Tim Stopulos

We've played 5 shows since I last blogged, so there's no way I'll be able to paint this one with the same kind of color I usually do. My plan is to go through each show and give you the goods, and leave out everything else. If you were at any of these shows, love freedom, and feel I omitted an important detail or completely misremembered one, please correct the situation in the comment box.

Thursday, March 5 @ Lucky's - Chicago, IL

So far, bad...off to a bad start. I'm not sure I remember any details from this night. That's not a comment on my state of mind, or what I did that night, it's just that we play so many Lucky's shows and this was almost two weeks ago. However, if it was like any other Lucky's shows, the following things most likely happened:

1) I got talked into playing some 90's song that wasn't cool when it was popular, and has steeply declined in coolness since.
2) We played "Love it or Leave it"...that song is making a strong comeback.
3) Justin (drums) told a joke that made everyone feel pretty uncomfortable for a few minutes.
4) Mark Holden (harmonica) made an appearance on stage. Alright, it's not really a stage, so we should probably correct this. It's just a floor. He appeared on floor.
5) Chase Wagner (doesn't play an instrument, just a friend) requested "Ogeidnas Nemrac", which is "Carmen Sandiego" backwards for those of you who missed the post earlier this month. This fact will come into play later in the blog.
6) The crowd was great, sang along with us, and made it an awesome time.

Everyone agree? Cool, let's move on...

Friday, March 6 - Chicago St. Pub in Joliet, IL

This was Justin's big homecoming. According to Justin, this was a pretty big deal. Paparazzi were expected, countless women would be clamoring for him, guys will want to be him. Think Beatlemania, but with Justin. When we got there, he seemed to know a bunch of people. But it wasn't the shirt-ripping, girl-swooning spectacle I was hoping for. Oh well. The show was still a lot of fun.

Justin also mentioned that two of the world's best restaurants, "Merichka's" and "City of Champions", reside in Joliet. I thought, that's cool. I'll mention them to the crowd tonight to get some hometown love. So I mentioned them. And got no love whatsoever. Crickets. Either these restaurants aren't that good or they're such a well kept secret that the small town they do business in doesn't even know about them. Justin just lost his food-critic credibility.

After the show we went to some late-night J-town hot spots. First, the casino, where Justin lost all his money at the roulette wheel. Second, "Hot Skillets", a diner where we officially christened Seville with a new nickname: JP Skyfluffer. Count it!

In conclusion, I will be happy to play in Joliet again. The crowd was really great during an all-original set (besides the J Timberlake we threw in towards the end) and they were attentive and gracious the whole night. I guess I will have be more realistic about Justin's celebrity and taste in food next time. That's all.

Saturday March 7 @ Jersey Grille in Davenport, IA

We arrived at the Jersey Grille in the pouring rain and I'd say 2/3 of Davenport's population was already there. That place was busy. One of the best parts of the night was when we played our song "Angie Rae" and Angie (for whom the song was named) acted out the lyrics as I sang them. The chorus goes 'Angie Rae, go away', at which point she would leave into the kitchen (I'm sure employees loved that), only to reappear during the line 'come on back some other day'. It was truly brilliant choreography.

Thursday, March 12 @ Lucky's in Chicago, IL

Another great Thursday night. Almost all of the 6 points mentioned above apply here. Chase again asked for "Ogeidnas Nemrac". I turned the tables, told him if he wants it so bad he'll have to come sing it. Shockingly, he did. It was pretty awesome. He absolutely channeled Rockapella, who he claims to have seen live. He tells me that the Tim Stop Trio concert and Rockpella's are two of his top three concerts of all time. Take that as you will.

Friday, March 13 @ Starting Line in Davenport, IA

We got some pizza at Wise Guy's in Davenport right before the show and Justin didn't like it at all, further ruining his credibility as a food critic. We started playing shortly thereafter for a few hours, trying any requests that were thrown our way (especially the Nelly requests from our Peoria friends), but nothing of true note occurred until the end of the night.

Justin and I (just a duo show) finished our set and packed up our gear, and were talking to some of the people who had hung around after. All of the sudden, there was a bunch of yelling going on in the other room. I didn't see much, but it looked like Mike and some other guy were being separated.

Let me tell you about Mike. Mike has been at the Starting Line every time I've had a show there. I didn't know exactly what his job was. He was always incredibly nice and always went above and beyond to accommodate us, as it appeared he did for everyone that came in. So I figured his title was 'Resident Nice-Guy'. If that's not a real position, it should be. He really enhances all my Starting Line experiences.

As I said, I don't know exactly what happened, but after the other guy had been chased down the street, Mike came back with a huge gash above his eye, and blood streaming down his face. There was definitely a fight. I guess our acoustic pop/rock really set some people off. A couple firefighters who happened to have been down the street came up to attend to him. After they were done, I asked Mike how he was doing and he said, "I'm fine, you should see the other guy." Turns out Mike's the bouncer. Nicest bouncer I've ever met by the way. Oh, and the other guy? He's in jail. And probably pretty sore.

All in a weekend's work.