The members of Alice In Chains may kid around and joke a lot
over the course of a day, but when the clock starts winding down and we get
closer to showtime, they tend to start focusing and getting serious.

That’s when I manage to insert myself into the proceedings
and spoil things.

I sometimes forget (or ignore) the fact that the band
members are in a serious headspace and getting ready to go to work.

Me? I’m about to get them out of my hair for 90 minutes, so
I’m absolutely giddy.

And sometimes I can’t contain myself.

It started in Pomona about 2 minutes before the show was set
to start.

I got in Sean’s face and suggested the brilliant idea that
we should start doing what football players do right before the game starts.

They shove each other, they smash each other on the shoulder
pads, and they smack each other on the helmet.

This apparently gets them all fired up and ready to go out
and kick some ass, so I figured why not try it with my guys?

I mentioned it to Sean and even acted it out, but he wasn’t
having it.

Apparently hitting a sensitive and fragile musician upside
the head right before a show isn’t the wisest way to get him properly prepared
for that evening’s performance.

Candyass.

I realize that being in a rock band isn’t exactly brain
surgery, but it’s still a hefty responsibility to put on a great show for
people who pay good money to see you perform.

And I doubt a brain surgeon has a nurse getting up in their
face right before an operation and jumping up and down like a monkey and
spraying them with silly string.

But sometimes I can’t help myself.

In the future, I’ll try and do a better job of containing
myself around the band members as they prepare to go onstage.

But I’m not making any promises.

Sean played well and had a good show in Pomona.

But I bet if he’d have let me smack him around the head and
neck region, it could have been even better.