Who's The Dude "Road Story"

Ok, instruments are carried in cases. Sometimes they are bulky and big and you have to find a place to put them until you are done playing.  Sometimes stages are no larger than a postage stamp and you have to be inventive as to what goes where.  Sometimes there are no places to put your covers or your cases and instead of hauling them back out into the trailer, you improvise. 

   I have a keyboard case that is rather large and heavey. Not really an eyesore, but if you have cases to stack under it ..  you place it on top for more storage.

One needs to cover the stacks...I used to carry a red satin sheet or two, just for this purpose.  After a gig of more then one night, we cover things.. just looks better and less tempting for any remaining drunks to decide to entertain with our gear.  There was a gig that we had major storage problems. It was snowy and cold and frozen and nobody wanted to make more trips out to the trailer than was needed.  So the plan was, extend the stage with a red satin drop cloth and use it for the cd's and tip jar.. and under it all for the empty cases.  We had no place to put it, so it went right up front of the stage.. looked good if I say so myself.   We had solved a problem,  and all was well.  until..........

   Strange things started to happen.  The tip jar was on the red satin covered keyboard case that stood about 3 feet up off the ground, it was long.  A guy at the bar slowly came up, with tears in his eyes and said.. you guys are the best... I hope I have friends like you in the end... and sniffeled away after tipping us.  The tipping wasn't unusual, but the statement was a bit out there. We kept playing, and another guy came up... somber... serious.. tipped us and bowed his head, paused for a few seconds...waved to us and left the bar.   We played our first 45 minutes and took our first break, and it all came into focus.  Another guy from the bar was waiting for us to break so that he could ask...  "who's the dude".    We had no clue as to what he was talking about.  He asked again. saying  "who's the dude man... pretty cool of you guys to have the wake here.

As we turned and looked at the stage.. we then realized that our little decorated hidden gear cases resembled a casket to the average drunk.   People thought... and kept thinking that we had a dead friend of ours in a box and were paying him tribute and a last night out.  We watched as more and more people filled up our tip jar, before we had a chance to say   HEY>> NOBODY IS DEAD.. THAT IS NOT A CASKET!  We were stunned and laughing... and from that point on my keyboard case became the.. who's the dude case.  We never did it that way again, some things are just tacky.... and yeah.. it was Fargo ND, they have cold hands up there, but very warm hearts.  Would like to also add that in that same little bar, they held bingo there every afternoon before the band started.  The place packed out from bingo... and then it was our turn.   Nothing like starting to a full house..... and there is also no stranger feeling than watching the blue haired women and disgruntal old fellas hurry up and get their coats on cause the noise of the band is about to start.  One by one, the bingo players would leave until there is nothing left but the guy at the bar who thinks he is there for a wake for a guy he doesn't know.  The bingo players never cared about the who's the dude box.... they were busy thinking about I29... 29 under I.   We didn't care about the who's the dude, or the bingo... but we sure were disapointed when the one guy at the bar decided it was time to go, he didn't win at bingo and now he was crying for a stranger that wasn't even in the box.  Nothin like a good bingo game before a wake in a bar where nobody knows ya lol.....

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