Hey , Joe ! Sorry I missed you at that Fleshtones show...Long , boring story behind that. Being that I live in Chicago , sometimes my take on things , clubwise , does'nt always keep up with popular opinion....OK , frequently. I'm not as into The Hideout as a lot of people are .... It's a really cool LOOKING place , for anybody that has'nt been there. And , yes , I have seen some really good shows there (Not even that many , as Insurgent Country , and some of the other music they showcase , is'nt my scene.). The first few years they were open , I liked 'em better than I do , now , but , again , that's just me.
Similarly with The Bottle , loved 'em the first 5 or 6 years they were open , but , they were booking a lot more bands that I'm personally interested in. People I meet , now , talk about them like they just opened last month. That's actually GOOD , But , being as how they opened about (Exactly?) 20 years ago , it does'nt seem so new to me. I liked it , best , when Lounge Ax was still open and both clubs gave each other healthy competition , and both venues were coughing up the shows. I still like 'em just fine , but I really only go there maybe 3 times a year , only because that's how often there's a show I feel like making the trek out there to see. I do want to say , tho' , I've played there maybe 5 times , mostly Roctober - related reviews where I only did short sets , 10 minutes on average (But , I was very glad to do them.). You know , all of those things went fine , low pressure gigs , where my Editor , Jake Austen , handled most of the arrangements. But , the first BIG show I played on there was with The Gories , last October , and I do have to say , everything about the way everybody there treated me , and handled the situation as a whole , was 100 % top notch , from a performer's point of view. I was blown away by how professional everything was being run , so , of course , I'd love to play there again , especially if I'm lucky enough to be in a situation like that.
Joe Bonomo said:
The old 9:30 Club in Washington DC, Empty Bottle and the Hideout in Chicago.