JRAD - Eugene Show Report

The second half of the usual postings when we take Hapy somewhere interesting. My last post covered the travel part. In summary, it was great, but there were some things that shook out that need to get fixed before the next trip. For context, I had never seen this band before, but I had heard some concert footage, so I had an inkling of what we might expect. On to the show!

Pre-Funk
We arrived around 5. Since the gates opened at 530, we figured there would be some happenings to witness or partake in. We were routed to the parking lot near the Science Center, which I found odd, and we found ourselves in a small lot with a collection of Vanagons. We parked along the VW bus row, put up the pop-top, set out the colorful rug, the camping chairs and table and set to pre-funk. Our neighbor Vanagon had a big barbecue they had just fired up and while the scene was small, we had a tailgate vibe happening. Seeing how we were in the shadow of Autzen Stadium, that vibe was all the more appropriate. We were met by Boo's sister E and her husband H and, after a spirited beverage, we walked the short trail over the stream to the venue.

The Cuthbert

The Cuthbert Amphitheater max's out at 5000 people, but it wasn't completely full for Joe Russo's Almost Dead (JRAD). The very far corners of the upper lawn could fit a few people, but otherwise, the place was effectively full. It's a nice place, where everything is easy to get to, the lines are short and the view of the stage is really good. Even the pitched lawn isn't as steep as the lawn at, say, Shoreline in the Bay Area. I have only seen shows from the upper lawn, but I have heard that the seated area is really nice: flat ground for dancing would be especially welcome. We didn't arrive terribly early, but we were able to get s spot close to the separation between the upper and lower lawns, fairly close to the center,  but still over to Phil's side (stage right / house left) a little bit. Unlike when we went to Further here, there were a lot of teenagers this time. There were enough there for Boo to comment that the hippie cycle must be starting up again. Based on what we know of the EDM scene through T, "love" is moving in and "hate" is moving on. Very nice.

JRAD
The band was supposed to go on at 730, and they were fairly punctual. I hadn't been checking my watch, so they must have been within 20 minutes of their scheduled time. They started up with a smoking Althea that highlighted solo's from both guitarists and the keyboardist before rolling into a Truckin' that rocked. Crescendo after crescendo between the verses. They were riding another crescendo as they were concluding Truckin' and jump-stepped into Cassidy. One bar they were playing Truckin', the next Cassidy. Seamless. So good, and after a Tennessee Jed they closed the first set. "4 songs," you ask. Yes, 4 songs in an hour and they never stopped playing the entire time. The second set was a mind-blower, opening up with a Blues for Allah (King's Solomon's Marbles) and Here Comes Sunshine. The Help on the Way into Slipknot was super tight, but they raised the bar further with a drop into Feel Like a Stranger before continuing Slipknot into Franklin's Tower. The Franklin's closed with a classic Slipknot reprise. Again, they never stopped playing the crowd didn't stop dancing, and the back and forth energy was amazing. The set closed with a Good Lovin' and Mighty Quinn encore, but it was the Help-Slip-Stranger-Slip-Franklins that had my head shaking afterwards.

For anyone who wished they could have seen the Dead in their energy hay-day (1970's), when they would play marathon shows with super high-energy, you should check JRAD out. They have that youthful energy you can hear on those old Dead bootlegs, that Dead and Co can't get anywhere near. My opinions on Dead and Co are well documented (See Why Does Dead and Company Suck?). Seeing the Dead songbook get lit up like I'd never seen before just further underscores the mediocrity of Dead and Co. So, if you want to reminisce, play remember-when, cram into a huge crowd and see something mediocre-bordering-on-bad for upwards of three-digits US$, by all means go to Dead and Co. You've been warned; if you already have tickets, I'd suggest you do the lot scene and scalp them to someone less informed. If you want to hear what those songs are supposed to sound like, witness some amazing solos, vocals that are on-key and energized, and get your back broken by some jams that will dance you into traction, go see JRAD. It will cost you less, the venue will be smaller, and it will blow your mind how good these songs can sound when they're played by skilled, young, inspired musicians.

Post-Funk
With Quinn echoing in our ears, Boo and I sat with E and H. We all glistened with sweat from dancing, though the warm day had long turned to cool evening. The crowd started to make their way to the exits, each looking a little dumbfounded. Or maybe it was the drinking and smoking that created those vacant stares. No matter. We joined the throng working their way to the exit, and could overhear conversations, elated over certain aspects of the show.

The lot scene outside, though, was nothing like the "old stadium days", at least not the little lot we were in. The crowd disappeared rather quickly. So, while Boo and I scarfed down a salad, our neighbors would wave and drive off. Maybe the Shakedown Street was on the other side. Maybe there wasn't one. It didn't matter, really. No one hassled us out of the lot, so we enjoyed our cool down, and rolled away when the mood was right. In retrospect, for all I know the lot scene in the 70's was more like that.

I can't say enough about how good JRAD was. We loved Further, but their energy was different too. Further was more of a revival-meets-reunion kind of energy. Just love, and happy to be here while we play our favorite tunes in a nice-to-hear way. Great vocals and JohnK's guitar work was amazing. JRAD is such higher energy, raging guitar solos like the way Warren Haynes shredded when he toured with "The Dead" 10 years ago. Now, add a guitarist who can add bits like an Allman brothers musical interlude like JRAD has. That's special.

Thanks, as always, for following along. More Summer music fun ahead.

JRAD - Eugene Road Report

The first of the usual 2-part post when we go on a trip to see something interesting, this post covers the travel to and from, how the bus behaved, etc. JRAD (Joe Russo's Almost Dead) played the Cuthbert Amphitheater in Eugere, so this trip the down-and-back for that show.

Getting Out
We have gotten our packing and departure steps down to a fairly good science. Our gear is stored all together on a pair of racks in the garage next to Oliver (the MG) so loading up is fairly fast. We replaced our 10x10 again; it seems these things only last a single season anymore. The new one was the exact duplicate of the one we had last year, only not constructed as well. Regardless, it went into the bus with the low-back concert chairs, classic camping chairs, folding table, cooler, sleeping bags, etc. Once ready to go, I turned the key on the new ignition to start... and nothing. Great. The test drive a week ago didn't shake out whatever spirit was preventing us from leaving. Quick time-check... if I can't solve it in an hour, we're taking another car and solving later.

With Boo near the rear bumper, I tried turning the key a few times. We could hear a click, so there was hope. After a couple more tries, we could determine that it was coming from the electric bundle in the spare tire well: my wiring. Fun. So, we switched spots, and I could tell the clicking was one of the relays that linked the ignition from the front of the bus to the TDI ignition switch in the spare tire well. I disconnected and then reconnected all of the wires going in and out of that relay and verified that the grounding wire was grounded. Tested the key again, and he fired right up. I concluded that the signal wire leaving the relay had loosened itself, so the disconnect-reconnect solved the problem.

We drove to the corner fueling station and tried to add some fuel. I say tried because the tank was nearly full from last June when we had the ignition fire on the way home from 4Peaks. One more thing to remember next Fall for winterizing: drain the tank. So, we had a tank of year-old fuel and no time to deal with it. So, with a thought about old fuel, we headed for the highway.

On the Road
After a few initial studders, Hapy drove through the local highways well. The "studders" were just that: momentary engine stammer followed by normal running after that. He idled steady at the traffic lights, so we decided we would keep going. We hit some getting-out-of-town traffic as we left the greater Portland area on I-5 South, but it had cleared by Wilsonville (like it usually does), and we were cruising at 60mph. Once past Wilsonville, the speed limit goes up to 65mph, but most traffic accelerates well past that. I drive as fast as Hapy's temperature will allow. Since it was an 80*F+ day, the air temp didn't really factor in, but I could tell that the more I tried to stay at 60mph, the more his temperature would hover at 192*F. If I dropped down to 55mph, his temp would sit at 185*F. Since his normal operating temperature (NOT) is 190*F, I figured I could stay just under 60mph and he'd run well. I was right, and left his speed hovering between 58 and 60 the rest of the way. After Wilsonville, an early bay appeared in front of us. We paced with them until they got off at Woodburn. We flashed lights, exchanged peace signs and continued on our respective journeys. Love bus folks.

We stopped at the Flying J truck stop near Aurora for travel snacks and beverages, and found ourselves behind an RV running the same 58mph pace once we got back on the I-5. That RV set our pace until we were well past Covallis, The drive itself was fairly uneventful. The wheels held the road well, and I didn't have to fight Hapy for control the whole way like I used to. The only times of trouble were when a semi-truck passed us, and created wind turbulence. Fortunately, that didn't happen very often; I think the road was kind of quiet, actually. Another advantage to leaving town in the early afternoon instead of at rush hour.

Armitage Park
We pulled off at Coburg, thinking we would grab a camping spot at Armitage County Park. This is the same campground Hapy, Boo and I used when we came down to Further in September 2011 (See Furthur - To Eugene). The campground this time was very different from when we were there almost 8 years earlier. For one, it was practically full and second, there weren't any fellow concert-goers. The sign out front said there were 2 RV spots: #13 and #17, so we backed into #17. While I set up the little tent (shed), Boo headed to the front desk to check us in. She returned displeased. While the site was marked as open, the camp people decided that we should move to a tent spot instead. Okay... So, we moved, and saved $10US for the trouble. Turned out both #13 and #17 went unused that night, so the camp lost out on $10. Meanwhile, the tent spot was bigger and more shaded, so it worked out better for us anyway. We just didn't have an electrical post on our site. Fortunately, the group-sire next to us (also empty) had one, so we charged phones there in the morning.

Allergies
For that past few years, my allergies have been effectively stopped by acupuncture. I realize that's hard to believe, but I used to take multiple medicines every day, year round. At least 3 years ago, I started getting pins stuck in me and that's made medicines a very rare thing. I have had to take something maybe once or twice in the spring since I started with the pins. Unfortunately, that all became unraveled in the parking lot at the Cuthbert.

After we set up the shed, and loaded it with whatever we didn't need in the lot, we drove the short stretch down Coberg Road into Eugene and to the venue. We were parked on the opposite side from where we usually parked (near the disc golf), over by the Science Center. This was a very small lot, but many VW's, and it was the open-early lot, so there were folks BBQ'ing, and such. My allergies kicked in almost immediately. They didn't meaningfully affect the show, but they did impact the next day or three.

Getting Home
I'll post about the show in another post. The drive from the show back to the campground was as uneventful as the drive to the show earlier. Temps stayed predictable, steering was predictable, traffic was non-existent. We fell asleep fairly quickly after 3+ hours of dancing and awoke the next morning to the crashing of the dumpster. Ah well. We dragged ourselves up, used the free hot showers, made coffee and oatmeal, and considered the day. The shower helped wash off pollen, etc, but the residual histamines from my allergies were still a problem. We decided that lingering another day was probably not a good idea, rather, it made better sense to start heading home. We took in the river for a morning meditation before we broke camp, and packed Hapy.

We headed north on I-5, but found that the traffic was very different from the traffic we enjoyed on the way down. There were many semi-trucks and they were all moving very fast. At 58mph, the trucks were blowing past us, buffeting the bus, and causing all kinds of steering difficulties. By the time we were approaching the Halsey/Brownsville exit (216), I needed to get off the freeway. So, we took the scenic route home. From Halsey, we took 99E up to Tangent and then OR35 to Corvallis. We picked up 99W there and took it through the sleepy country towns of Polk county. Somewhere before Tangent, I started to notice that our top speed was getting artificially limited. Our acceleration in first and second was pretty good, and I could feel the turbo kick in, but I couldn't feel the turbo in 3rd or fourth, and fourth gear was just a dog. Feeling glad again for not being on the interstate. I concluded that the cheap clear fuel filter had gunked up from the old fuel and that was limiting our speed. Would have been an easy fix if I had a spare onboard. I used to keep one in the tool box and another under the rock-n-roll bed, but I appear to have stopped doing that. Note to self: keep spare filters, just like you keep spare fluids, onboard.

rear driver window dolled up for JRAD

By the time we hit Monmouth, we were ready to eat. So, we hit the local Burgerville. I can't remember a nicer fast-ish food place. A fellow patron held the door open for us on our way in (and her way out). The restaurant, though fairly full, was quiet. There was a large family sitting in the center, taking up 3 tables, celebrating someone's birthday, and even they barely made more than low-conversation noise. The service was fantastic and food delivered to the table much faster than I remember Burgerville to be. Boo and I split a 1/4 pound burger and a salad. Back on the road, we stayed on 99W to outside McMinnville which we avoided on the OR18 bypass before re-joining 99W through Dundee and Newburg. In Sherwood, we hopped onto the familiar Roy Rogers Road to cut over to Beaverton, avoiding Tigard and more traffic.

Needs

old fuel filter after removal

It was a great trip, and overall Hapy performed very very well. I know there are a few things that need to be addressed before our next trip (listed below). The fuel, fuel filter and the rear brake adjustment are the most pressing.

+ still need to clean up the wiring in the spare tire well. Maybe it's time to use the plastic relay holder thing that the TDI-engine relays are in for my custom relays
+ drain the tank of the old fuel OR add some fuel stabilizer / diesel fuel stuff that the boaters use
+ replace the cheap clear fuel filter. Get a few spares.
+ adjust the rear brakes a little tighter. Not sure they are really doing anything.
+ get front end alignment done by a shop. Steering was way better, but there could be improvement.

Thanks, as always, for following along. I'll post on the JRAD show soon.

A Tale of Two Trips

Since I last posted, Furthur announced they wouldn't tour in 2014.  Within a week of that announcement, VW Brasil announced they would stop production of the VW Kombi (bay-window bus) at the end of 2013.  While seemingly unrelated, for those who drive VW buses around the country to see music, this was quite the double blow.  The day after the VW Brasil announcement, I bought a pair of tickets to see Furthur at Marymoor Park east of Seattle to compliment the pair I already had for the following night in Eugene.  Today's post covers the 3-day adventure.

Getting Out of Dodge

Tuesday is a typical workday for me and the Marymoor venue is 3.5 hours from home with good traffic.  Since the show started at 6,  We had to leave by 2 to have any hope of seeing it start.  I'd written off the lot scene.  Work was, well, work, so I didn't actually get Boo and start driving north until almost 3.  With the compressed timeline, we left the bus at home and took the more consistently reliable Jetta.  As speed limits rose, the rain intensified.  We rolled music off my iToy to keep the mood calm.  Outside Fort Lewis, emergency vehicles were on maneuvers, jamming up traffic in both directions without any actual accident scene.  Lost 20 minutes.  We hit Olympia by 5 and the rush hour traffic that usually arrives with evening.  The Jetta handled well, drove fast, and we found the venue with very little trouble.  We arrived less than 30 minutes late, only missing the first song entirely.  We heard the second while parking and the third while walking to the gate.

Marymoor

Marymoor Map

We met our friend Grateful Ed just inside the gate.  He'd driven up much earlier in the day at a much less frantic pace.  Being a park, he was able to settle before 2, fell into a photo shoot for REI and pre-func'd with some heads from WA.  He'd landed us a spot less than 40 feet from the stage, and led us in to a nice 1/2-Step.  As a location to see music, Marymoor is fantastic.  It is one large flat lawn with a small berm ringing the outer edge.  On the other side of the berm are food carts (though the food options were weird and lines non-moving), beverage gardens (no line) and the restrooms.  Aisles through the lawn are painted: no railings, fences or concrete.  I'll absolutely go back for more shows there.  I just wish they'd have some back-to-back nights and a place to overnight camp nearby (EDIT: found a place: Vasa Park Resort).  The crowd was older and small.  We didn't see any wookies either, so we figured that the folks traveling with the band skipped this show and we'd meet them in Eugene.  The show was good, the second set really good with a foreshadowing "Goin' Down the road Feelin' Bad" encore.

Let the Real Adventure Begin

Since Boo and I hadn't eaten since lunch, and it was almost midnight as we left the lot, we concluded we should grab some eats before heading back to Oregon.  A Denny's stop with Ed later, we're ready to go.  Boo and I had been having some sporadic battery issues with the Jetta around town, with the battery light popping on after starting.  After driving for a bit, the light would go out, so we didn't pay it much heed.  I figured the alternator was failing, and had it tested.  "All good," says the mechanic.  I tossed the car-battery charger into the backseat anyway.  So, as Boo drove us through that construction zone between Seattle and Tacoma, we started to get some weird idiot lights firing.  The battery light was already lit, but the ABS light started to flash and the radio started to cut out.  We turned off the radio, but the ABS light stayed on steady.  The air-bag light then lit up.... then the dashboard lights started to dim... the blinkers stopped working.... the headlights turned off... Within a couple minutes we went from safely following Ed down the I-5 to completely failing electrical system.  We couldn't raise Ed on the phone, so we douche-dived the first exit we came upon: Tillicum, WA, and rolled into the Chevron.  While the engine idled, I spotted an electrical outlet on the side of the building.  We hooked up the battery charger and watch the idiot lights turn off one by one.  Boo asked (and was denied) to use the Chevron bathroom and got us a water.  After 15 minutes of charging (1:50AM), we figured we'd gotten enough juice to get going again, but we had the failures cascade again before we made the freeway on-ramp.  We were lucky enough to get back to the Chevron before the engine died.

Tillicum

from Google maps

Sitting in the middle of the Chevron lot in the wee-hours of the morning was surreal.  An older boy / young man was peddling a bike through the lot and helped us push it into a parking spot.  He then asked for a smoke and rode on.  I called in AAA for a tow home, and learned than my membership got 100 free miles.  The remaining 40 were my problem, but the driver would be there within an hour.  Once we got the immediate problem resolved, Boo and I looked around at where we'd landed.  Sketch.  Very Sketch.  Cyclone fencing, closed businesses and boarded up cheap apartments.  Sweet.  We saw the Taco Bell and McDonald's down the street had their lights on, so we walked down there to sit and wait.  Neither business was open, and we concluded they left the dining room lights on to reduce break-ins.  On the walk and wile waiting in the car, we got a more intense sense of how sketchy the area was.  The young guy on the bike kept re-appearing, clearly following a route from one location to another.  A a light blue cab stopped at the Chevron multiple times (though that could have been innocent enough).  And a young woman all dressed in black appeared multiple times, dashing from one boarded up location to another.

AAA

The flatbed tow truck arrived shortly after 2:30AM, driven by a guy with a long chin-strap beard that ended flat (like ZZ-Top).  He reminded me of a gnome with a plumber's crack.  While hooking up the car, he admitted that he'd worked until midnight, had worked the night before, and had very little sleep.  We climbed into the cab, and Boo told him that we needed first to stop at a restroom.  The driver flipped a U-turn, led her into the Chevron and got the clerks to let her use the restroom.  Apparently, they don't let customers use the restroom because they've been robbed so many times.  Awesome.  With thoughts of "lets get the hell out of here", our gnome wheeled to the freeway and we nosed south.  The truck was bouncy, the bench seat nearly as hard as a bleecher, but fatigue finally caught up to me.  I was awakened by a few big bumps, as was our gnome-driver at least once, motivating Boo to stay awake, chatting him up so he didn't fall asleep.  Her sacrifice meant I could sleep (we thought she'd sleep on the drive to Eugene), and I didn't awaken for good until we were on the Freemont Bridge watching dawn break over downtown Portland.  The Jetta was tucked away on the driveway at 6:AM, and after refusing a cup of coffee, the driver-gnome took my $160 for the 40 miles of towing and headed back to Washington.

Hapy

Boo hadn't slept for more than 15 minutes, and I'd gotten about 2 hours of rough sleep, so we decided to take a nap or a few hours before thinking about Eugene.  At 9, we hosed off, scarfed some instant oatmeal, and started loading the bus.  Since we were going to overnight in Boo's sister's driveway, we didn't need much camping gear, just sleeping bags and food.  We'd agreed to meet at Grateful Ed's at 11:30, and we arrived a few minutes early.  Hapy (the wonderbus) needed to get his gears warmed up, but once we got to operating temperature, he handled great.  I'd driven him to work and back a few times last week to get some confidence up and to confirm that the leak was solved.  Once Mayhem arrived at Grateful Ed's, we started the carabus south, taking turns leading.  Hapy can cruise at 60mph with the RPM's just under 3k.  We discovered that pushing the RPM's above 3k increases the noise significantly, so 60mph became the standard cruising speed.  Because of the late start, we drove straight to the Cuthbert Ampitheater parking lot, agreeing to meet Boo's sister and husband there.  We arrived just after 3, and got a prime parking spot along the main strip (parked with sliders facing each other), but not on Shakedown Street.  We did not see many other old buses, but the few we did see were close by.  Again, we leveraged the removable middle seat as a lot couch, creating seating for all 6 of us easily.  I'm really loving that.  On the whole drive, Hapy's temperature never hit 190*, and stayed at 185* almost the entire time, only climbing above after pulling uphill.  He handled very well, making the drive to Eugene the highlight thus far.

Cuthbert

Furthur farewell

The Cuthbert Ampitheater, unlike the Marymoor, is almost completely pitched ground.  The front now has reserved seats, but the concrete is not flat.  Behind the seats is a narrow non-flat grass area where seats are not allowed, backed by a 18" drop-off down to a cement walkway.  Behind the walkway is the steeper lawn where low beach chairs are allowed.  Simply standing on that grass wears on your muscles like running downhill.  Now, try dancing for 3 hours.  Yeah, that can hurt, but its worth it when the show is smokin'.  They started with a Brother Esau, and kept it funky throughout.  The crowd included many more of the usual road-warriors, supporting our thoughts about them skipping WA.  It also included many of the Oregon old-guard 60's-era hippies.  We sat next to a couple who drove in from the coast, for example, who had been seeing forms of the Dead since the mid-60's.  Ken Babbs was there.  Very cool when you contrast that with the kids dancing on the walkway who were born after Jerry died.  Unlike 2 years ago, the scene in the lot after the show was much more calm.  The staffers weren't trying to cowboy the concert-goers out of the lot 20 minutes after the last note was played.  There were tour-heads swinging beer, T-shirts, posters and coasters.  For the first time since the 90's, I heard a nitro tank filling balloons.  

Homing

Belle heading home

Boo, her sister, Grateful Ed, Mayhem and I skipped the after-party, but Boo's sister's husband went and closed The Cooler.  The band played until almost 2:AM.  If we'd gotten more sleep over the prior couple of days, maybe we would have gone too.  Instead, we tipped a couple beers, played with Boo's sister's dog and visited in the comfort of the old hippie Dr. Seuss house.  We grabbed breakfast at Brail's and headed north.  Hapy again, drove like a dream.  This time, Ed led the carabus (see picture at right), setting a slightly slower pace to help keep his temperatures down.  That also lowered the noise in my bus a little bit, making the drive all the more pleasant.  We got home a little after 2, making the entire Eugene run, including to/from the venue, Boo's sister's house, grocery stops, etc on less than one tank of diesel.  I'll know my actual mileage when I fill again, but I figure I drove 250 miles and I put in just under 10 gallons before leaving home.

As always, thanks for following along.  The long trip with the bus has helped me understand what needs to be looked at next (adjust shifting linkage, headliner, deep-cycle battery charger, tighten steering, better seal for engine hatch, fuel gauge, painting the exterior...).  The journey is the destination.