The Rev. Checks In - Sex Pistols Diary #2 August 21, 2003 Howdy Cats and Kittens, We headed out of Dallas on a hot afternoon. It was one of those days when the wind is hot like a blow dryer. We got a late start and had a few little problems on the way to Boston for the first date of the Sex Pistols tour. So, it was forty-eight hours in the bus for us. When we arrived at the Fleet Pavilion in Boston, it felt great to be on solid ground. This is like time travel. We watched 'Planet Of The Apes' on the way up here. At the beginning of the movie, they're all in these bunks where they sleep for a year. When they wake up, they all have beards and they probably need to stretch out their backs and stuff. Anyway, we made it to the gig. When we got there, The Sex Pistols were sound checking and it sounded great. We all scrambled for the bathroom and met the locals who were cool. After a time, I went out to the bus to gather my stuff. Walking back into the back stage area, I look up, and standing there is Johnny Rotten, Steve Jones and Paul Cook. As soon as I walked in, Johnny Rotten says, "There he is!" I was shocked and even a little embarrassed. Well, not embarrassed, but, you know what I mean. I mean these guys created punk rock and saved rock and roll. Enough said for now. Anyway, I walked up and introduced myself as they did as well. We talked for a bit as they're all really cool guys. And I'm impressed by John Lydon. He is really very funny and even, should I say nice? It blows me away that after all that these guys went through, they're nice enough to chat and be cool. That should be a lesson for all you wannabes who have a so-called punk rock attitude. Anyway, I got this weird feeling that Sid Vicious would have been standing there too -- chatting, had he made it. John Lydon told me that they hadn't rehearsed or played together for a year. Paul had just flown in from London. He wasn't there for sound check. They were kind of laughing about it. I was thinking about how nervous I would be about the show, but, they seemed to know they could get through it. Guess what? They kicked ass. They had a false start on the first song. They started it again, and proceeded to pile drive through an hour and a half's worth of rock and roll. If they got a little loose in there somewhere, I didn't notice. But, it's funny that when they did get loose, they just turned it into a great rock and roll moment. My favorite song is 'Pretty Vacant'. They crowd new every word to every song. At the beginning of 'Anarchy In The UK', Steve Jones' guitar went out so they stopped. Johnny and the crowd just kept singing the song by themselves and it blew me away. Finally, Steve Jones got his guitar working and they played the song in it's full blown version. Awesome. Our set was well received enough it seemed to me. We love Boston. Maybe the real highlight about the night was getting to see the Drop-kick Murphy's in Boston. Again, the crowd knew every word to every song and they were super tight, yet somehow on the edge of crazy -- the good kind of crazy. I think that if you're from Texas, and you talk with a Texas drawl and sing with an English accent, you are headed for the crazy farm. The bad kind of crazy. The Drop-kick Murphy's are from Boston and they sound like they're from Boston. That is so cool. They're all really great players/singers too. One of the best bands in the world. This is going to be a fun tour. Backstage after the show was low-key but fun. Jimbo and Scott got to meet Def Leppard. I was really too blurry eyed to socialize but I was hangin' for a little while. Next stop New York. More specifically, Long Island near the Hamptons. I heard Martha Stewart lives in the Hamptons. If she comes to the gig I'll have to ask her if she can really make water from scratch. Thanks For The Gig, Jim "Reverend Horton Heat"