Head East 04/16/2004
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Date: 04/16/04
Year: 2004
Venue: Molitor's New Saloon
City: Abbotsford
State: WI
Date: 04/16/04
Year: 2004
Venue: Molitor's New Saloon
City: Abbotsford
State: WI
Show Reviews
Abbottsford, WI is about four hours from Whitewater, but that didn't stop me from seeing the first date on Head East's tour. The drive was
very nice, as it was an absolutely beautiful spring day in the marvelous state of Wisconsin. Although it did start to rain near the end of the trek, it came at the perfect time, as it was getting a little hot, and I do love the cool trancendent weather before a storm, not to mention the lovely smell of freshly fallen rain. Since my buddy & I were arriving well before the scheduled start of the concert, we were going to go to Fuzzy's in Dorchester to meet Ken Mohan. We had to drive through Abbottsford to get to Dorchester, and we couldn't believe the posted population, less than 2,000. Numerous questions abounded. How & why was Head East playing this dinky town in northern Wisconsin?? Was this all a ruse by Ken to lure us to his bar and murder us in some horrible way?? (This wasn't that far-fetched of a theory, as we did pass both the prison which held Jeffery Dahmer and Plainfield, WI, hometown of skin-wearing Ed Geen). We never really got the answer to the first question, but the answer to the latter was a resounding "no". Ken was an extremely nice guy, and did not strike me as a serial-killer type. Fuzzy's was a great place. He's got it all there, Pool & Foozball table, darts, great food, an expansive vinyl collection, and "some kind of powerful" root beer. It was a sweet place to hang out before, and shot a few games of billiards(Wolff won, 2-1, for those of you keeping score). We arrived at the Saloon a little redder in the eyes than before, and met up with some other people. Met Linda & Barb for the first time; Frank & Angie are always a treat.
There was unfortunately an opening act. Now I have seen some terrible bands in my day, David Lee Roth & No Doubt immediately come to mind, but the opening act Toy Guns proved just exactly why they were an opening act. After fumbling through a few tired covers and a bad PA mix, they convinced me it was time to step out for a smoke. I came back with a smile on my face until I realized they were still playing. The nadir of the concert(although there were many) was probably the Puddle of Mudd cover, followed closely by the second Poision cover. The "highlight"(a stretch, I know) was the average playing of the guitarist during Ozzy's "No More Tears".(average is being generous) The only time I cheered was when they announced that the next song would be their last. My cheering turned to disgust when the lead singer mentioned that the only instrument he played was the chainsaw, and did his best ripping off Jesse James Dupree ripping off Jim "Dandy" Mangrum. During the show, he also changed the lyrics of a few songs to incorporate the band's name. The worst offense was probably changing Don Henley's scathing commentary about how hippies idealism had turned to greed in "Boys of Summer"(Deadhead Sticker on a Cadillac) to (Toy Gun Sticker on a Cadillac) No originals, no thank you. Although, based on the songs they covered, I doubt I would have liked any of their originals. On a scale of 1-10, I give them a -3.
After that disaster, I was less than patiently waiting for Head East. During the break, I saw the janitor who works at the campus station in Whitewater. He usually cleans the studio during my shift, and he appreciates the music I play. I mentioned how I was going to the Head East show. I had no idea that he was making the 4 hr. journey as well. It certainly was a surreal experience to see him there.
Then came the reason for the motivation to travel, Head East. Unfortunately, the PA mix started out terrible. The keyboards, IMHO, the signature sound of HE, were inaudible beneath the other instruments. The sound man was not doing his job, and it didn't get any better until Richie Callison told him to turn down his guitar. After that, it was much better. Head East has always been a prototypical live band, and showed off their live chops through great renderings of "Gettin' Lucky" & "Get Up & Enjoy Yourself". Forgot to bring a pencil & paper, so no setlist. I do believe these were the last four songs:
Jefftown Creek
Since You Been Gone
Never Been Any Reason
----------------
Elijah
They ended on a great note, backloading their strong material. I thought for sure that they wouldn't play Elijah, so I was overjoyed when they did. The highlight for me was when Roger Boyd talked about getting divorced & ex-wives, so I pointed to his ex-wife on the cover of their live album, he acknowledged me and said, "That's one of them!"
Richie Callison had big shoes to fill as one of the vocalists, and he did admirably. The bassist was more than adequate, and the drummer was crazy. Crazy in a good way, as his drum solo was one of the better ones I have seen. What he lacked in talent, he more than made up for in zeal & energy. I got the whole band to sign my ticket, and got Roger Boyd to sign my three albums. I ran into Richie and talked to him a bit as well, too.
After I got my stuff signed, I found Wolff, and he introduced me to Weasel, a dude he just met. Wolff asked him in the bathroom if he was a fan of Wishbone Ash. A strange question to the majority of people, but it turned out that Weasel is a big Ash fan like myself. His response was "Andy Powell kicks ass!!!!" So I got talking to Weasel about music, and Wolff wandered off. He is the only 22 year old I know who has the attention span of a three year old. There was a bit of a shindig at Frank & Angie's following the concert, and Wolff's absence was holding up the party. After searching the venue a couple of times, I found him cowering in a corner. He certainly is an odd fellow, to say the least. The post-concert celebre at Frank & Angie's was a blast, and I think Weasel had a good time as well. There was certainly a lot of unity in Unity. We crashed at their place and got on the road in the early afternoon. I wished I could have stayed for prefest, but Wolff had to get back, so he wouldn't break a worthless promise. We had the Shoney's Breakfast Buffet in Steven's Point. Good biscuit's & gravy and grits. We chilled out at a park in Point to do a little digesting. Had a good time there, and played a little lazy beach volleyball with some local coeds, Crystal & Sara. It was yet another beautiful day to drive. All in all, a very surreal and entertaining trip. I apologize for missing anyone, and would like to publicy thank Frank & Angie for their hospitality. You have a wonderful home and a comfortable floor.
very nice, as it was an absolutely beautiful spring day in the marvelous state of Wisconsin. Although it did start to rain near the end of the trek, it came at the perfect time, as it was getting a little hot, and I do love the cool trancendent weather before a storm, not to mention the lovely smell of freshly fallen rain. Since my buddy & I were arriving well before the scheduled start of the concert, we were going to go to Fuzzy's in Dorchester to meet Ken Mohan. We had to drive through Abbottsford to get to Dorchester, and we couldn't believe the posted population, less than 2,000. Numerous questions abounded. How & why was Head East playing this dinky town in northern Wisconsin?? Was this all a ruse by Ken to lure us to his bar and murder us in some horrible way?? (This wasn't that far-fetched of a theory, as we did pass both the prison which held Jeffery Dahmer and Plainfield, WI, hometown of skin-wearing Ed Geen). We never really got the answer to the first question, but the answer to the latter was a resounding "no". Ken was an extremely nice guy, and did not strike me as a serial-killer type. Fuzzy's was a great place. He's got it all there, Pool & Foozball table, darts, great food, an expansive vinyl collection, and "some kind of powerful" root beer. It was a sweet place to hang out before, and shot a few games of billiards(Wolff won, 2-1, for those of you keeping score). We arrived at the Saloon a little redder in the eyes than before, and met up with some other people. Met Linda & Barb for the first time; Frank & Angie are always a treat.
There was unfortunately an opening act. Now I have seen some terrible bands in my day, David Lee Roth & No Doubt immediately come to mind, but the opening act Toy Guns proved just exactly why they were an opening act. After fumbling through a few tired covers and a bad PA mix, they convinced me it was time to step out for a smoke. I came back with a smile on my face until I realized they were still playing. The nadir of the concert(although there were many) was probably the Puddle of Mudd cover, followed closely by the second Poision cover. The "highlight"(a stretch, I know) was the average playing of the guitarist during Ozzy's "No More Tears".(average is being generous) The only time I cheered was when they announced that the next song would be their last. My cheering turned to disgust when the lead singer mentioned that the only instrument he played was the chainsaw, and did his best ripping off Jesse James Dupree ripping off Jim "Dandy" Mangrum. During the show, he also changed the lyrics of a few songs to incorporate the band's name. The worst offense was probably changing Don Henley's scathing commentary about how hippies idealism had turned to greed in "Boys of Summer"(Deadhead Sticker on a Cadillac) to (Toy Gun Sticker on a Cadillac) No originals, no thank you. Although, based on the songs they covered, I doubt I would have liked any of their originals. On a scale of 1-10, I give them a -3.
After that disaster, I was less than patiently waiting for Head East. During the break, I saw the janitor who works at the campus station in Whitewater. He usually cleans the studio during my shift, and he appreciates the music I play. I mentioned how I was going to the Head East show. I had no idea that he was making the 4 hr. journey as well. It certainly was a surreal experience to see him there.
Then came the reason for the motivation to travel, Head East. Unfortunately, the PA mix started out terrible. The keyboards, IMHO, the signature sound of HE, were inaudible beneath the other instruments. The sound man was not doing his job, and it didn't get any better until Richie Callison told him to turn down his guitar. After that, it was much better. Head East has always been a prototypical live band, and showed off their live chops through great renderings of "Gettin' Lucky" & "Get Up & Enjoy Yourself". Forgot to bring a pencil & paper, so no setlist. I do believe these were the last four songs:
Jefftown Creek
Since You Been Gone
Never Been Any Reason
----------------
Elijah
They ended on a great note, backloading their strong material. I thought for sure that they wouldn't play Elijah, so I was overjoyed when they did. The highlight for me was when Roger Boyd talked about getting divorced & ex-wives, so I pointed to his ex-wife on the cover of their live album, he acknowledged me and said, "That's one of them!"
Richie Callison had big shoes to fill as one of the vocalists, and he did admirably. The bassist was more than adequate, and the drummer was crazy. Crazy in a good way, as his drum solo was one of the better ones I have seen. What he lacked in talent, he more than made up for in zeal & energy. I got the whole band to sign my ticket, and got Roger Boyd to sign my three albums. I ran into Richie and talked to him a bit as well, too.
After I got my stuff signed, I found Wolff, and he introduced me to Weasel, a dude he just met. Wolff asked him in the bathroom if he was a fan of Wishbone Ash. A strange question to the majority of people, but it turned out that Weasel is a big Ash fan like myself. His response was "Andy Powell kicks ass!!!!" So I got talking to Weasel about music, and Wolff wandered off. He is the only 22 year old I know who has the attention span of a three year old. There was a bit of a shindig at Frank & Angie's following the concert, and Wolff's absence was holding up the party. After searching the venue a couple of times, I found him cowering in a corner. He certainly is an odd fellow, to say the least. The post-concert celebre at Frank & Angie's was a blast, and I think Weasel had a good time as well. There was certainly a lot of unity in Unity. We crashed at their place and got on the road in the early afternoon. I wished I could have stayed for prefest, but Wolff had to get back, so he wouldn't break a worthless promise. We had the Shoney's Breakfast Buffet in Steven's Point. Good biscuit's & gravy and grits. We chilled out at a park in Point to do a little digesting. Had a good time there, and played a little lazy beach volleyball with some local coeds, Crystal & Sara. It was yet another beautiful day to drive. All in all, a very surreal and entertaining trip. I apologize for missing anyone, and would like to publicy thank Frank & Angie for their hospitality. You have a wonderful home and a comfortable floor.
Set I
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Last Changed By Aaron Wiedmann
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