Fontana was Hot
Our multi-car convoy got stuck, like everyone else on the freeway, in the push to get to the speedway. Chaney got in a fender-bender on the way. Rock blocks on the radio, waiting. Led Zeppelin. Air drums (my first instrument).
(Now Playing: "Sea Song" from Doves)
Finally got to the speedway, and checked out the stage area, it was really big, had a giant PA system, and a large area for the crowd. No one had much of an idea what to expect. The race was just tying up: apparently, a Busch race, a minor one before the big one tomorrow. There were stands stretching out to infinity, and the alien sounding machine hum of the cars was omnipresent for the first hour or so.
The was a big RV for the band, and all the various hangers about. I don't know what the temperature was exactly, but to me, it was just a shade to the left of completely fucking unbearable. The race ended at around 3pm and the band was to go on at 6:30pm. We wondered why people would come back for the show, then discovered that they never leave. An ocean of RV's, tents, campers, and vans stretched on for what must have been miles in the parking area of the speedway, and that's where they were. Seems that NASCAR fans converge at the site of each race and make a community. It reminded me of the days when the Grateful Dead would play and the Dead Carnival would follow them nomadically from city to city, bringing their buses, vans, and tye-dyed t-shirt booths with them. It was a whole society, I found it really interesting. Never seen anything like it since. NASCAR is worlds different, though. Where at the Dead Carnival, you could walk around, buy drugs, play guitar around someone's fire, and hang with spaced-out hippie chicks, at NASCAR, you ride from RV compound to RV compound on a bicycle holding a Coors, and maybe stop off at a vending truck to buy some Dale Earnhardt memorabilia on your way to a midnight wet t-shirt contest on top of a Winnebego. I expected to see a really vast selection of different mullets, but sadly only saw a couple.
I took off and investigated the city with my camera, met some people, and looked around. Everyone seemed to be having a really good time, and despite all the alcohol being consumed, I didn't get weirded out, or see any fights or sketchy scenes.
Camp Freddy went to do their radio show and I warmed up my voice in the car. At this point the other singers started showing up, Josh Todd from Buckcherry, and Juliette Lewis. The RV area was full of people. The opening band played, and 6:30pm rolled around.
(Now Playing: "He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's The Pilot" from Grandaddy)
Here's what I remember from the show, it's a bit of a blur:
The NASCAR Carnival crowd came out in droves: it was packed.
Donovan (Camp Freddy's resident singer) started off the show with "Ballroom Blitz", then Billy Morrision did "Should I Stay or Should I Go, they did "Search and Destroy", then Juliette Lewis came on and owned Van Halen's "Aint Talkin Bout Love". That chick is some serious rockstar trapped in the body of a Hollywood actress. She went nuts all over the stage in a bright red skin-tight jumpsuit.
I was up next.
They called me up and we busted our medley of The Who's "Baba O' Reilly" and "Pinball Wizard". The crowd was fantastic; lots of people were singing the words along with me and I felt right at home. Dave and Chris on my right, Stephen kicking ass on the drums, and Mr. Billy Morrision playing on my left and pitching in with the harmonies. It went by fast, too fast, but I enjoyed every single second of it. It was the first time that The Panic Channel was onstage together, and I can't wait for it to happen again. I was stoked that we got the Who songs together, not just because of my experience singing Who songs, but becuase that music just does something to a big crowd. You can't really go wrong, ...such power.
Next, Josh Todd and Jerry Cantrell came up and did "Man in the Box". I got my video camera and taped the rest of the show. The PA blew a fuse or something, and they had to stop the song and restart it a few minutes later when it was fixed. I am a big Alice in Chains fan, so I was really happy to see Jerry up there rocking. Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols came out and they all did "God Save the Queen", and later Billy Duffy joined them for the Cult's "Love Removal Machine". At this point, it's dark, everybody is really warmed up, the crowd is flipping out, Dave had a pink bra on his mic stand that some woman tossed up, Perkins is fucking on fire behind the drums, and the stage is so packed with tattooed rock stars that there is hardly room left on the stage (or virgin skin left on the rock stars). I creeped around with the camcorder and got some amazing footage. After my song was done, I genuinely had a blast watching all these people jam together, one of the best shows I've seen in a long time. Some of the other songs they played were Iggy Pop's "I Wanna be your Dog", and Led Zep's "Whole Lotta Love".
The set ended and off over the RV city, a fireworks display lit up the summer night. Dave, Riss and I drove back to L.A. and got some Indian food. This was one of those days that was so much fun, that you never want it to end. A day I was lucky to experience, and I hope I never forget.
Comments
I gather ms paris hilton didn't end up doing a song as you so hoped? :D
Posted by: Jez | September 5, 2004 06:51 AM
heLLo steve and everyone here!
Thanx for the update already! sounds like you fab time there!..
I like to read to ur post, coz it's like, you know those guys now, but u still have an eye on them like the rest of us..lol "I got the honor of sharing the stage with some of my favorite musicians ever", and this is awesome steve. U realise how cool it is.
Lookin forward to seein your video footage of the event.
All the best,
FreAk*
(u got my mails btw? coz not heard from u for ages..)
Posted by: theFreAk6767 | September 5, 2004 08:36 AM
Just forgot about your song "Figure 8"...
Very very good song, who's playin on it exactly?
More stuff could be online? (when the mighty g5 is back from surgery...lol?)
FreAk*
Posted by: theFreAk6767 | September 5, 2004 08:44 AM
I really enjoyed your update on your Nascar experiance, I really wish I had been there, but your writings really brought it to life. Thanks
David
Posted by: culculun | September 5, 2004 05:03 PM
whens the panis channels web gonna be fixed up?
Posted by: rich | September 5, 2004 07:00 PM
Sounds like an awesome experience.
RP
*who thinks that Juliette Lewis ROCKS*
*who also thinks it's funny how you refer to the "Rock Gods" in the same terms that we (the mere mortals) do.
Posted by: RecklessPrincess | September 6, 2004 08:24 AM
Hey there,glad u had such an awesome time there..most of those race people had prolly been there since thursday u know,for qualifying and practice,the RV'ers follow the nascar schedule and travel from race to race if they can,its really a whole different world..Thats the Busch race too btw..not as huge as Nextel cup,but still pretty damn fun to watch.Yes i follow nascar,lol.Stephanie
Posted by: NhMadness | September 6, 2004 01:51 PM
Steve,
Thank you for capturing the essence of the NASCAR experience... I love to hear it from the view of a first-timer. My family is really into racing (although I'm not a huge fan) and we have been camping in the infield for the last seven years or so. Saturday night was the best concert that I have seen in a long time, and the best EVER at NASCAR. You were absolutely amazing... your voice is perfect for covering The Who. I've got some really wonderful pictures of all you guys. Even one of you standing down in front of the stage, video-taping the crowd. I look forward to seeing you perform again soon!
Posted by: Sarah | September 6, 2004 02:02 PM
ok, I follow nascar too, but from the comfort of my couch so I can fully appreciate JeffgordonCAM.
But I knew Busch only because it's a Minnesota beer, right?
Steve, glad you had a good time, you wrote a pretty good review too, nice narrative complete with soundtrack, I'm a sucker for good writing, and I even understood the 'bush' pun, makes sense, it's a lesser race, bush league, sports reference.
Looking forward to hearing more from Panic Channel, can you tell me where the copy for intro came from? I like the share your sorrows, invest with your power.. sentiment.
Have a good day!
Posted by: jezebel | September 6, 2004 02:09 PM
what I dont understand is,we cant have Winston cup anymore,but we can have Busch series as well as various other alcohol sponsors,whats the diff here? lol
btw i drink and smoke, i just find it amusing that we as a society didnt want to associate tobacco with sports anymore,but hey bring on the beer(and dont forget the Wimmer fiasco earlier this yr..dui anyone?)
Posted by: NhMadness | September 6, 2004 03:19 PM
Answers:
Jez: Nope, no Paris Hilton. I would be absolutely amazed if she would "lower" herself to hang with thousands of hot and sweaty "ordinary" folk at a race. I'm not really dissing her, I just couldn't imagine her being able to hang, that's all.
Freak: Got your mail (just the one) and will get back to you today - I'm not the best at keeping a tidy inbox. And yes, the G5 is back, good (or better) than new. How about those new iMacs, beautiful, huh?
And the Skycycle song "Figure 8": I am singing and playing rhythym, Sven Shenar lead guitar and harmonies, Kelly Castro Bass, and Rob Brown drums. We also messed with some synth arpeggiation madness, and our manager, Gary Helsinger pitched in as the "TV announcer" in the end vamp. There is a whole concept behind the lyrics, I'll post it sometime.
Rich: The Panic site will stay an intro for the next few weeks, next up is adding a mailing list. After we get our first show out of the way, I will begin building the whole thing. We need some content up there so we don't open up with a bunch of "coming soon" areas.
NhMadness: Oh crap - it's "Busch"???? I didn't even know - gonna fix that in the post.
Sarah - Thanks so much - that had to be the most fun 5 minutes I've had in years, seriously.
jezebel - No "inside" joke on the Bush race - just ignorance on my part. On the Panic intro - I wrote that, what I consider as our "manifesto" - In my view it's all true: when you are into a band, you identify with them, and when something good happens for them, it makes you happy too (our triumphs will be yours), and when you are feeling lonely and out of synch with the world, a band's music can completely change that around and give you headspace to see a new, more positive perspective (your sorrows shall be shared). Finally, a band is meaningless unless there are people to hear the music and share the feeling, the music only really exists when there are both the players, and the listeners (invest the switch with your power). The music underneath is the intro to our song "Unholy Ghost" and the end chord is the last chord of "She Won't Last" from our rough demos recorded at Danny Saber's.
Posted by: Steve Isaacs | September 6, 2004 04:16 PM
Thank you, Steve!
I identified with the words in much the same way.
The promises we make to our true friends, our kindred spirits, our personal "band".
Have you ever seen Y Tu Mama Tambien? It was one of my first subtitled movies I really loved.
The permanence of friendship through polar situations.
Can I still say you are a good writer?
Posted by: jezebel | September 6, 2004 04:44 PM
heLLo,
Thank u steve for the answers!
And yeah those new iMacs are beautiful...But will stick to my G5 and my powerBook for now!huh! ;-)
FreAk*
Posted by: theFreAk6767 | September 6, 2004 05:52 PM
Steve,yer too damn funny!Have a great one..think ima head to bed and actually sleeeeeeeeeeep tonight(i hope) huggs an kisses gnight :o)Steph
Posted by: NhMadness | September 6, 2004 06:02 PM
Steve... I love reading your posts! So funny and always informative. I find that between you Dave and Billy...if I read all three blogs I can usually get a full story...lol! You've definitely always got the unique and always complete view of the whole scene. Thanks for the updates and your seemingly natural humor.
Posted by: Abby | September 6, 2004 06:21 PM
OK OK - Finally I am well rested and began surfing today - I really dont where to start - but here goes - the show was phenom. EVERYONE I met was beyond friendly. Steve, Billy, Dave, Stephan, Jerry - I can' t recall the last time I saw so many "grounded" musicians in one area!?! I am fresh to both your site and Dave's and am floored by the amount of postings!!! Very cool - I too have a rather large quantity of pix from the show - including one that Dave thought was "heroic" of him and Jerry - I also need to do some chopping etc....Pop me over a note when you get a chance Steve and I will either send em to you via e-mail or burn them to a CD...Thanks again for a great time!!
Posted by: billymcd | September 6, 2004 08:54 PM
Steve-
I feel the same way about the solitude thing from your post "Alone Time" but i find it hard to obtain sometimes. Living with my girlfriend is great but i do crave silence. How do you go about letting your significant other that you need that time with out hurting their feelings? I am not looking for you to "help" me just your ideas. Thanks man. Oh by the way. I was at the chicago nascar race in july and saw Puddle of mudd play. Great time were you guys oictured on Rusty Wallace's Miller Lite car also? Just wondering if they do it for all the bands who play the infield. Thanks Steve for your time.
r3
Steve I have 1 more invite for gmail if you are interested let me know
Posted by: r3 | September 7, 2004 02:00 PM
Hey Steve this is bluelizard i dont know if you remember me i was the one screaming at Dave at the speedway after the show and he came and say "hello" to us and said "say hello to Steve" or something like that (a little more beers that i can handle, lol) i just want to say you have a kick ass voice, thanks for the show.
amor y paz,
Blaca Lizardi
Posted by: bluelizard | September 7, 2004 04:46 PM
Hey - in the spirit of sharing good music - Steve and all others might wanna check out OUROBOROS live: King King (Whitley & Hollywood Blvd) 10:30 Sept 8th - HEY that is tonight. The band is fronted by Chris Shinn, who was in a band called Unified Theory and prior to that Blind Melon. Last time I checked Wednesday nights were FREE cover and FREE parking behind the club....Come on people how can you beat that?? Keep cool my friends and join me there for a frosty beverage - today is going to be another HOT Mother....
Posted by: billymcd | September 8, 2004 08:06 AM