Flinchy's - 3/17/06 - Camp Hill, PA

Ahh, St. Patty's Day. Kind of strange that there's a holiday almost specifically observed for drinking heavily, at least that's what it seems like it has become. Ain't that America...

Tonight was our friend Christy's last night in the area with us before she moved back to Memphis for a new job. She has supported us and come to countless shows since the beginning of the FLB, so I hope we were able to send her off properly. We're going to miss the hell outa her, but we know she'll come back soon.

Flinchy's was pretty packed when I got there, but there was some funkiness that sort of prevented the gig from being as wild as I thought it could have been. The dinner crowd ran late, so the FLB didn't get a chance to set up and start playing until about 10:30 P.M. Plus, when we did start playing, there were folks that decided to sit at tables right in front of the band--tables we usually move for a dancing area.

Flinchy was very hospitable and we imbibed our share of Irish spirits. There were certianly a few Guinness-sponsored versions of a couple tunes. We played "Vertigo" by U2 in honor of the holiday and also broke out a never-played-before version of "Werewolves In London." I thought it rocked.

As a surprise, I also broke out my bagpipes in their first ever public performance. I started learning how to play the pipes about two years ago and have been dying to give them a shot live. Flinchy's had calmed down some at this point (since many had been drinking all day), so I thought it was a good place for a test run. We played a very impromptu and rough version of "It's A Long Way To The Top" by AC/DC, which has a pretty good bagpipe part. My friend Mitch sang vocals on the tune and I think he scared the begeezus out of everyone. Good times...

After the gig, Mitch and I and a couple friends stuck around until close. We ended up at the Camp Hill Diner very late and went back to crash at Flinchy's place. I think it was around 5AM when we finally made it to bed.

Please turn to Side 2 of St. Patty's Day Weekend '06...