John Mork
Mounain View, CA USA
VLZ
March, 2007 and it’s time for the Hell’s Angels 50th Anniversary Party in Oakland. Performing were Barry “the Fish” Melton with Roy Blumenfeld (Blues Project) and Peter Albin (Big Brother) opening. Blues fave Ron Thompson would take the late duty.
I get excited when icons play a Harley gig. I even brought out the liquid light show. What no one mentioned is this was an all-nighter: downbeat at 9:30 and load out at sunrise. I only learned the schedule after Ron finished his midnight set. My 1604VLZ, the lite guy and me stuck it out til dawn.
Roy was in great form and meeting Barry and Peter for the first time was a gas. At the break I gave Barry and the boys the clubhouse tour. Stepping outside, to our surprise, we were greeted by the poh-leese chopper shining spotlights down from God. We went out front and were surrounded by the bomb squad. At the both ends of the block was a contingent of moto-cops (the boys call em spare parts) and 2 command center trucks. The bomb squad was across the street disabling the mass quantity of pyro planned for later that evening.
Now I figured anything could be next and you‘d think dread might grip what little psyche was left after boozy hours of trying to mix the band through crowds of nonchalant bomb squad warriors. But no, something about the Angels makes me feel, well, comfortable. And the heat never made any move towards the clubhouse so we spent rest of the night getting the stars out of there and settling in for a five set Ron Thompson Blues and Merrymaking Mackie Marathon.
Eventually the sun did rise, the cops got some shut-eye, the truck got loaded and all was well with the world. Thanks Mackie, you have taken me places exotic, inspiring and rare.
