PRETTY BOY FLOYD
LIVE AT THE VILLAGE PUB IN PORT JEFFERSON (LONG ISLAND), NEW YORK 5/2/02
LIVE AT CONNECTIONS IN CLIFTON, NEW JERSEY 5/4/02
I never thought the day would come when I'd see Pretty Boy Floyd live in concert. I never thought I'd meet Steve Summers, shake hands and tell him how I bought "Leather Boyz with Electric Toyz" when I was 12 years old and I was the coolest 12 year old on the block! On a Thursday night on Long Island, the unimaginable came true!
The band was doing a short East Coast tour with the Bulletboys. I drove about an hour to catch Pretty Boy Floyd performing a set consisting mostly of songs from "Leather Boyz..." They haven't released much else since 1989 actually. They had a 5 song EP and then the "Porn Stars" record which was mostly a re-recorded version of "Leather Boyz...". Now they have a live album, "Live at the Pretty Ugly Club". Take a look at the set list right here.
The band was hot. The music was loud and glammy. The band's energy level was high. Unfortunately, most of the Long Island crowd wasn't familiar with the band so they were more reserved than the Hollywood shows the band is used to performing at.
While the Bulletboys were performing, I was hanging out with the band and a number of other people. I had asked Steve why they didn't play more new songs. He told me that over the years they had played other non-album tracks like "Tonight Belongs to the Young" and "Far Away" but the audience really just wanted to hear songs from the first album. He said the band had gone through numerous lineup changes and the current lineup with Lesli, Chad and Dish was the best since the band started.
That night was memorable and I showed up for work the next day (20 minutes late) with a smile on my face! However, something happened within the next 48 hours, because when I saw the band at Connections in Clifton, New Jersey they were WASTED!!! Trust me, it was not a pretty sight. They were all wearing the same clothes from two nights ago. They were so drunk they could barely stand and the musicianship level dropped way down.
The opening band was the infamous PORN ROCK. Both Pretty Boy Floyd and the Bulletboys used Porn Rock's equipment, which I found very strange. Porn Rock sounded fine but for some reason when Pretty Boy Floyd plugged in the sound was way off. The guitar was turned up way too loud and with way too much treble. People were walking out in agony! In fact, at one point, even the girls running the merchandise table decided to close down. I offered to help out and I was actually running the table until the band got offstage, then it was time for the backstage party. (For the record, I sold a few t-shirts and CD's so maybe I've got a second career here!)
Now don't get me wrong, I obviously love the band, but that night in New Jersey was definately an off night. It's a shame because they rarely play shows outside of California anymore. So I'll hold on to the Long Island memories and hope that the band can handle their liquor better the next time they come around, which will be in July 2002, performing on the second stage of the Poison tour. They will also be playing a few club dates, including Don Hill's with Faster Pussycat and a headlining gig at Connections.
They'll get it right this time! I'll be there for sure!
UPDATE: The Don Hill's show was killer! The band was at the top of their game. The audience knew all the lyrics and sang along. The gig at Connections was just an off-night. Pretty Boy Floyd is a great band. They proved it at the Don Hill's show!
