This was our first Friday / Saturday back-to-back gig at the Plant 6, July 11-12, 1980.
It was mid-summer and baseball season was in full “swing”. Many of the bars and clubs hosted local sports teams for [insert name of employer here] and Plant-6 on Niagara Street was one of them.
‘The Parousia’ at the Plant 6- July 11 and 12, 1980
Performing at the Plant-6 was always interesting… First of all, the place was small, I mean very small. Logistically, we barely fit our seven-piece band in there. Whatever room remained, we used for the P.A. system and the light show.
Tonight marked our first gig with a new vendor for lighting, Mike & Shirlee. Mike was the son of a union electrician and he knew his way around the trade. He built his own par lights, truss and control board.
Then, there were the patrons… Cheery men and women, fresh off the baseball field ready to party! Their narcotizing intake went far beyond alchohol … there were lots of drugs passed around. Cocaine, Quaaludes, heroine… It made the crowd very vocal and rowdy!
Band Flyer: PAROUSIA at the Plant-6, Friday/Saturday July 11 and 12, 1980
I’m not wagging a finger here I mean, that was our audience. Parousia was a LOUD classic rock band and the rowdy crowd loved our music the most. I think that’s why Parousia became a favorite at the Plant 6, not only on Niagara Street but later at their second location on Delaware Avenue in Kenmore NY.
On this night, I thought we would be seriously maimed or worse. The crowd seemed especially wild… maybe a big-win for some lucky team?
At the end of the second set, the band was wrapping it up with a cover of Aerosmith’s “Train Kept a Rollin’”. During the drum roll, right before the song explodes into a pulsing locomotive flying down the side of a mountain; there was a man standing near the bar in a baseball cap and team jersey whirling a wooden bar-stool around his head getting ready to hurl it.
Just then, I heard a woman scream, “Look, Chucky’s on ‘ludes!” With all his might Chucky swung the bar stool on musical cue as if choreographed and when the song exploded into frenzy, Chucky let go and the stool went flying towards the stage.
Fortunately, Chucky had bad aim. The stool missed us and broke apart when it struck the back wall. (I guess Quaaludes interfere with your throwing accuracy, whew) Not so good for Chucky who was ‘86’d from the club, ‘ludes and all.
