I haven't posted in well over a year, but I have to post this one before I forget the details. Every gig is unique, and I'm quite sure there won't be another Shrinedom.
I heard rumors about a year ago about Shrinedom and I looked online. Some hair bands, including Ratt, were going to be performing in Irasburg. I considered buying tickets but immediately doubted its legitimacy. The website didn't look professional, this was several big groups, and...Irasburg? At a gig near the start of 2017 we met the promoter and he talked big. We signed a contract to be the backup band for Shrinedom. Our job was to be there and play if any local bands didn't show. We knew we wouldn't be playing, but we could get in free and meet the bands. If we did play, it would be a half-hour set, for $1000. Cool!
Maybe a month before Shrinedom we were told he had a problem with the Hit Men - allegedly they weren't holding up their end of the contract - and that we'd be playing. He hadn't told them yet. Sounded fishy, but okay, we'd be playing! Posters were put up, we publicized. About a week before the gig we were told the Hit Men would be playing. This was more vague, but it sounded like the the promoter wasn't happy about it but was forced to let them play. He really shouldn't have told us we were playing but hey, that was our contract. We didn't really expect to play but it'll be fun.
Remember I wanted to see Ratt? They'd backed out way back, maybe February. Notice also that this poster says "charity concert." The Shriners fronted a bunch of money for this and supposedly took out a big loan. This was supposed to raise a bunch of money for the kid they help.
As the backup band we were told to be there at 7:00am. John arrives at 6:45. Promoter waves him in to park at the main building (a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere). "You guys are playing! Where's your band?" John tells him we're on our way. "Not good, not good." This implies somehow that we're unprofessional? Anyhow, Stu & I were there at 7:00, and they parked us somewhere different, a bit further away. When Gail & Andre arrived at like 7:02 they didn't believe that they were with the band!
So we're playing! But not on the big stage. The big acts don't want us using their stuff. Or there's a problem with power. Or the stage owner doesn't want us using it. Honestly, any of those reason could have been valid. The stage was huge, the equipment was really expensive, and it must have cost many thousands of dollars just to rent.
"We're bringing a trailer to set up as a stage."
"We're bringing a second trailer to add to the stage." Guess they thought one trailer wasn't enough.
"Things are running late, so you won't be playing but I'll introduce you to the artists that came up from Boston"
So we met Caroline Gray, the Southern City Band and Alec MacGillivary. They all looked like they were about 20 years old. We had a good chat with Alec. I think he was the one who told us that the GPS brought them on about six miles of dirt roads to get there. He had a time limit so he could get back to another gig, so the delay was bothering him for sure. Caroline Gray is a great singer and she played country and rock. Her band had really good musicians too. The Southern City Band sounded good and their singers were talented, but they had no bass player - they used an iPod for the basslines.
Alec MacGillivary is another great singer. He was country but his band was not! The bass player kept adding effects and the guitarist and drummer were WAY over the top. We had a good conversation with Alec, and he's a good talented guy.
I feel really bad for the Southern City Band - during their set there was a sound check on the main stage right behind them. Vince Neil's band (Slaughter without the singer) played two Motley Crue songs. The sound system on the trailers wasn't quiet, but the main stage had to have been ten times louder. Devastatingly loud. They almost started between songs but then had to stop again. They looked so depressed. They started back up again, had power issues and said that's all the time they had. Their lead singer stayed positive but had to have been upset.
At some point during these bands I heard from Raized on Radio that the local bands weren't getting paid. Not enough ticket sales. Also during those bands I did see a plume of smoke from behind the stage. I left around 1:00, along with John & Stu. I had a headache and was thinking about everything I should be doing at home. I didn't really care to see the old hair bands, although hearing that sound check made me a little interested.
When I got a text from John about going back to play in place of the big acts I thought he was kidding. I told him I'd get my spandex on. But he was serious. Apparently no one was getting paid and Warrant and Lita Ford had showed up but left when they weren't getting paid. I don't blame them - if I showed up for work and they told me that today was a volunteer day I'd quit. If it had been arranged ahead of time to be charity, that would have been different but they shouldn't have been put in that position. I thought it was a bad idea for us to play, because the crowd wasn't going to want us to play. I kinda wish we'd been there to play, but local band Mindtrap was playing when the power was cut and they began tearing down the stage. So we wouldn't have been on there. It was nice tha.
the local bands Mindtrap and Raized on Radio played even though they knew they wouldn't be paid.
I believe they did have a generator issue but they also had a money issue. The details simply weren't worked out all the way through. It almost seems like the promoter was just doing this to prove that he could do it. Unfortunately it didn't work out. I hope the Shriners aren't out too many thousands of dollars. Apparently many people who stayed until the end actually donated money to the Shriners to try and help them out. Many other people though were very upset that their ticket purchases were a "charitable donation" and really aren't subject to a refund. I can see both points of view there.
Hopefully there isn't too much opinion in here. I tried to just write what I saw, but I'm sure there is some speculation. What a weekend. At least we got some great pictures...
