When CraSH asked me if I wanted to take the helm for two upcoming stops along the Free Yr Radio campaign trail, I jumped at the chance to be reunited with Bessita II and hit the open road for summers last gasp.
My starting point for this ice cream road trip was Omaha, Nebraska, where FYR had lined up a free concert at the Slowdown, a relatively young venue opened up by the minds behind Saddle Creek Records. I touched down on Saturday night and immediately met up with Jason from Saddle Creek, who handed me the keys to Bessita and pointed me in the direction of Omahas finest fast food chain for dinner.
The next afternoon, I cruised down to the Old Market part of Omaha to begin the festivities. There to greet me were our friends Gregg, Craig and Scott, packed into the GOOD photo booth Yaris, resplendent in all of its natural finish glory. We parked outside of Homers Music, the local record shop, to give away ice cream and promote the upcoming show. The Old Market crowd, mostly families and elderly couples, didnt know exactly what to make of Bessita and the free ice cream she contained, but one electrified middle aged man stopped his entire group for an ice cream sandwich and scolded them for failing to take advantage of a free treat. That man is a true American hero.
Upon relocating to Urban Outfitters, which is next door to the Slowdown, we found many more takers for free ice cream. Stephanie, a promotions director for KIWR/The River, pulled up to hand out KIWR swag and tell us a bit about the radio station that was being spotlighted at this stop of the FYR campaign.
Before long, Flowers Forever stepped onto the stage to warm up the crowd. I was still giving away ice cream outside, so our friend Rob went inside to shoot the performance and enjoy the music.
At 10PM, Dan Deacon took the floor to energize a house full of all-ages, dance-crazed fans. To say that Dan Deacons live set is a spectacle is an understatement: within minutes he had the entire crowd following his every command. Fingers pointed, arms waved, and limbs went akimbo as his spacey yet urgent synthesized dance motifs echoed throughout the hall. For the second half of his set, Dan took full advantage of the Slowdowns versatile theatre-like layout, staging a group dance-off, a high-five race around the venue, and a human dance bridge that had everyone moving to the last seconds of sound.
As Dan closed his set, I headed back outside to man Bessita and give away the rest of my ice cream to concert goers leaving the Slowdown. I didnt manage to empty the freezer, so the leftovers went to the good people of the Slowdown and Saddle Creek for helping make it happen. At this point I was ready to crash, but I still managed to beat the high score at the bars Ms. PacMan machine before calling it a night. Victory!
Thanks to Jason, Val, Gregg, Sherman, Rob, Flowers Forever, Dan Deacon, Runza, and the dance maniacs of Omaha for making my first night on the road a prosperous one. Ill be giving away ice cream at one more Free Yr Radio event in Salt Lake City before I bring Bessita back to the shores of Long Beach for a sabbatical. If I saw you there, keep a lookout for the upcoming review!
