This report was conducted over the course of two nights: November 18th and November 30th at two different rock 'n roll shows. The first show I attended was the Strokes in Indianapolis, at a bar called Birdy's. The second show was in Nashville, TN. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (BRMC) and the Vue played at a club called the Exit/In. My methodology for this field report was informal to say the least. Unfortunately I wasn't able to make tape recordings of any conversations. This was more of a "life among the natives" kind of research. I decided to compare my experience with what I have seen in movies dealing with the subject and with several popular legends.

On the night of the Strokes show, I decided that I would try to get into the show, even though I did not have a ticket and I was not 21. I wanted to find out if it was possible to get into shows the good old fashion way. Not by scalping tickets (but of course I was prepared to do that in the worst case scenario), but by sneaking in some how, or gaining entry by meeting a roadie or member of the band. This topic was the entire premise of a great movie, Detroit, Rock City. The film is about the band Kiss and a group of four fans trying desperately to get into the show for which they have lost their tickets. The movie is pretty accurate at portraying the usual folk tale situations of the ticketless rock-show attendee. Everyone who has been to a show has heard at least one person tell the tale of sneaking back stage and being chased by sound techs and light guys. In most variations the fan outwits the roadies, but in Detroit, Rock City, Lex, the character who sneaks backstage, eventually is caught and thrown out. I seemed to have that same kind of luck. I decided to try my luck at sneaking in the back of the bar, however, it was in a residential area, surrounded by houses. No matter - I jumped the fence and looked for a way into the back, but from in the bushes in the darkened backyard of a dumpy little house emerged a very angry looking german shepherd. Needless to say I didn't stick around very long. After much hanging out, I met the drummer of the band, Fab Moretti, and he invited me to hang out after the show and drink some beers. I was subsequently introduced to a publicist of some sort, who gave me tickets. However, not being 21 the bouncer was a problem. This is another subject of which there are many stories told. In mine, there was an argument between the bouncer and an angry fan that provided the necessary distraction. I merely slipped by undetected. After the show, which was great, I did take up Fab on his offer and hung out with the band. I didn't learn much about how they lived on the road, as I really only hung out with them at the bar they had just played, but when I was with BRMC I got a lot more than I bargained for.

On the night of November 30th, I drove to Nashville TN. It was a 5 hour drive, and I arrived about an hour early for the 9:30 show time. There wouldn't have been much to report had it not been for my incredible luck at arriving when I did. The drummer of BRMC, Nick Jago walked out the front door and was subsequently hounded by the two kids I had been talking with for his autograph. I hung back, not wanting to add to the scene, and was approached by the roadies. Luckily I had been talking to the two kids about the night life of Nashville, because when the roadies approached me, the first question they had was "Is there anything fun to do in this city?" I immediately answered that to the best of my knowledge, Ken's Gold Club was a fun spot. The first roadie, Charles as a later found out, invited me along in the cab they had called. I accepted and we were on our way, 2 roadies, the drummer, and a fan, to the classiest strip bar in Nashville. The second roadie, Daniel Mancini, decided to give me whiskey and cokes while we were there. Rock bands do live the life. I can't even imagine the life of a musician like Tommy Lee. To make a long story short, after having hung out backstage at the show, and helping pack up, we went back to Gold Club and were there until it closed, at 5AM. Peter, Nick and Robert (the entire band!) rode with me back to their hotel, and I was invited to stay the night (what was left of it, at least) and come to Memphis with them in the morning. During the rest of the time I spent with the band, Peter the guitarist, kicked a hole in the wall of the hotel room, and kicked the TV several times, with no visible damage. There was loud TV, more alcohol, and strippers from Gold Club came by to hang out. In the end, I declined the invitation to Memphis, after all, I am just a student. Although, looking back, I wish I had gone. I must say that I am no more of a believer that there actually is a rock 'n roll lifestyle, and it most definitely is hard drinking and fast.

I decided to compare what I had experienced with several well known facts (and very well known non-facts) about the rock 'n roll life. First is the taste of musicians for models and strippers. There's just something comfortable about a rock band in a strip club. It's part of the experience. Kid Rock's girlfriend is a porn star. Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson starred, unwittingly, in their own feature. Merely being in a club seems tame compared to these. The second thing I wanted to bring up was the use (and abuse) of alcohol. There are countless tales of hard drinking bands, and what happens to them. One of my most favorite stories dealing with this subject is the tale of John Bonham's death. After a night of whiskey (more than a normal human could consume - rock stars seem almost more than human in a lot of stories) he choked to death on his own vomit, and asphyxiated in his sleep. This relates so well to what I saw at both shows. Julian Casablancas, the singer of the Strokes, was drunk out of his mind, during the set and afterwards. He was probably drunk out of his mind the entire night. During the whole night I was with BRMC I and everyone else around me had a beer or a whiskey in one hand and a cigarette in the other. It seems to me that it could end up being a very unhealthy lifestyle, but one that does not conflict with any of the stories I've heard. In light of my experience, they all seem quite plausible. Hotel trashing is another topic of some importance in the rock lifestyle. There's a popular story about the "Riot House," the Hyatt in LA during the 70's. Led Zeppelin, while staying there, trashed their room, and during the night a television left the window several stories up. As with other aspects of the lifestyle, I did not find anything that would refute the claim that musicians do, in fact, enjoy this activity. Pete sure seemed to be having fun.

If I'd had another chance to live the night of November 30th and the subsequent morning, I think I would've accompanied the band to Nashville, for more research. Other than that, everything was perfect. It played out like a dream, or a story in a Hollywood movie, about a kid trying to get into a rock show.

References:
1. Detroit, Rock City. Adam Rifkin, director. Written by Carl Dupre. 1999.

2. Real Life.

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