If you attended the Alice In Chains concert at the Nob Hill
Masonic Center in San Francisco and were looking at the stage before the show,
you may have seen a guy in black t-shirt and gray shorts go across it a
time or two.
And if you were really paying attention, you would have
noticed the knee-high red socks that said “Bacon” on them.
That was me.
But I wasn’t alone, because Jerry went on a shopping spree
again, and suddenly an ordinary Friday in San Francisco became sock day.
Jerry and Mike went running around town before the show,
found a store that only sold socks, and bought enough to supply the entire band
and crew.
They were all knee-high, and except for one pair that had
skeletons on them, they all were adorned with bright colors and single words or
short phrases.
Jerry’s purchase also happened to coincide with our band and
crew photo, which is a tradition that we try and do near the end of every tour.
Usually it’s just a photo of everyone gathered together
looking somewhat tired and ready to go home, but today’s shot was all about the
socks, so years from now we can all look back at the 2016 crew photo and think,
“Man, I looked tired. And stupid.”
But it’s nice to have the memory.
And the free pair of socks.
The band changed out of their socks and put on another great
show, highlighted for me by the appearance of a mosh pit late in the
proceedings.
We don’t get a ton of these any more, mostly because as time
has gone on, a portion of the band’s fan base has aged, and moshing is a young
man’s game.
But I swear I saw a couple of guys that had to be in their
40’s out there smashing into a handful of younger dudes, and I was impressed.
I’m in my 40’s, and if I so much as bump into someone on the
sidewalk I’m afraid I’ll dislocate a shoulder, so I don’t know where these guys
got the courage.
Actually, since it was a Friday night, I’m guessing they
bought their courage 20 ounces at a time out in the lobby.
However they came about mustering up the bravery to mosh, I applaud
the move.
It’s nice to see people blowing off steam and having a good
time, and as long as no one gets hurt, I’m all for it.
San Francisco was a great day marked by 17 pairs of stupid
socks, 3,000 amazing fans, and one generation-spanning mosh pit.
It was also unfortunately marked by one mediocre blog entry.
I’ll see if I can do better as we wind things up in Reno.