THIEVES!

[hochi666]

Chapstik played a show on Friday night at the Magic Bag Theater in my hometown of Ferndale, MI. I live -- at most a mile away from the venue so I decided -- despite the slightly unseasonable cold weather that rolled into town over the past week to ride my bicycle up to the venue. I arrived just as Leighton’s and Elvis pulled up in the van. I locked my bike to a parking lot barrier and went about the always engaging and rewarding business of loading gear into the venue. I was momentarily distracted by Wolf, the bass player of The Flask who was headling the show. He expressed his delight with Chapstik playing the show as he was a big fan of my former band. After exchanging pleasantries I walked out the door and headed to the back of the van to grab more gear when I noticed some surly looking dude bent over my bicycle tugging at the lock and chain with my water bottle in his hand. I walked up to him and said what I think most people would, ‘What the hell are you doing?” The little scrapper said “I’m security for the lot and I’m checking security”. I snatched my bottle out of his hand and told him to get his away from my bike. I put the bottle back in its holster on the bike and turned back to him and again asked what the hell he thinks he was doing. Then I heard Dan G. who had arrived say “That’s alright, I called the cops!” I didn’t think Dan had really called the cops, but as Dan walked over to the parking lot barrier where myself and Mr. Security were arguing, I realized that he was dead serious about having called the cops. Dan explain that he and a friend of his had seen the dude scouting cars in the parking lot by trying each door handle on every car in the lot before he walked over to my bicycle and started messing around with it. The guy continued to protest his innocence by explaining that he was hired by the owner of the gym down the street to perform “security checks” on all vehicles in the lot. I shook my head and explained, “This is a public lot, asshole.” He stormed off telling me that if I had I problem with his “procedures” I should take it up with his boss at the gym. Well, he made it about half way down the block before the cops pulled up. We pointed the officer to drive around the corner where he should find his suspect in short order. They certainly did find him and after some back and forth we could see and hear the cops yelling at the guy before searching him, hand-cuffing him and sacking him into the back of the police car. We watched the whole affair go down with much satisfaction. We had done our civic duty and taken a surly no-good thief off the mean streets of Ferndale. The cop later came by and asked Dan to sign a statement, which he gladly did. Dan said the cop told him that they’d gotten multiple calls from people about the guy all day but hadn't caught him until now thanks to our good citizenship.

Incidentally, it seems that not wearing a coat was a bad idea on Friday night. Getting all rock sweaty and then taking a mile bike ride home in 40 degree weather is a recipe for a cold. I have to work every day for the next two weeks. Something to look forward to, I guess.

Oh, the show was pretty good.