22 June 2006

Return of the Son of Casualties of Touring

It was some time after 9:30pm on a warm Tuesday night at the House Of Blues in Las Vegas. Skinny Terry "Ted" Bozzio - that cute little drummer, was ripping through "I'm So Cute" when he felt a 'pop' in his right bicep. Mildly concerned, said drummer continued through his set unaware of the trauma that lay ahead...





And here ladies and gentlemen, is Terry's resulting exploded Popeye arm. The lesson to be learned from this? Zappa can be hazardous to your health.

Tonight in Phoenix, Terry performed "I'm So Cute" and "Trying To Grow a Chin" on stage with just a mic, before retiring to his cage for a one-armed rendition of "Punky's Whips." The audience seemed to like it, and it made for some great video! Terry's not in pain - in fact he says his arm feels a lot better than it did in recent weeks when he was experiencing pain in his upper arm. After a doctor visit today in Phoenix, he'll be getting an MRI on his arm tomorrow when we're in California.

Tonight's show was another great one, but there were problems with the video which was a small disappointment. The audience didn't seem to mind and were behind the band all the way.

Alice Cooper was in the house and Joe Travers was beyond excited to meet one of his all-time idols before the show. I know he'll be logging on shortly to gush about that.

Vegas was also another amazing show with everyone fresh from a day off.

The sad thing is that the tour is coming to an end, and soon we'll all be back in our homes. The good news is that dates are coming in October. Everyone on this tour gets on so well together. As I write this, the whole band is sitting in the front lounge of the bus waxing lyrical on the romance of analog vs. digital recording. Fascinating. I wish I could type a transcript of the conversation for you.

Another House Of Blues gig tomorrow, and then the Wiltern on Friday. I'm looking forward to the next three shows because I have friends coming, and I'm really excited for them to see the finest live show on the planet right now. If you're coming to those shows, I'm excited for you too. Prepare to be floored.

Mikey
Zappa.com Webmeister

POSTED BY MIKEY AT 2006-06-22 02:48:43