After slinging cream at the Slowdown in Omaha, I had about a week of downtime on the road before the next Free Yr Radio event would take place. I took off immediately for Kansas City, one of Americas great BBQ capitals, to conduct field research for an ongoing writing project. The moment I pulled into town, I begin collecting data, both quantitative and qualitative, on the local wonder known as burnt ends at LCs Bar-B-Q.
Sadly, it turned out that I had partied too hard with FYR the night before (ie: I ate nothing but ice cream for ten hours and capped it off with Dan Deacon), and a powerful cold soon knocked me off my feet. I spent the bulk of my three days in Kansas City lying in bed, drinking Nyquil and watching the 2008 election coverage on CNN (not always in that order). Still, this did not stop me from my BBQ mission (few things can). I ended up powering through three meals of smoked meat and missing out on the Nelson-Atkins museum before taking off for Denver, where I brushed paths with Ice Cream Man and Knife, who were in Boulder to celebrate their birthdays.
I eventually made my way to Las Vegas, where crew member Camino was making preparations for his upcoming move to the San Francisco Bay. After a night of dominoes and straight lounging, I cruised on down to the fair unincorporated area of Primm, where an old friend and I were fortunate enough to have floor seats for the performance of Southern soul legend Al Green. The Reverends performance suffered slightly from the sheen of overproduction, but the fact that he stopped every five minutes to hand out long-stemmed roses to the ladies in the audience more than made up for the highly polished approach of his stage set.
My final stop on the road was Salt Lake City, where FYR had arranged a benefit show for KRCL. Shawn, our contact at the radio station, hopped into Bessita for a short campus drive to the University of Utahs student union building, where we gave away ice cream, handed out tickets to the event and let the student body know what FYR is all about.
Late in the afternoon, we relocated to Urban Outfitters at the Gateway, where our friends at FYR and GOOD Magazine had already set up shop. Parked in the heart of downtown Salt Lake, the sight of our tag team Yaris funmobiles caused quite a stir and attracted passersby of all ages. Everyone enjoyed the GOOD photobooth, and a seemingly unceasing swarm of pop culture artists surrounded the button-making table. Of course, Bessita and her freezer full of Blue Bunny ice cream didnt do too badly alongside the array of activities FYR had assembled outside of the store. By the time doors opened for Tokyo Police Club, a line of fans was snaking around the building, waiting to rush the stage.
Thanks to Shawn, Sherman, Kerry, Brandon, Tokyo Police Club, the FYR and 206 crew, LCs Bar-B-Q, Dodo Restaurant, and the button fanatics of Salt Lake for helping me close out this road trip with a bang! Im not sure when my next sojourn with Bessita will take place, but until that day arrives Ill have this perfect day in SLC to remind me what it means to be an Ice Cream Man.
