As expected, the Press Club did not respond to the email offering up the Lava Pups to open for Dick Dale when he was through Sacramento earlier in the month. Without expectation, disappointment is impossible. The silver lining is that Don’s smashed finger was early in the healing stage when Dick Dale was at the Press Club. Don could not have played anyway. Fate was kind to us by making sure that the Press Club did not respond.
Dick Dale is coming back to the area this weekend. Friday night, he is in Petaluma. Saturday, he hits the stage at the Auburn Events Center. As with his previous performances in Auburn, it will be sold out. As with his previous performances in Auburn, The Pyronauts will open. Counting the Petaluma show, Saturday will be the fifteenth time that they have opened for the “King of the Surf Guitar.”
We are ready for Saturday night because the Dick Dale whom we know and love probably will be appearing. We get another glimpse at one of the founding fathers of instrumental surf music.
Last time that he was in Auburn, the “Guitar Legend” was ending an acoustic tour with his son, Jimmy. That night, the contrast between the Pyronauts (unplugged) and Dick Dale was stunning. They were energetic, entertaining, and engaging. The audience truly enjoyed the effort that they put forth.
Dick Dale was neither energetic nor entertaining. He talked too much about matters which seemed to interest nobody except him. He was not engaged with the audience. His performance dragged. At times, he simply was a 73-year old man telling boring, irrelevant, and incomprehensible stories. He was losing the audience. People stood by the bar talking. People went outside to smoke.
On the drive home, our friend who is an event planner offered up a bit of heresy. If she ran the show, Dick Dale would go on first so that the crowd could pay their respects and then party and be entertained by The Pyronauts. As we pointed out to her at the time, that would be a huge protocol violation. A pecking order exists in every show. Dick Dale is the “King of the Surf Guitar,” gets top billing, and goes on last.
I remember thinking that we just had seen the what-to-dos and what-not-to-dos of a live show.
Saturday night in Auburn will be different than last time. At least, I hope so and am eager to go.
Jimmy will be back with his dad. The show, however, is not acoustic. Jimmy will play drums. Dick Dale will come out with his Gold Strat hanging like it is a body part. Actually, it has been an appendage to his body for more than 50 years. It will be strung upside down with heavy gauge strings. His Gold Strat has no knobs. It is just set to max volume. He will play Dick Dale tunes.
Oh, yeah, I expect that he will talk. After all, he continues to bill himself as a “Guitar Legend.” Except for the strong, silent types, “legends” generally tell us why they are legends. But, no matter what, Dick Dale most likely will do what he has done for more than 50 years. Play the electric guitar loud and fast. Lots of reverb. Trademark sound. Trademark style.
That surely will stoke me and the audience.
And, unlike last year’s acoustic show, we most likely will walk away saying, “Wow! Do you believe that? I hope that I can play like that when I am 74 years old!”
Electric guitar loud and fast. That is a big part of instrumental surf music. Those who did not wear ear plugs will respond, “What did you say?” Their ears will be ringing well into Sunday.