Fraters Libertas

Filling the Gap

One of the primary joys of blogging is the email received from one's dear readers. (The other primary joy being the calculation of the number of hours you've devoted to an exercise that provides no material benefit, and has no prospect to do so in the future.)

When our readers write in, they typically do one of two things. Attempt to destroy the essence of my editorial points by pointing out spelling errors. Or they request more posts dedicated to minute, descriptive accounts of concert halls in Iowa, interspersed with personal observations from people they've never heard of before.

Since customer service is what we're all about (as well as finding ways to create blogging inches without having to do any work ourselves), I have good news. No, I'm not going to start doing a fourth pass on all my posts to ferret out pesky homonym related spelling errors (trust me, they're all intentional and used to create populist texture). Instead, I have all the latest from the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake Iowa.

Well, I don't personally have any news, but a special guest correspondent does. The one and only (cue trumpet fanfare) "Man from Silver Mountain" (aka, some guy from Fridley).

During the Elder's well deserved vacation from the Internet grind, this shimmering new voice of Internet opining has agreed to help pick up the slack. And today it's all about a concert in Iowa, including a cameo appearance from our own JB Doubtless. Without further ado, here it is. And remember .... YOU ASKED FOR IT!

Surfin' Safari

For my inaugural post, I thought it might be fun to travel to the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. The Surf is best known as the site of the final performance of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.D. "The Big Bopper" Richardson. You probably know their story: minutes after performing at the "Winter Dance Party" in February 1959, the three musicians were dead. Their plane crashed shortly after takeoff, killing everyone on board.

Today, the Surf is regular stop for national tours on the rock and country circuits. With a capacity of 2,500, it is the perfect venue for those bands that cannot fill an arena but draw better than your average bar band. Located two hours from both the Twin Cities and Des Moines, it is a location that can draw fans and bands from a both metropolitan areas.

I must confess that I have been to the Surf dozens of times, but never entered. My parents retired to Clear Lake, the sleepy little Iowa town that is home to the Surf. Every time I went to visit them I would look at the marquee and see names that qualified in one of three categories: a has-been rockers like REO Speedwagon or Foghat, a Twin Cities club band that I was sick of like Lamont Cranston, or a band whose name I did not recognize. Sure, Alice Cooper and Tony Bennett each performed there recently, but I did not happen to be in town for either.

J.B. Doubtless and I had talked about seeing a show at the Surf for some time. When we saw that David Allan Coe would be headlining the November 21 show, we decided to make the pilgrimage. Having never heard of the opening act, the Dallas Moore Band, we timed our trip to arrive about an hour after music was scheduled to begin.

Once inside the surf, it is apparent that the venue hasn't changed much since the days of Holly and Valens. It is a big, gymnasium-like structure with a large stage at one end and an ample dance-floor in the center. There are two to four rows of booths along the sides and back of the ballroom. The ceiling is configured for excellent acoustics. The volume was consistent regardless of our location within the building. We approached the bar and ordered beers, before taking a look at the "wall of fame". The wall included hundreds of autographed photos of the more famous headliners of the Surf. JB commented to me that the country acts appeared to be playing the Surf on their way up to arenas, while the rock acts seemed to be on the downside of their careers. Faith Hill and Styx autographs from the 1990's seemed to prove his point. We bought two more beers before settling in near the sound board to catch the end of the Dallas Moore Band's set.

Stay tuned for the next segment: He Never Even Called Us by Our Name

Will the boys get another beer? Was there a line to get into the bathroom? Did JB Doubtless make any wry comments on the quality of items on the appetizer menu? Tune in later this week for the next chapter of the continuing Internet saga from (cue trumpet fanfare): Man from Silver Mountain.

PS - per his request, Man from Silver Mountain isn't accepting any emails related to his posting. Therefore, please send all congratulations, raves, and book publishing option contracts directly to me. Per usual, complaints and spelling corrections should go to the Atomizer.