Jul 14 2000 @ Hollywood Park Inglewood, CA

My wife and I made it to Hollywood Park (race track-casino-parking-lot-mega-plex in Inglewood) around 7:45. We took in a few races, then staked out some barstool seats. The show was in and area called "Longshots -- a betting/concessions/entertainment area off the grandstand's fourth floor. The area was fairly narrow, but long: stage at one end, sitting/betting area in middle, concessions at the other end.

It was a great place for people watching, but not for a concert, if you ask me. I called the place before we went and asked if there was a dress code, and they said "as long as you wear clothes, honey" -- so we opted to leave the club threads at home and went more casual. The mix of people at the track was extreme, and Longshots was a bit skanky for me -- what with down-and-outers betting their last dime and some mighty bad b.o. walking by now and again.

The sound was the big downer, though. I felt it was way too boomy, bass heavy, and loud. Imagine your favorite band playing through a bad sound system in a small school cafeteria. Also, the lights were hung so low in front of the stage that mosh-surfers were getting their feet caught in them.

My wife is not as big a fan of live music as I, so we stayed back toward the middle of the hall, where we could sit on barstools. Back there the sound was probably at its worst. I went up close at the beginning and the sound was a bit better. I coerced my wife to join me in the crowd for a bit, but she's not into the crammed-in, buffeted by speakers scene, so we backed off again. I found the sound so bad that I offered to her that we could leave any time she wanted, and we took off about 40 minutes into the show.

I had fun experiencing the Hollywood Park, I got to talk to Angelo for a minute before the show, and it was good to the see the Bone again (hadn't since March). However, I was bummed about the sound. Although I've heard the Key Club derided for being just a trendy hang-out for LA-suburbanites, this show really made me long for the Key Club. I was three shows at the Key Club in the winter/spring (Fishbone, Nuttstalk, and Specials) -- and that place really has a good sound system--it's spoiled me.

They opened up with Everyday Sunshine, if I remember correctly. I think I heard Everyday Sunshine, Ma and Pa, One Planet People, Just Allow, Where'd You Get Those Pants, Cholly, and another one from In Your Face (When Problems Arise ?).

Weston

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