Little
Rock, AR
RiverFest Arts & Music Festival
May 25, 2003
I’d like to begin my review with the dialogue that took place in the Jebsen family living room about a month ago…
LISA: Honey, how would like to get out of shopping for a mother’s day or birthday present for me this year?
TIM: (Stares Lisa down for several seconds…) Where are they playing?
So…. if you just wanna skip to the show stuff, click here… if you wanna read all about my "present," then carry on…
For those of you keeping score, this is my 44th CT show and I’ve now traveled to 15 states to see them. :)
I got to Little Rock, via London Gatwick. The week before the show, Tim and I were in London with a theatre tour he leads every other year. Good times: did some sightseeing, saw some great theatre and to keep this kind of on topic, I hopped a train to Leeds to see Kim G for a bit one night.
His travel curse kicked me in the butt on the way up, when the train was delayed for an hour just a bit north of Doncaster. DOH!!!
Anyway, once I cleared customs in Houston, instead of going home to Midland, I caught a flight to Dallas then grabbed a rental car for the final leg of my journey.
The good: great rate. I paid $15/day for the car and ended up with a free upgrade
The bad: the drive. It was over an hour longer than expected. DOH! Thank god for the CD player!
The ugly: the weather. There was some nasty, heavy rain on the way up. Bleh!
If anyone out there saw me on the road, I was the one in the super sexy silver station wagon. LOL
RIVERFEST
This is a big ol’ festival, lemme tell ya. There was the usual assortment of arts, performers, kids’ stuff, food and whatnot. All of this stretched along the north and south sides of the Arkansas River. Very impressive. They had 3 big stages for music acts.
CT would be on the Budweiser Stage – a big ol’ 40’ x 60’ ground support system, with PA wings. I meant to see if it was TOMCAT equipment, but I forgot. DOH!
When I got to the gate just before noon, I was informed that the North Little Rock side wouldn’t actually open until 3 pm, so I went back to my room and took a nap. LOL.
Back at RiverFest, I stood by the gate where I received some good natured ribbing from the Security Dude (who shall be known here on out as SD).
He was actually very nice. He said he’d be right up front by the barricade, so he’d be sure to keep an eye out for me if it got crazy. He also showed me where some non port-a-potty facilities were. Good to know!
Once I claimed my rightful place in front, I plopped down and continued work on my London journal. Apparently this perplexed and confounded many people. Some thought I was a RiverFest official. Some people thought I was with the band. Others were just goofy.
Three rowdy guys (sans shirts of course) wanted to know if they’d be featured prominently in the entry for today. Whatever guys… If I say yes, will you go away?! The RiverFest buttons dangling from your nipples are freaking me out! Eeek!
There were actually 3 openers and it all started at 3:30 p.m.
First up was Starkz, a heavy rock band out of Little Rock, I think. Their vocalist was particularly strong. Good set. Loud though. Luckily I’d saved my ear plugs from the flight from London.
A local DJ known as the Chinese Gangster of Love (Oop ack. With a nickname like that, you just KNOW it’s a kooky, nutty. wacky morning show :P) was on hand to introduce the bands and toss out a wee bit of swag. This was nothing like the swagging at GUITARMGEDDON though.
Next up was a double bill: Jason Morphew and Ho Hum.
Jason seems like a nice guy and all, but the man could not stay on pitch to save his life!!! AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!
See Lisa.
See Lisa listening to Jason.
See Lisa go slowly insane.
It was about now when SD2 (the other Security Dude) and I started rating the bands. He’d look at me and adjust his thumb up or down, depending on how I directed him. LOL After Jason hit yet another clunker, SD2 made a big production out of putting in his earplugs. LMAO!!!
This almost made me forget the big ass cup of tabaccy juice he accumulated throughout the afternoon. :P
Almost.
Ho Hum was up next. Can’t really tell you much about them because this would be when I took my leave. Just before this, I met up with Sharinda and her friend Kim from Memphis. (Ladies, I have a horrible feeling that I’ve butchered your names, so if you’re reading this LMK and I’ll correct spellings!!!)
Anyway, they were kind enough to watch my spot so I could get away for a bit. On the way to get some food, I stopped by the "Artist Merchandise" tent to say hi. I got a laugh out of Fred and Matt when I asked if Jason was as tonally challenged as I thought he was. I guess they’d just been discussing that. LOL
After (finally) purchasing a CT 77 shirt, (Fred said, "You don’t have one already?!" LOL) I searched for some food.
Well… I don’t know that it qualifies as food, but I can now say that I’ve tried a Fried Twinkie.
It sounded so ridiculous, that I had to try it. LOL A couple bites was all I needed to decide that while Southerners might be able to deep fry ANYTHING, that doesn’t mean they should. ;)
Back at the Budweiser Stage, Lucero, a four piece band out of Memphis, was the last group before CT. The lead singer was a f***in’ riot. I could’ve listened to his low, growly, Tennessee accent all night.
But not if that meant missing CT, of course.
Anyway, I enjoyed their set. They had quite a number of fans in the crowd and they entertained just about any request that was yelled at them.
During their set, semi-drivin’ Brian came over to say "hi."
It was also about now when I meet Maria from Little Rock. She’d always liked CT, but she’d never seen them live before. As it grew cold and cloudy, we fretted that the weather might keep her from popping her CT cherry, so to speak. ;)
We met a guy behind us who’d been at the Joan Jett show at the amphitheatre on the other side of the river. He said that crowd was "interesting." LOL He also scored major points with me when he said he left that show 20 minutes early to come to the "real show." Good boy! :D
He also pointed out all the folks streaming across the bridge, presumably for the CT show. I’d say there were probably 4 or 5,000 people in that area by the time the guys took the stage.
Fortunately, the rain held off and CT took the stage right around 8 pm…
Fashion Report
| Bun E. | Black, long sleeved Piece shirt, jeans, black CT baseball cap |
| Rick | Red shiny suit, "My singer is better than your lead singer" shirt, checkerboard socks (I only know this because Rick showed them to us! LOL) |
| Robin | Brown striped suit, white dress shirt, black tie – and a gray hat added later in the set |
| Tom | Black jeans, black and gray western shirt, gray western jacket |
Set List
| Hello There | Of course, I had to show Rick that I was wearing a Piece t shirt. He laughed and pointed out that BEC had one on too. |
| Big Eyes | |
| IYWML | As usual, Rick encouraged us to sing and sway along on this one. |
| Wrong All Along | When Maria leaned over and said, "I don’t know that song – but it’s great!" I let her know that she needed to run to the store and pick up CT 97 ASAP. She really liked the new songs, too. |
| IKWIW | I know Rick has done this before, but I actually remembered this time… During the"clapping time" on this, he makes an obscene gesture (the ol’ finger in the hole thing). This got such a roar from the crowd that SD turned around to see what the fuss was about. Bwahahahhaha! |
| IWYTWM | I was impressed. After Robin yelled, "I WANT YOU…" the crowd loudly finished the phrase for him. |
| Best Friend | I’ve said this repeatedly, but I don’t care, I’m saying it again: I. LOVE. THIS. SONG!!! |
| Never Had a Lot to Lose | Apologies to anyone standing next to me – you probably got some of my hair flung in your face. LOL |
| Words | I think Rick flubbed something, because I heard him say "I f***ed up" at one point. |
| Downed | |
| Tonight It's You | I looked down the front during this one – and saw nothing but people grinning and screaming like little kids. Gotta love it. |
| Heaven Tonight | Tom had to adjust something on his guitar before we could hear him. Rick handed SD the guitar and the look on his face was priceless! He was so confused. Bwahahaha! |
| Ain't That A Shame | By now Rick knew he had a target, so he chucked a pick at SD’s head. |
| Surrender | |
| Scent of a Woman | Robin was very animated and very fun to watch during this one, picking out women to sing the verses to. He held out his mic during the "yeah, yeahs" at the end, encouraging the crowd to sing. |
| Dream Police | Rick unbuttoned his jacket during this one so everyone could read his t shirt. When I looked back at BEC, he was grinning like a little kid. Cute! All the SDs were busy collecting and evenly distributing guitar picks. |
| Goodnight Now |
Rick Banter
As usual, this is in no particular order…
He pointed out fans from all over: Texas, Tokyo, Chicago and St. Louis – giving a nod to the Little Rock fans as well.
Speaking of Little Rock, he said that this wasn’t their first time there, but it was nice to be back. (Has Rick ever said it sucks to be somewhere?! LOL)
Just before "Best Friend," he told everyone that the new album would be out in July so they were going to play some new songs and some old stuff like "Dream Police"...
After pointing out a fan in an orange shirt, Rick said the fan was there with his bride to be. Or his concubine. "You know the words to all the songs. Or you do a good job faking it!"
He asked how everyone was doing over on the hill (which got a cheer from them, of course) then he asked how we were doing on the "main floor." Based on Rick’s reaction, our response was much louder than he expected. LOL
During his usual intro of Tom, Rick added that Tom’s the secretary of the Lisa Jebsen Fan Club. WTF?! LMAO!!!
Misc.
As always, it was great to see the guys – even if it was the same set list from the last few times I’ve seen them. ;)
They all seemed to be in a good mood – even the technical flubs made them laugh. Like when there was no light on Rick for one of his solos on his steps. He just kinda smirked and went on…
Speaking of light, I think RiverFest hired the crappiest follow spot operators in Little Rock. Seriously. Either that or those yahoos made one too many trips to the beer tent. I could have done a better job! (Anyone who knows my supreme lack of technical skills will understand what a strong statement that is!)
Bun E. came out from behind his kit at one point and talked to the sound guy. Rick and Tom didn’t see this right away, so when they were ready to launch into the next song, they looked surprised that he wasn’t there. So they stood upstage, cutting up while BEC got resettled.
In another between song moment, Tom and Bun E goofed around and came this close to starting an impromptu jam.
In addition to the assortment of Califronia lisense plates on his amps, Rick now has a black and white monkey hanging there.
At the beginning of the set, during one of those times when he encourages everyone to scream and clap, Rick folded his arms, nodded and smiled, taking it all in – then looked startled when it was time for him to play.
Of course, there was a feeding frenzy any time picks flew into the crowd.
How to not get a Tom pick:
Yell, "Hey! Bass Player! Gimme a pick!" at the top of your lungs.
Yes, some dickweed actually stood there yelling that.
After his usual, glowing intro of RZ, Rick gave him a high five, which just cracked Robin up.
While I’m not a fan of these "fest" shows, I must say that the crowd was on its best behavior – with one exception. Just before the encores, Rick tossed me his towel. This chick a few people down from me did everything in her power to wrestle it away from me.
Homey don’t play that.
SD saw what was happening, so he came over and offered to cut it in half. Fine with me. Anyone who knows me, knows that I was NOT gonna let go. This woman would have to drag me home. LOL
Profuse apologizes to Maria who got caught in the middle of that mess.
SD2 came over to me afterwards to complain that he'd be forced to miss most of the show. Doh! Stupid work!
I did feel bad for him though. He seemed to be a fan...
At any rate, the security folks were all very nice. They did a darn fine job. :)
Post Show
I decided to forego the fireworks. I’d found a pretty good parking spot (good = free, LOL) but I knew it’d be crazy trying to get back across the river if I waited until after the display. Nevertheless, I did see most of them as I made my way back to the hotel.
Just as I got to my car I realized that I’d left my Homer sign on the ground by the stage. DOH!!!!!!!! I’ve been trying to make a new one for months. I guess I have to now.
Two bites of a Fried Twinkie do not a dinner make, so I stopped by Wendy’s before turning in. I don’t know which was worse – the Twinkie or the chicken sandwich. Bleh!!!
The trip home went smoothly – I made it to Love Field in plenty of time. It was great to finally be home though…
Tanx
As usual, thanks is in order for Tim for putting up with me...
The other big thanks is for CT: I had another fun time.
Who knew I’d ask for a trip to Little Rock for my birthday?! CT makes a girl do some nutty things. :D
Thanks for reading…
| Peace, Lisa J. "I prefer to listen to Cheap Trick." |
-Homer Simpson |