February 3 - 5, 2008
I took a trip.
A trip to Los Angeles.
With four of my best girlfriends.
To see one incredible band play.
Back in mid-January, some of my friends heard a rumor that Pinhead Gunpowder was going to be playing a couple shows in the Los Angeles area in early February. Pinhead Gunpowder is a side project for Billie Joe Armstrong (also of Green Day), Aaron Cometbus (also of Crimpshrine and writes the "Cometbus" fanzine), Bill Schneider (Green Day's guitar tech/tour crew manager), and Jason White (also of The Big Cats and plays guitar on Green Day tours). The band formed in 1991 and as of mid-January they had played a grand total of 15 shows and never played a show outside of California. Their last show was 7 years ago. So my friends were very excited at the idea of Pinhead (PHGP from here forward) playing again. They were tossing around the idea of flying out to LA to see them, but nobody was really serious about it because we all have jobs, families, bills to pay, etc.
So on Saturday morning, January 19th, I was woken up by a text from Katie asking if there was any way I could swing the trip to LA. There was confirmation that the shows were happening, and she had found round-trip airfare out of Minneapolis for $230 including all taxes and fees. Luck would have it that I had just found out the day before that I would be receiving a bonus at work that coming week, so I got hold of my parents and asked if they could watch Emily for a few days. I started explaining why I wanted to go, but they would hear none of that and practically told me I had to go. So I told Katie to book our flights, we were going to LA!
As it turned out, all of us who had been batting the idea around were able to go. Me, Katie from Minneapolis, Chris from Pittsburgh, and Dorie from Dayton. Luckily, Janine lives in LA so we had a place to stay and a tour guide. We all got there in the early afternoon of Sunday, February 3rd. Our first order of business was food.
In-N-Out Burger!
This was Katie's request. It was very tasty, but the name is rather deceiving as it took freaking forever to get our food. And good thing we didn't bother with the drive-thru, that line is brutally long.
We got to Janine's house and busted out the champagne.
It was after noon, so totally acceptable to be drinking.
Katie and I were already gorgeous so we sat on Janine's purple couch and waited for the other girls to get beautiful.
Group shot in Janine's living room.
L-R: Janine, Katie, me, Dorie in back and Chris in front.
I have a function on my camera where I can set the timer to take a picture after 10 seconds, then take another picture 2 seconds after that. Katie and I forgot about that second picture and got caught looking spastic.
It was finally time to go to the first show, so we piled in our trusty rental car and hit the road.
I'm not really sleeping.
We found the venue and nearly crapped ourselves. That little building with the green-ish awning at the end of the strip mall is Chain Reaction, where the show was being held. The music store next door was bigger. We were slightly apprehensive, to say the least.
We are all grown, mature women over the age of 30 with jobs and homes and familes, but we still had to make crass jokes about the building at the other end of the mall.
The Couples Mega Outlet has parking in rear.
Heh. Heh. Heh.
We finally got inside and got really good spots to watch the show. This was a true blue punk show with no barricade, no security, and crappy acoustics. We just leaned against the tiny stage and prayed we wouldn't be crushed to death once the show started because there was no way out if that happened.
Here's me and Chris before the show started.
Me, Chris, Janine, and Katie waiting for the show.
Before the show we met a really nice guy that we dubbed Chicago Jason. He was a young guy (I think he said he was 27) who had flown out from Chicago all by himself to see the shows. He was standing next to us and we struck up a conversation with him. The show itself was amazing. It was really crowded and smushed, but nothing worse than I've been in before. This was the first time Dorie had ever been in a pit and she's really small and was having a hard time holding her own, so I gave up my spot against the stage for her and I stood behind Janine. We were so close, and it was so much fun watching the people crowd surf onto the stage, sing a couple lines of the songs with Billie and Jason, and then stage dive back into the crowd. It made me really wish all shows were so intimate and fun.
Regular cameras were supposedly not allowed (although a ton of people had them anyway) so here's a few pictures I took with my phone to show how close we were.
The venue was selling some PHGP posters so we sent Janine's boyfriend back to buy as many as he could. There were only 80 for sale and they would only sell 5 to any one person, so as soon as the show ended I ran back to buy one more poster. There was a line of people standing at the merch table but I didn't bother getting in line, I just ran up to an empty spot at the table. The merch guy was taking the display poster off the wall and saying it was the last one he had, so I yelled that I'd take it and gave him my money. He gave me the poster and the guy next to me was like, "Hey I was in line next!" and I was like, "Hey, I gave him my money first!" The merch guy kind of shrugged his shoulders at the other guy and I got the hell out of there.
I went back and found my friends talking to Bill, the bass player. He took our posters backstage and had them signed by himself, Billie Joe, and someone who signed all of our posters with a different name. We have no idea who it was, although we think it may have been Jason White.
After we got our stuff signed we left and ran through the drive through at Taco Bell. We took our food back to Janine's, changed into our pajamas, and ate. Then Janine busted out a birthday cake for Katie (birthday January 26), Chris (February 5) and me (February 7). It was Green Day for all of us and gluten-free for me.
Our cake!
Let me tell you, LA knows how to do gluten-free cake. It was delicious.
The next morning I was a freak and woke up at 7:00 AM. Everyone else was still sleeping so I took a shower and got ready to go. They were all starting to wake up when I got done, so I ate and sat around making faces while they got ready.
Venice Beach!
This was my request. Janine talks about Venice Beach a lot and it was only about 10 minutes from her house, so we spent Monday morning/afternoon there. It was really beautiful and tourist-y at the same time. I loved it.
Venice Beach was full of really cool wall murals.
There was also lots of weird stuff going on, like the crazy homeless man who ground on Katie as we were walking by and stepped on Janine's foot so she was forced to interact with him, and this cat riding on a dog's back.
There's also a special area set aside for the taggers (people who spray graffiti). They're allowed to tag anything in that area. It keeps the graffiti confined and it actually looks beautiful in an unusual way.
After I walked through the tagging area taking pictures, I thought I had lost my sunglasses. I was freaking out, checking my purse, my pockets, looking around frantically, and the girls were just staring at me. Then I realized they were on my face. Janine concluded that I had spent too much time in the tagging zone with the spray paint and marijuana fumes.
Venice beach has tons of stores, so we did some shopping.
Here Chris and I model the latest high fashion shades.
Chris is practicing for a job on The Price Is Right or broadway, she can't decide.
Here I'm wandering around by the tagging area, getting stoned.
The girls on the beach.
While on the beach, we...
Took pictures...
Ooohed and aaaahed over the pretty waves...
Flashed our cleavage...
(wait, that's just me)
And gave the Rockettes a run for their money.
Then I got sand in my new camera. Here Katie, Chris, and I are trying to fix it while we're being hunted by seagulls. Did Dorie warn us of the impending gull attack? No, she just took a picture for posterity.
We decided we were hungry, so we made our way off the beach to search for some lunch. On the way we walked past Muscle Beach, where all the body builder guys pump iron outside so they can get big muscles and work on their tans at the same time. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Stanley Tookie Williams used to work out there.
No muscle guys out that day. I guess 60 degrees is too cold for them.
Bunch of pussies.
Here's Janine, Chris, me, and Katie ordering lunch on the patio of this really cute little italian place we walked to.
That lunch was perfect. We ate, laughed, talked, and really got to know each other. Some moments are burned into your memory forever, and that lunch is one of them.
On the way back to our trusty rental car, I decided to get a tattoo. Most of my tattoos are very impromptu, and what better way to celebrate and memorialize this time with my best friends?
Here I am going under the needle.
That's not a look of pain on my face, it's a look of making funny faces while I'm talking.
Viola!
So cute, I love it!
We piled back into our trusty rental car and ran to Rite Aid for earplugs for Katie, Chris, and Dorie for that night's show, and for tattoo care items for me. Then we made a quick run to a postal store for some poster tubes to carry our posters home in without crushing them. Then we zipped back to Janine's house so the other girls could change for that night's show.
On the way to the show we drove through Beverly Hills. That red arrow points to the street sign that says "RODEO DRIVE". Taking pictures from the backseat while Janine was flying through intersections is hard.
We got to the Troubadour and got in line. We noticed Chicago Jason walking by so we called him over and let him jump in line with us. He hung out with us the rest of the night.
Chicago Jason, Chris, Katie, me, and Janine in line outside the Troubadour. It was cold and windy and we were so ready to go inside.
The Troubadour has a ton of history and it was exciting being there.
We finally got in. The guy at the door handed us a little sticker after he checked our ID's and gave us our Over 21 wristbands. I didn't pay much attention to what it was, I was busy putting away my ticket and my ID, and then Janine got all excited when she noticed the stickers he gave us were passes to the VIP lounge upstairs! We got really good spots against the stage again, so we decided to watch the show from there and check out the VIP lounge after.
The sign behind the stage.
One of the opening bands, Bobot Adrenaline, as seen from the balcony.
In a true punk show, the roadies don't set up all the equipment, the band does. Here's Bill, Billie, and Aaron doing soundcheck before the show.
This is my vantage point and how close we were again.
Aaron Cometbus never smiles, so Dorie was shocked when she zoomed in and caught him in a rare smile.
When the band came out, Billie invited a bunch of the fans that were standing way off to the sides to come up and stand on the edges of the stage. We didn't get to go up there, but it really cleared out some room for us so the show wasn't as smashed as it had been the night before. There were still people crowd surfing, singing along, and stage diving into the crowd, but there was more room to breathe at the outer edges of the crowd. The show was once again amazing, with the added bonus of having better acoustics. At one point during the show, Bill held his bass over the crowd and let us play it. All I kept thinking was, "I'M PLAYING HIS BASS! I'M PLAYING HIS BASS! I'M PLAYING HIS BASS!" Because I am always calm, cool, and collected and never have fangirl moments.
*snort*
Dorie's view during the show.
Chris's vantage point during the show.
Here's a picture showing where we were in relation to the stage and the band.
Dorie, Chris, and Katie were further toward the right hand side of the picture, hidden by Bill's bass.
The setlist. At this show, the band came out and played their first encore ever!
After the show was over, Katie, Chris, and I headed to the bar for a few drinks. We kept an eye on Dorie, Janine, and Chicago Jason to see if they ran into anyone from the band. Before too long we saw them talking to Bill so we headed over there. We chatted and took some pictures.
Chris, Katie, and Scary Bill in back, Dorie, me, and Janine in front.
The venue had made some posters for the band, but they weren't selling them. Bill was the sweetest guy EVER and gave us each a poster and signed it. Later we saw Jason outside and he signed it, too. He made a comment about us selling them on eBay, and all I could think was, "No way! Do you know how rare this is?!? This thing is going to my grave with me!" But I didn't say it. I didn't want to scare him.
Nobody's supposed to know I have this.
SSSHHHHH!!! It's a secret.
We left Bill and wandered up to the VIP Lounge. It was closing so there was nothing going on, but at least I can say I've been in the VIP Lounge at the Troubadour in LA.
It was getting late and all the underage kids had been kicked out and everyone else was ushered up to the front bar area. I literally almost ran into Aaron Cometbus as I was rounding the corner into the front lobby area, but he intimidates the shit out of me so I didn't stop him to ask for an autograph or picture or anything. Jason White was hanging out in the bar talking to some guy, so we just left him alone and had some drinks.
Here we are making merry in the Troubadour bar.
When Jason was done talking to the guy, Katie asked if we could all have a picture. He said sure, let's take one outside, so we all went out to the sidewalk. He chatted with us as he signed our posters and I had him sign my ticket. Bill had wandered back outside so he also signed my ticket and drew a little face on it. Then we all took a picture together.
My VIP sticker, wristband, signed ticket, and group photo.
Group photo on the sidewalk outside the Troubadour.
Chicago Jason, Bill, Jason White, and Katie in back.
Chris, Janine, me, and Dorie in front.
After that the band left and so did we. Janine took us for a ride down Sunset Boulevard and showed us all the landmarks like the Viper Room, the Rainbow, the Roxy Theatre, the Whisky a Go Go, the Hyatt West Hollywood (AKA the "Riot Hyatt" and the "Riot House), the House of Blues, and the Chateau Marmont. Then we ate at Mel's Drive-In, which is the only drive-in I've ever been to that is not a drive-in and has mandatory valet parking. Katie and I were were far too amused by the hand dryers in the bathroom that seemed to be powered by jet engines, as they were as loud as a plane and blew so hard that they made waves with my skin. We ate, left Mel's (where we could see our car but could not actually get in it so we had to stand there freezing while the valet guy walked 20 feet to our parked car, got in, started it, drove it up, got out, opened the doors for us... yeesh) and drove home past the Playboy Mansion (but could not actually see it). We got back to Janine's at about 2:00 AM, packed, and crawled in bed.
At 6:00 the next morning Dorie drove me, Chris, and Katie to the airport, then she went to visit a friend who lives north of LA. The three of us managed to change our seats on the plane so we were all sitting together.
Three hours of sleep. No shower. No makeup.
The back row of the plane is where the cool kids hang.
Chris had the window seat so she took some pictures for me as our plane was taking off.
We chatted for a while, then I slept because I had to drive another 4 hours to get home after we landed. Our flight was fine, Chris left us to catch her connection, and Katie and I went back to her house where I had to brush snow off my car before I could leave. I got home, gave Emily her gifts, and went to bed.
My trip was amazing, and I'm so glad I had the chance to not only see PHGP perform two rare shows and their only encore to date, but also to spend a couple days with my best friends. I only wish we could have had more time together and that our friend Judy could have shared this experience with us. I want to thank Janine for being so gracious and letting us invade her home and being the best tour guide ever, and thanks to Chris, Katie, and Dorie for contributing their incredible pictures to this post. We all took pictures of different things, and when they're all put together it tells the whole story. Thanks girls!