Apr 28 2000 @ The Bay Chattanooga, TN

ah yes...the day after my 28th birthday...one bad hangover..but I knew I had to get up for the shit that was to go down in the nasty cavern known as The Bay.It would take a band of this power to rip the roof off this joint. Not a great venue, thus all the more transforming when Angelo scurried onstage in the derby, hat, briefcase, and cane, only to begin ranting and cursing at the "cornfed, inbread, redneck" dudes who comprised the "security" for this vapor stew...while the fake organ grinder monkey tones churned from somewhere in keyboard world...

All the more, Angelo set the tone for what was to me, one of the best live concerts I have ever seen.

A year or so later I happened to sit next to Norwood on flight from Hunstville, AL > Las Vegas... He was in town producing a record for 60 Cycle Hum.. I asked him about the Chattanooga show, and I had seen a couple that year(Lexington,KY, Nashville,TN)..and he said he remembers that being a turning point performance in the somewhat new line up...Spacey T..John Stewart on Drums,, etc...) So I feel like Norwood wasnt shittin me...cuz, it was one to remember!! ... After the rants turned into the show, I honestly cant remeber what the setlist was, except that I recognized all the material, as I had been listening to the new record(shaky groound, ? u get those pants..with all the chicks onstage, ma and pa, change w/fake acoustic setting..nice!!..lemon merengue...just covered all the hits..)..it was so tight and snarling with the youth of the new band...they were on fire, and they all knew it...man Norwoods bass was so sick from the 5th row..that new Hughes and Ketner rig was just wide open!! this was before I knew how effective tuning down was....they were obvious influeces in countless drop tuners...whether they know it or not.. As the clothes kept coming off, Angelo flung more sweat, Walt kept hypin it up..and the new combo of John on drums, Spacey T on Guitar, and Norwoods always blowed up bass...it was obvious they were still so hot live.... I couldnt beleive it...I mean if youre reading this, you know what these guys do live.....Angelo would be jumping on you, no matter how far back you were...it was pure chaos ..and at the end, they picked up their hats off the floor, Angelo packed his breifcase, found his coat, and left the building...

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