2002 MMJ March Madness remembered...

[George_Savage]

MMJ, Hi-Ho Lounge, New Orleans, March 18, 2002

           Well, I love my Jacket and I have been thinking fondly about four years ago when I decided to blow off South by
Southwest and follow them around.  I was heavy in the throes of youthful Jacket Love.   I basically could not believe that they were already played to thousands; and now they are about to really take off just as they should.
             I left early that morning.   New Orleans is about 600
miles from here (I live NE of Dallas about 60 miles in a little town called Commerce, Texas).   The trip was uneventful.  I remember taking a nap in my car somewhere around Natchitoches, Louisiana (that spelling me be wrong).   I think that I got to NO around 6 PM or so.   I had directions to the Hi-Ho Lounge; it was little bitty ditty dive.  They did serve Anchor Steam in the bottle, though.   I remember that.   I found the bar, went in there and all of the members of MMJ were just sitting in these booths.   I had only spoken to Jim maybe three times before this but I had alerted them that a pestering fanatic would be following them around on this tour.   They were extremely cool about it; they could've easily blown me off but they always treated me nicely when I approached them.  
                 I'd found the place earlier and then I found a motel.
I ended up writing down about 15 requests on a piece of paper.  Jim and Johnny looked at the list after I gave it to them.    I hadn't heard Evelyn live yet and they kicked off the show with it and they even dedicated it to me; unfortunately, the tape wasn't rolling because the Anchor Steam was being purchased!
                  I can't remember what else they played and I have looked through what I can find of my music collection and it's not there.  Everything is still in disarray since I have moved.    
                  They were on tour with Swearing at Motorists.   SAM played second and I can't remember who played first but it was probably a local.  It was the drummer's birthday on this night and MMJ presented him with a pinata.   They hung it up on the stage and it was (I believe) during Phone Went West that Johnny proceeded to kick it until it broke open.    
                   They only got to play about 38 minutes (shortest show ever?) because at a designated time they had some DJ come in and play some fairly horrible music.   I was one of two true fans here, but there was another dude there who was totally into it.   I think that the rest were patrons of the bar.      Jim closed the show with some of Springsteen's "I'm on Fire"..he played about 2 1/2 minutes of it.  It was awesome, wish I could find it.    They walked out after the show off this tiny stage and I proceeded to do my best "Laugh-In" applause impression.   Some of you older kids (am I the oldest fanatic at 43 on the forum?) might remember that 1960s show called 'Laugh In' - at the end of each episode there was a single person applauding.   And I did that and I think that I said "that's my Laugh-In impression".   I remember briefly speaking to Jim and Johnny and I asked them if it was true that they were cousins.    They said that it was true and they explained whose mother was whose brother or sister but I can't remember it.    Then JQ added "yeh, but we're from Kentucky - everybody is everyone else's cousins there, ya know!"   The only other thing that I can remember of this conversation was that I asked Jim "what's the name of that awesome song that you played to open the 1/23/02 solo
Bloomington show?" and he said "Steam Engine".   I  confirmed that he'd written it and I just told him that it was official:  he's a freakin' genius!   I got my stuff and left.   Later that night or the next day I remembered that I was drinking an Anchor Steam beer.  And I wondered if he'd made up 'Engine Steam' on the spot just to get rid of me!   It turns out that he hadn't, I guess.    Long live MMJ!

Low Dog
"peace to all you beautiful creatures"  - my son, '02

[BH]

Love the stories George, keep 'em coming.

Wish I was there.