I Have Live Music Tickets...

 Last blog posting I wrote was about live music I had seen and one of the places I wrote and thought about was the old Fitzgerald's club in Houston. I discovered that the old club, built as a Polish Culture center and dancehall in 1918 had been torn down and turned into a parking lot. Everyone that was anyone from James Brown to the Ramones had played there. I bought live music tickets today to see the band Ranky Tanky. It's the first tickets I have bought since the pandemic started. Due to social distancing concerns the show will be outside the old Pines Theater in downtown Lufkin. The Pines was built in 1925 and the first movie shown there was "Coast of Folly" staring Gloria Swanson. It's now a live music venue on the concert series circuit. 

Seeing shows has changed a lot and not just because of the pandemic. The last two shows I saw at Fitzgerald's were The Mountain Goats and King Kahn and the BBQ. Now these two bands might not be real high on your radar but I like them and they drew enthusiastic crowds. The venues packed them in standing room only. This has been a trend at most clubs. All the chairs that used to be in these place so you could sit like a civilized person to see music have been removed for a rattle rattle here comes the cattle approach to providing live music. 

I recall a show I saw back in the mid 80's at Fitzgerald's. It was blues men Buddy Guy and Junior Wells. The club was furnished with tables and chairs so a man and his date could have a seat. There were ash trays on the table for those inclined to smoke and a waitress came to you, took your drink order and returned with drinks in real glassware that was picked up and returned for reuse. Now days at these standing room only places there are strategically placed 39 gallon trash cans that are soon to be overflowing with the beer cans and plastic cups that held the drinks you stood in line to get. If the the floor is clean of the trash and everyone was sitting at tables that left room for a dancefloor in front of the stage. If you did not have a date you could ask a man or a woman sitting at another table to dance. Usually they would. The show I saw probably was very similar to this video.

I'm looking forward to Ranky Tanky's show. Maybe the pandemic will bring back civilized club attendance and soon we will get to enter the old Pines and enjoy the refurbished glory of a sit down venue. I'm getting to old to stand in front of the stage with the true believers. If I'm sitting at a table I can rest between dances.