First Huge Dick I've never heard the band before. Probably a
local hired to warm up the crowd for Tull. They're good at it -
warming the crowd up, that is - but I don't think they'll make it
on their own.
The crowd is getting into it. The energy that bands live on
- in their symbiotic way - starts flowing. People are pumping
their fists into the air - the air which is rapidly getting
thicker with the smell of hashish as the pipes are passed around.
The folks are getting fired up!
Surveying the people around me, my eyes come to a screeching
halt on a small cluster of ladies who are definitely
getting into the rhythm of the thing. They're dancing and
screaming and bouncing around as if it were the last night of
their lives.
One of the gals - a sweet lady with waist-length,
chestnut tresses in a yellow, knit mini-dress - is also surveying
the crowd. Our eyes meet. Hers are the gray of early-morning
fog on the Rhine. I smile. She returns a knowing half-smile
that sends a shiver up my spine, before turning back to the band
on stage.
The warm-up band finishes its sixth set with a flourish and
runs off stage. The spots die and are replaced by the house
lights as the curtains are closed for the intermission. The
canned music begins to play.
Once again, the crowd shifts as parts head for the restrooms
to unburden themselves of the beer, wine, and soda consumed
before (and during) the warm-up act. More beverages are bought,
along with albums, posters, T-shirts, and popcorn. Only the most
brazen are firing up their bowls with the house lights up.
I look around for the clump of women I noted earlier,
but they have faded into the mob. Probably in line for the
restroom, think I, as I turn back to the stage.
The roadies can be heard moving equipment around on the
stage. An occasional glimpse of a roadie with a guitar or an amp
can be seen through the small gap in the curtain.