THE STORY:
When you play as many shows as I have, you know it's only a matter of time before things start going awry. We had done 2 excellent shows leading up to this one, so when I was asked to open up for Splender as part of the Heineken Summer Concert Series at one of the Jersey Shore's most populated summer venues, it was pretty easy to accept. But what looks good on paper sometimes doesn't translate so well once you hit that first note. It was HOT as hell & I remember Bumblefoot & Rocky driving to a clothing store after we arrived to buy some lighter clothing. Bumblefoot, of course, wore his trademark wool hat, anyway.

It's as simple as this - people don't go to the Shore to listen to bands they've never heard of before. They go to take the sun, take a dip in the pool, drink, & check out boobies. And my boobies just ain't that big. What made matters worse was that this rather huge stage they erected for the show was about 50 feet above where the crowd was. We might has well have been on another planet....but the club was fairly accommodating & we performed pretty well. The tech guys loved me so much, they made me get up on a ladder & face the beach & beg people to come down to the club to drink Heineken. About 30 people did, but I'm still up on that ladder & I'm not coming down til I get 30 more.