Curly Joe fans swarm bar for 'secret' show
Josh Spearow rode his bike to Sgt
Mac's Bar from Haslett on Tuesday afternoon to secure his place as number one
in line for the Curly Joe - a.k.a. Blues Man- show. He arrived at 2:30 p.m. The doors didn't open until 8 p.m.
"I thought people would be camping out,"
the 21-year-old said. "Curly is really good."
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More than 300 people waited in line outside Sgt
Mac's Bar, 2500 Hillshire, in Columbia, around 8 p.m.
Tuesday to see Curly. Sgt Mac's Bar booking agent only identified as the
bartender wouldn't say what the capacity was. About 250 people were able to get
in. Those who couldn't waited hoping someone would leave, letting them in.
Why all the hype? Curly decided
months ago to play a few small clubs throughout the country under different
pseudonyms in each city. Originally, the band only told its fan club, but word
quickly spread via the Internet. Rumors were posted on various fan Web
sites. Curly has played under the following
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names: Flippy and Hambone, T
Lite and the Heavies, Blues Man, Cursifix, Stuffy Dumbf*** and Sgt. Snippy.
The
band has sold out much larger venues before, including the Majestic Theatre in Detroit. It's unusual for a band like Curly to play Sgt
Mac's Bar, since it's a small venue.
Robbie Lude, 17, from Indiana said he and his friend saw Curly play in North Manchester, Ind., the night before and love Curly so much that they
decided to drive to Lansing to see Tuesday's show. Lude and his friend were fifth and
sixth in line, respectively, after arriving around 3 p.m.
"They're definitely better than I've ever
heard them on their albums," Lude said. "I just found out over the
weekend that they were doing this and planned to come."
Groups of Curly's fans had been waiting in
line outside Sgt Mac's Bar for hours prior to the doors opening. Restless
people began finding ways to amuse themselves by playing cards, climbing nearby
trees and even studying.
Kristifor Andjelkovski, a human biology junior,
was going over microbiology notes while waiting. He said he has four exams this
week, but still had to come to see Curly.
"They're very talented and I haven't seen
them before," he said. "I had heard about the 'secret' show and it's
easy to get to and Mac's is fun, but not when it's this crowded."
Sgt Mac's Bar was crowded to the point where
opening the doors to the bathrooms became a next-to-impossible task thanks to
all the people shoved against it. There was barely enough room to walk through
the bar, but once the band started, no one cared.
Almost everyone present was a fan, evident by the
crowd singing along to nearly every song. Curly played a mix of old and new;
the new album is supposed to come out in 2006. Rumor has it that
Curly may return this year, however an undisclosed source said it would be a
private show.
What a
Nightmare..... In a small town like
this, word gets around quick. Curly just stopped in to visit and next
thing I know, he's having to play to stop a riot. The police weren't
happy and I had to clue them in on September. This thing is getting
bigger than I thought and now the police want me to pay them overtime to
provide security for the open house. I'm going to see the Chief
tomorrow and get it worked out, I know the Chief personally and may have to invite
him to the open house.
Curly agreed to play for a couple
of hours and dropped all cover charges; it's who you know, or in this case who
Jill knows. The show is Free, however I'm sure we can get some more time
out of Curly, if you insist and show your appreciation
through hefty tips. Money makes the world go round and it surprised me
that he dropped the cover charge. I asked him to bring some CD's, but I
couldn't talk him into giving them away.... go figure!
The open house is getting way
too big and I'm trying to keep up with it at the website. There's so much
Free Stuff, I just can't remember it all. I think it's tipped the scale
to where you're actually being paid to attend the open house. Get your
motel room now, there's only a few rooms left and they're almost free.
SgtMacsBar Open House & Fun Raiser
Let's see..... Free Football
tickets; Free CCT Tee-Shirts; Free Super Knife; Free Bald Eagle Photograph;
Free SgtMacsBar Gold Coin; Chow, lots of chow, gourmet chow, did I mention
chow?; Golf, Poker, Wine Tasting, Spa, Two Open Bars, Curly Joe & the
Band, Free Breakfast & Bloody Mary's, did I mention Chow?; Motorcycle Tour,
CCT Movies on Big Screens, and much, much, more.................
Deal or No Deal? No
Deal....... It keeps getting BETTER! Dave Pearson just antied up
$500 worth of gift certificates for Razcal's
Restaurant Six $50.00 gift certificates will be raffled off
for those sending in contributions and Four $50.00 gift certificates will be
raffled off for those attending.
Does it get any better? It
continues to get better, but the biggest better is you! What else can I
do for you? Nothing happens without you and it's also you that this is
for. I want to thank you all for your involvement and a special thanks to
those who have made this possible. Thank You!