Super gets 86’d (by default) from an American Head Charge Concert

AHC was playing at a small, hole in the wall place called The Sets in Tempe, AZ. It’s a three-room split of a bar/pool hall/stage where mostly local bands play. The tickets were cheap, so Super and I decided to go. We ended up getting there early; there were a bunch of other bands opening and AHC was supposed to go on at 9pm, which meant around 10pm. We figured that we would just post up at the bar and get our pre-concert drink on.

Most of the time when Super and I went out, we would pretty much match drink for drink; in this particular case, Super was out drinking me 3 to 1 at the beginning, figuring that he would be good to go by the time AHC took the stage. He was also drinking a little of a variety that night, for no particular reason. I can recall now: a Bud Light, Miller Lite, Pabst, vodka seven, vodka cranberry, vodka Red Bull, lemon drop martini, vodka martini, a shot of Patron- yeah, I’m missing a few- he was doubling up on some also.

It was now after 10pm and we were getting a little restless about waiting for AHC to get on when Super pointed to the other side of the bar and there was the band standing there. Well, I guess they’re not going on any time soon. Naturally, Super had to go over to talk to the band: I decided to say put. A few minutes later I see them all downing shots together…only Super. He comes back with a big smile on his face, telling me that he had to ask the vocalist, Martin Cock, AKA Cameron Heacock, what the hell are you doing playing in a shit hole place like this? At first, he wasn’t too happy, thinking that Super was putting the band down, but Super quickly explained that he was a big fan and he was just wondering what was up, a little weird for a mainstream band to be playing in a crap house. Just as Super was telling me the story, the band comes on over and orders us all a round of Patron…and then another…and another.

The band heads off to get ready and I decided to shoot a little pool until they took the stage, while Super decided to head into that area. By that time, pretty much everyone was at the stage, so I just messed around on the table. About a half an hour passed by and I still didn’t hear the band on stage yet when all of a sudden Super comes up to me and says, lets bolt. I asked what was up and Super tells me that he tried to order a beer at the bar in that area and they turned him away. Super being Super, he headed over to the beer tub nearby to get a drink, thinking that it would be a way around the shenanigans, when that chick turned him down as well. I asked him if he did anything, thinking back to the Mudvayne concert, and he informs me that he had not. Apparently, the bartenders where we were at all night walkie-talkied over and told them to cut Super off, even though he hadn’t done anything to warrant such an action. I agreed with him that we should just leave, even without seeing AHC perform- hell, we had drinks with them, that was better- and we exited. The funny thing was that as we were leaving, the security people said “take care Mario” and asked me if I was driving. I asked Super how the hell they knew his name. "I have no idea man."

A little of what we probably missed...

American Head Charge: Loyalty




-Jeffy Chaucer