Thank You Kindly

Even though this isn’t a music blog, I thought I’d still talk about what I did Saturday night. I mentioned on Friday that I was going to see The Cult with some friends. After having a nice dinner at East Boulevard Bar and Grill, we arrived at the venue a little before the doors opened.



We eventually got inside and found our way to the stage. This was my first show at The Fillmore, and I was pretty impressed at the facility. It was pretty nice inside, and had these cool chandeliers everywhere:



The stage was all set:



We waited for a while for the opening act to come out (since we got in there so early.) I decided to make a quick trip to the restroom before the show started, so I made my way through the crowd in search of the facilities. When I finished up and started to wash my hands, I heard some really loud music. I guess the show had started. I hurried back through the herd of people and found the rest of our group. Then, I turned my attention to the stage:



The opening band was called The Black Ryder. They are from Australia, and The Cult was kind enough to let them tag along for their tour. Normally I wouldn’t be interested in seeing some band struggle through their career since I was there to see an “established” band, but there was something different about this group. The music was pretty good, but the lead singer caught my eye:



The picture is pretty shitty, I know. Maybe it was the lighting or the fact that her voice was really nice, but she was a babe. I was digging the music, but my attention kept being drawn back to her. After looking around the room, I noticed that all of the men in the audience were staring at her with love in their eyes. Maybe it was the alcohol that was flowing freely, but it seemed like everyone was taken with this young lady. It was kind of like this:



The music wasn’t my favorite style, but it’s probably worth another listen. I found some stuff on You Tube, but I actually preferred hearing them live. After they played their set, we were left waiting for the main attraction:



It seemed like it took forever to get everything setup for The Cult, and some people were getting impatient (myself included.) I started looking around the room, and aside from the piss-drunk people in the crowd that you would see at any show I saw this guy:


He would be so ready if a racquetball game broke out during the show.

After what seemed like forever, The Cult took the stage. The energy was high, and they did not disappoint. They played most of their hits, including Fire Woman, Love Removal Machine, She Sells Sanctuary, and others. They even played my favorite song, New York City (which made my night.) The place was rockin’, and I didn’t want it to end.



Ian Astbury was such a gracious performer too. After every song, he said, “Thank you. Thank you kindly.”



Billy Duffy didn’t disappoint either, as he was tearing up the guitar. After being around the music scene so long, you could tell that these guys still enjoyed playing shows for their fans. My love for The Cult started way back in my teeneage skateboarding days, and I’m glad I finally got to see them live. Thanks to my friends Jason and Jess for joining Little Miss Sunshine and I for a fun evening. I gotta get out more often. Back to bike stuff tomorrow.

Random Activities

In this week’s final installment of the blog, I’m all over the place. I’ve got some catching up to do. Since yesterday was all about beer, I won’t mention it anymore on today’s post (although I’m sure to have plenty this weekend.) I have lots of stuff on the calendar, but I guess I can start with an update.


A couple of days ago I took Lunchbox’s broken bike to the shop for warranty purposes. First, I called the folks over at Diamondback Bicycles as soon as they were in the office (they are a few hours behind us over there in Washington State.) I spoke to a very helpful gentleman about our plight, and he explained to me what would happen. Normally, that part of the frame isn’t covered under warranty (something about moving parts and whatnot), but he did say I would have other options if they wouldn’t replace it for free. First, if available, they would offer a discount on a new rear triangle for his bike. If they didn’t stock it any longer, then they would offer up a comparable frame for a significant discount off of the regular price. He said to take it to an authorized dealer to have them go through the process.


I originally intended to take the broken bike over to Ride-A-Bike Bicycle Shoppe in Lincolnton, but I decided not to. While they did give me great service when I broke my frame, I wouldn’t have been able to get there during the week from work. I still love those guys though. Anyway, the folks at Diamondback suggested I take it to Performance Bicycle here in Charlotte, and insisted that they would be fully capable of dealing with the warranty. I go in that shop every once in a while for random parts (it’s really close to where I work), so at least I was familiar with them. Since they are a new Diamondback dealer though, I was a little worried.


I dropped the bike off and spoke to the guys in there, and they assured me that they would get on it as soon as possible. About an hour later, they called and left a message that Diamondback would indeed honor the warranty, and that I could expect to have the rear triangle replaced for free (not including labor for the assembly.) I was pretty happy, and so was Lunchbox. I should see the new and improved bike in about a week. I can’t wait.


While I was in their shop, I picked this up on the cheap:


Damn, my photos keep turning sideways.


The singlespeed chain I got with the rest of my parts was not in great condition (although everything else was), so I needed a chain. Now if I could only get off of my ass and just do the damn conversion I would be all set. Maybe I’ll find time this weekend. Or, maybe not.


Tomorrow night, Little Miss Sunshine and I are meeting up with my pals from Cane Creek Cycling Components to go see a little show. Yes my friends, I’m actually doing something other than riding my bike this weekend. We’ll be going to see The Cult here in Charlotte. They are one of my favorite bands, and I have never seen them live (I don’t get out much.) My love for them goes way back to my teenage skateboarding days, when I saw an ad for one of their albums in Thrasher Magazine. The rest is history. While I enjoy all types of music, The Cult is tops on my list. Maybe I’ll come back with a report on them or something. Lucky you. Here’s a video in case you live under a rock and have never heard them before:





Sunday, I’ll actually be out on the bike again. It’s time for another one of our Tarheel Trailblazers Kids Rides. We’ll be taking the little ones for a ride on the trail at Sherman Branch, and I’m looking forward to it. Maybe after the Kids Ride I’ll go out for a few laps on my own just to get some miles in. Since Lunchbox won’t have his bike back in time for the ride, he’ll be borrowing my small-wheeled bike:





It’s not like it gets a whole lot of use anyway. Hell, I let The Chili Man use it the last time we went out to ride. I’m all about the 29er now, so the small, squishy bike has been getting less and less love (it doesn’t help that the damn thing threw me off of it and damaged my body the last time I rode it either.)


Anyway, that’s it for today. Of course I’ll be back next week. Where the hell else would I be? Oh yeah, maybe I’ll have an important announcement for y’all. Maybe not. Tune in to find out.