Monday, December 01, 2008
By Ahrue Luster
By Ahrue Luster
I remember this area very vividly because the last time that we were here, it was in the middle of a blizzard in February, and there was a multiple homicide in another strip mall a few miles away. The description of the suspected killer was someone that had dark skin and dreadlocks, which is also the description of half of my band. And as luck would have it, while Diego, the other guitarist in my band and who fits the killer’s “description,” was sitting in Denny’s having lunch, the police rushed in and arrested him. It seemed that one of the town’s folk, who was also eating at Denny’s, called the police. The person thought Diego might have been the killer.
After explaining to the police the he was in a touring band that was playing at the Pearl Room, they let him go. But then later, the police came to the venue and arrested him one more time for more questioning … this time, while he was in the shower. Then they questioned Laz, our bass player, for a little while before finally deciding that the killer wasn’t a member of Ill Nino.
I’m also pretty sure that this is the same hotel where we watched last year’s incredible Super Bowl on the day off after the last Pearl Room show. Since most of the members of Ill Nino are from NY/NJ, they were bouncing off the walls when the Giants sealed their victory over the Patriots. I was glad to see the Giants win as well since Laz has been known to break things when his team loses and we have to pay for any damages to our hotel rooms.
So far, this current tour is also turning out be a very memorable one. There have been some very special moments and shows that I know I will always remember and hold very dear to my heart for the rest of my life. I’ll share what happened on one of the nights or the tour.
Whenever Ill Nino plays a hometown show in New York City or New Jersey, the shows are incredible and have always been highlights of tours past. This time the New York City show was one that I will never forget. The date was November 4th, 2008 – Election Day. We had all been glued to the television on the tour bus watching the election coverage the whole day. We were all very excited about the historic election that was about to take place.
We went on stage as usual. The venue was packed. Everyone in the crowd was going insane the way they always do when we play a hometown show, but you could also feel a different energy in the air. We were the last of four bands that night. While the other bands were on stage, they would let the crowd know what the electoral “score” was as events were happening. Halfway through our set, between songs, I was tuning my guitar on the side of the stage when someone from the crew came up to me and said, “It’s official, Obama won!” I walked over and told Chris, our singer, the news. He took a sip of water and turned to the crowd and after a slight pause, where I assume he was thinking of the right words, he said, “THIS IS NO LONGER A CONCERT, THIS IS A CELEBRATION. BARACK OBAMA IS OUR NEW PRESIDENT.” The crowd erupted with a cheer that seemed as though it could be heard across the country. Then we went into the next song and the energy between the fans and the band was just off the charts – and it stayed at that level for the rest of the night. It was such an incredible feeling to experience an historic event in a way such as we did.
After the show was over and after the band had cooled down in the dressing room, some of us decided to go back to the tour bus. As we walked outside, it seemed that the excitement that was felt inside the venue was happening everywhere. People on the streets of New York City were shouting, cheering and honking horns. I had never seen anything like it in my life. It was like the whole city of New York was a big party. It was an amazing night. X
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