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Day 293 - March 12 - Oklahoma City The Makeup Show

Posted by Dave Rat on

OK, we are in OK. Round two as the first attempt was temporally delayed due to overwhelming coldness and airy ice.At least we knew the ropes of the load-in though when I say we, I must give credit to the "we's" other than me as they are the heroes of the techno build and I am more of an observer and documentationer at this point in my career as a roadie.

Hey look, it's our riggers Gabe, Fletch and Chuck! Try and get your head around this perspective

Mickey Avalon opened and perhaps impatience or perhaps it was too raunchy for a pile of the locals but stepping back with a smile was easily amplified if you let yourself listen and watch though. Mickey playing the show was a direct request from our Peppers so it was interesting to see people boo an artist that is embraced by the artists that they came to see. Oh well, in any case I mixed Mickey's sound, as I rarely do for support acts, but the exception was created when requested to do so by my Peppery band friends. Scott did lights and we had a blast! All good. Not only was the music enjoyable but for some strange reason I found it difficult to avert my eyes from the performance, perhaps it was his shirt

As far as the Peppers show, well we got some some more Josh when he played on Wet Sand

We got some Flea trumpet which I always enjoy

And though I did not get pics of all the goodbye's, I will end today with saying bye bye to Chris, our awesome merch roadie

7 AM lobby call tomorrow, time for bed, night night!

Dave Rat

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Monique on :

People actually booed?? Wow. I don't think I've ever been to a show where people have booed the opening act. Crazy. I've gotten up and checked out the merch table if I don't like the act, but never booed. One day I WILL see Flea play trumpet live....oh yes...one day....

Justice on :

I was at the OKC show. Yes people actually booed. I'm not sure what it was. I didn't think he was all that good. A white guy, rapping with a DJ and two half-naked chicks prancing around on stage--not that interesting. As for Dave's hypothesis that it was too raunchy, well, that may be. I don't have the cleanest mouth on the planet, but he even startled me on a couple of occasions. But, there were a large number of younger kids there too, so.... I was also a little disappointed with the Peppers show. It was too short, I thought. I excepted a good two, two and a half hours. The whole show went for an hour and forty minutes. And there was a bunch of time space between songs.

Dave Rat on :

Well, I can agree with your pespective and can see how the music is not for everyone but the intentional disrespect of boo'ing, in my opinion, just highlights the humans that are making an effort to intentionally close their minds rather than listen. I pesonally found some of his rapping quite amusing and enjoayable to the point where I could not help but laugh, especially in the last song "My Dick." Though I must admit that I could see how people may not. As far as the set length, the only band I have ever worked with that did a 2 1/2 hour set was Pearl Jam. Though I have heard of other bands playing that long. For the most of my experience, bands play about the same time length as a movie at 90 mins or so. Perhaps a natural human attention span? Though I have noticed that high energy bands tend to play shorter and mellow intense bands longer sets. Drag race vs Nascar? Either way, 90 mins has been a Peppers set time for many years so the show was not out of line time wise with the Peppers presentation. Where as if they played 2 1/5 hours, that would have been a something no one has ever seen, though once in 17 years the after jam did bring it to 2 hours 15.

Margie on :

Hey Dave - great blog I am enjoying it immensely!!! Pity you couldn't get to Perth Western Australia this year with the Peppers. Went to the last concert in Dec 02 - but v bad venue with not such good sound. Didn't even get ringing ears!!! :) Still loved the show tho. Have heard a few of Mickey Avalon's tunes and think he's quite out there but true to himself obviously. Keep up the good bloggin!!! PS Poor taste to boo anyone even if you don't like them :(

Dave M on :

The top photograph messes with my mind and makes me feel really queasy... You naughty Rat!

dustin Stout on :

hey, you gave me that exact set list from okc. the rocked my socks off.

Timmy P on :

Hey Dave, I've been following this since the start, and it must be truly amazing to be in the position you are in!! It is my dream to be out on tour with a band like the Chilis, though I am more Lampy inclined!! What is it like at the end of a tour like this? Is it quite emotionally 'hard' to say goodbye to everyone? No doubt many people have bonded to become cohesive working units, but is there something beyond that too. I know that sometimes I get emotional at the end of a 2week run of a show that I've perhaps been working on for 6 months, is it the same on a huge tour like this? Thanks, and keep up the awesome work!!

Dave Rat on :

Hello Timmy, I used to get more emotional than I do now. Now it seems that it is kind of cool as you never know when you cross paths with other roadies again, if ever. Kind of like a scavenger hunt and then you inquire and seek out hello's when various tours come through town with friends from days past on board.

Cindy W on :

Yes, Mickey Avalon was booed in OKC. Considering gas and accommodations were paid for twice, plus time from missed work, etc., that audience was ready for and deserving of at least just as good a show as was originally planned. Still, it wasn't the sub-par opening act (just my opinion and which I could have gotten over gladly), but being chastised by the very men I have literally been waiting for more than 15 years to see live, that was disappointing. I know the philosophy of Stadium Arcadium—the greatest band in the world lifting up to the "heavens" the spirit of the funkiest music, the most compelling lyrics, and an audience orgasmic with the beauty of it all. That's why I was hurt to be chastised by John and Flea. Yes, I agree, Mickey Avalon could have been treated better. But I could have been treated better, too. Two wrongs don't make a right. I'm disillusioned to have been given a verbal dressing-down by a band in which I've invested not only money but emotion and adoration for more than half my life. Anthony didn't chastise the crowd; his performance was everything I dreamed of, and I adore him more than ever. But the comments from other band members demeaning the audience will always mar the memory of what was otherwise one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Carter on :

I was at the show in OKC, and I booed Micky Avalon because he was the worst fucking performer I have ever seen and heard in my 28 years of life. Being chastised by John and Flea was great to hear, because they are obviously morons too. I cannot believe that they had the balls to actually say what they did about the people of Oklahoma, concidering they went to a rock n'roll concert, and had some wigger rapping. I mean seriously, have you seen the movie Malibus Most Wanted with Jamie Kennedy? HE WAS WORSE THAN THAT. Flea and John need to open up their minds for 5 seconds and realize....THE CHILI PEPPERS ARE THE ONES WHO MADE THE MISTAKE, not the audience. If 20,000 people boo, it is because they have the wrong performer for the audience, not the other way around. I still like Anthony, but Flea and John are forever labeled bitches by me. How dare they chastise an audience for not liking someones music. What the fuck do they think this is, a communist country that has to believe what they believe? BURN IN HELL FLEA AND JOHN.

Dave Rat on :

Think of it this way, you pay to go to a car show to see a very famous car, maybe like James Dean's crashed car or something. Also there is a new experimental car there on display that some people like and some don't. Then a small group of people decide to cluster in front of the car that they don't like and wave their arms yelling "yuck, yuck yuck, we hate this car, we hate this car." And an announcement comes over the system that says "what are y'all doing, hey, if you like it cool, if not cool, but don't act like idiots, we are trying to have a car show here." So how did things go from a rock show to name calling morons and hell burning? You expressed your opinion by boo'ing, the band expressed their opinion by saying in essence "whether you like the music or not, it is disrespectful to boo" and then you write a lot of mean unrelated and hateful things. Wow! Well, based on the position you have staked out, may I please join Flea and John in your Bitchy Book? And you may as well add Chad and AK in their as well. And perhaps anyone else that realizes this was just a rock show and no need for throwing fireballs and having a tantrum.

Dave Rat on :

It is important to know that JF's comments were only directed at the people boo'ing that were intentionally vocalizing disrespect toward Mickey Avalon. JF had seen Mickey Avalon perform previously and enjoyed the show enough to ask Mickey to perform, when Gnarls could not fit in the new OK rescheduled date. Hence John's feelings were hurt by the boo'ing audience. JF is one of the most musically knowledgeable people I have ever met. He listens to all music always. His house is filled with thousands and thousands of CD's and records and his knowledge of music is truly incredible. His musical tastes are diverse and though he sometimes listens and loves music that I do not find appealing, I have great respect for someone that listens and studies music as intensely as he does. If I know the sound world as well as he knows music, I am honored. JF and Josh were standing next to Scott and I during the Mickey Avalon performance at front of house. We were smiling and though Mickey seemed to be on a much larger stage than he was used to, I did enjoy it, it was fun to watch, no big deal, not so serious as to make a big stink over. I also looked around and when spotty sections of people were boo'ing just thought, "come on people, give it rest, go get a soda or something. We all went through great lengths and significant added stress to make the rescheduled OK City show happen. Doing the OK city show caused an extension of the tour and consumed valuable rest and recuperation time needed, especially by band. The fact that the Japanese tour was postponed I believe was partly in fact to being over extended and the band was playing a show in OK rather than resting up. So 14,000 in OK got the show at the expense of 150,000 in Japan not getting their shows. The weather issues that caused the cancellation were neither the fault of the band nor audience and sometimes nature just makes things less than optimum and everyone tries to do the best they can to compensate. So as far as the audience "deserving of at least just as good a show as was originally planned," I think that is a bit skewed in that it assumes that the show was less than what would have been, had the blizzard not come. The end of show jam was awesome, I see many shows and can say that the OK show was unique and powerful, much better than I anticipated given all the difficulties leading up to it. Actually, I have little doubt that the Grand Finale End of Tour Peppers Show in OK City was better than the one OK would have received in a half full venue mid blizzard. As far as the boo'ers, no big deal, immature or shallow or just their way of showing love or lack of tolerance for diversity, oh well!!

mauserdude on :

I, too, booed in OKC. In January we made a rood trip that would have had snowplow drivers pissing their pants only to have the show cancelled. Saw our room on CNN's coverage of Ice Storm '07. That's okay, we love the band, we'll be back. We stayed across the street from the Cox center, not cheap. That's okay, we love the band, we'll be back. We expected an opening act worth a damn. That's okay, we still love the RHCP's. Being chastised for not soaking up Mickey Avalon's piss? That's okay, we love the band, but maybe not so much as before. I've heard a lot of music in my lifetime. I've been involved directly and indirectly in entertainment for 20 years. I may not like rap but I can hear talent when it's present. Avalon didn't even bring talent to the table! We've watched his videos on YouTube and he sounds decent when he's in the studio. He sucked and the good folks in OKC knew "SUCK" when they heard it. It's the only show I've ever bought a ticket for that the entire crowd booed. By the way, I thought the sound for the Chili Peppers was awesome. The younger kids behind us wanted more bass, but I thought it was a very nice mix. It was a great show, besides the obvious exception.

Dave Rat on :

Hello Mauser! And first of all I want to welcome and thank you and Cindy and Carter for joining the curiosity of the bloggery travels. I love the Peppers as well. Not only their music but as compassionate, talented and cool people. As far as hearing talent and being the judge of it. well many people consider Hedrix to be crap noise, as with Eminem and as I do with many bands that I cant listen to, but other people derive much pleasure from bands I consider grating. Each to their own and fair enough. No one was chastised for not liking the support act. The issue is that people went beyond not liking and and went to the level of making an effort to express and attempt to sway others rather than just embrace their own opinion. Not liking= all good. Puposely making an effort to harass and disrespect = questionable, in my opinion. And perhaps, just perhaps, the difference you mention between the enjoyability of the album and the live show had something to do with the fact that the perfomer was surrounded by humans more interested in trying to bum out the performer by boo'ing. And if I imagine my own self on a stage and the way it feels to face 12,000 people, the confidence, the exposure, the guts, whether i am talented or not and I compare it to the relative invisibilty of being in the audience, I see that there is no comparison. Have you ever been on stgae and the center of attention in front of thousands and thousands of people? Maybe it is all just another American Idol episode anyway so what does it really matter? In the mean time, I hope to see you all next time! Cause you never know........Because...... As long as expectations don't exceed experiences, everyone has a wonderful time!!

mauserdude on :

Dave, You make very good points and we will continue to love the guys. Maybe it was just a group "letdown" after all of the time and effort to see the show? I'm not a hater and I really believe in the message the 'Peppers espouse. Thanks for making me look inward. You guys did a wonderful job and the sound really was first class. And now I understand the tigers around your control boards a little better. I have a question: Was there a problem with the display behind the lower left of the stage? I noticed a big block of dark where it looked like something went dead.

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