, mask off.

This is how we left the stage Saturday night.

Back in my room I enjoyed one more cold one. Lagunitas makes some good brews. This one is wheaty, hoppy, has a dry finish, and with 7.5% a couple will do you good.

Sunday was a real treat. I visited Tony and he showed off his collection. This guy has more instruments than I do. He had a really nice Glarry (that $65 P-bass that is just a steal) and the cutest little Squire mini P-bass that is just to die for, the red one you can just barely see hiding between the full-sized instruments. He even had a two string bass.

Tony and I had a nice visit and made plans for the next time I'm out this way. Here I am back at the casino following Gov. Sisolak's guidelines.

Sunday night in the honky tonk our friend Andy and his beautiful wife Cindy came by for a visit. Andy told me tales of woe and agony with all the rooms being closed in the area. But he and his band will be back at Gilley's a couple weekends next month so I guess things are starting to look up.

Sunday night was a nice crowd. It's not your normal crowd but there were as many people in the place as state mandates would allow. It's actually nice to have people sitting in front of you, paying attention, and groaning at all my dad jokes.

Johnny Magic Fingers was magic tonight.

Arnie and Paul played like they never played before.

It was a really good weekend. Now I'm going to finish my beer and get horizontal. After breakfast tomorrow I've got a long drive home. I just hope the traffic isn't too bad with everyone going home after the holiday weekend.

I'm not sure when we'll be back here but I'm hoping we'll get at least one more weekend before the end of the year. We had a ton of fun playing real country music for real people.

Just to tie a ribbon on this gig let me tell you about my trip home. But first, I want to thank the Las Vegas TalkBass crew, Tony, Andy, and Charles for always being such good friends, hanging out, and treating me way better than I deserve. You guys are the best and I'm proud to call you my friends and bassmigos. Charles, I missed visiting your church this weekend. Hopefully next time everything will be more opened up.

Here are all my instruments and suitcase ready for the bellman. It's worth it to tip they guy $5 and let him carry all my gear down to my truck at the valet. I've gotten to know a few of the staff pretty well since we get up here so often.

One last look down the Strip. It's very smoky today here in Las Vegas due to all the fires in California.

On the way out of town I met Charles at a place called Egg Works. He really enjoyed his Peruvian sausage breakfast, eggs over VERY hard.

Charles was very kind and treated me to an omelette with the works. I love an omelette with everything in it but the kitchen sink.

After Charles and I finished breakfast I stopped for gas and hit the road. This sign was no joke.

There were a few spots where the highway opened up. I was saddened to see all the smoke from the California fires.

At any little population center along the way there were bottlenecks. There was so much traffic after the holiday weekend it took me seven hours to get home. It's normally a four hour drive.

But it was a terrifically fun weekend! The shows were more intimate and laid back. The crowds were engaged and receptive. We pulled off some new material and dusted off some old favorites to put in the "unplugged" show. It was a fine outing and we're all looking forward to the next one. Thank you all for coming along with me. I just got word that we'll be back on Dec. 18-19. Until then, thanks for looking! 


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff