It’s 9:00. a.m. Saturday morning time to get up. We’re working on Kenny Wayne Shepherd today.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd is a blues rock guitar player who was discovered as a child prodigy. He started playing at age seven, and was discovered at age thirteen. He took seven singles into the Top 10, and holds the record for the longest-running album on the Billboard Blues Charts with Trouble Is… He is one of my favorite players to listen to, so I’m glad to get a chance to work with him, his band and crew.
So far the day is going well. Hunter his Monitor engineer and Mike his Front of House engineer have been pleasant to work with. Even one of Kenny’s 15 year old sons is working on the road crew. And doing a great job. It’s nice to see a young man learning stagecraft, and making his father proud. The day is pretty easy. The band is self contained, having their own gear, but is using our PA and monitor wedges and amps. “Racks and stacks,” as we say.
This is the beginning of a long weekend for me. As soon as the show is out the door, I will be heading to LAX to catch a plane to Atlanta, Georgia. I wish I were traveling for pleasure but that’s not the case, as I am headed for a friend’s funeral service. A celebration of his life. That’s how I’m thinking about it.
More about that later.
Right now the band is on stage playing. They sound great, just as I thought they would. There’s a full house, filled with audience members screaming as loud as they can while the band burns through the set list. I’m gonna enjoy the music, it’s always lucky when a band I actually like plays on my stage. So I’ll write more later. Cya.
It’s 11:00 p.m. The show’s over. We’re loading the trailers. Twenty minutes later everything’s out the door. I’m signing out and heading to the airport.
It’s 12:52 a.m., and I’m at LAX. Sitting on the ground in a corner outside of the TSA checkpoint, because, I’m told, the terminals are all closed until 3:00 am. What the fuck? I can’t go through the TSA checkpoint at night? America. Not the greatest country on earth. Can’t even keep an airport in one of the world’s largest, richest cities.
open at night!
Anyhow, let’s get back to the reason I’m traveling this evening after a long day of work.
The celebration of life for my friend, Peabo Bryson.
I knew Peabo for somewheres around thirty years. We met on stage. I am a stagehand and he was a vocalist, a really good one. And famous. But that’s not why I became friends with him. He returned to our venue every year. Year after year. Not just to make a living, but he loved our venue, and particularly the people who worked within it. And when he visited, unlike most performers, he spent lots of time talking with us and enjoying our company – as we did him. Eventually we exchanged phone numbers and would occasionally talk on the phone when we weren’t working. I’d spend hours enjoying long conversations with Peabo, talking about all kinds of subjects from racism to religion and science. And then about writing. When I started writing my memoir, he was one of the people who gave me much encouragement. He even told me a personal story which I put in my book. A piece of music and personal history which I may have been the only person he had ever told it to. Offered up as advice to me about a situation I was going through. Peabo always gave good advice. Then later he told me he had started to write too. When I saw him at Christmas time for his concerts, or when we chatted on the phone, he read me some of his brilliant writing. He was so intelligent, and kind. I will always be grateful that we became friends. So when I heard he had a stroke I contacted his wife, who he had introduced me to a few years ago (and his son). But the day after that, I heard he had passed away. I was incredibly upset.
Soon after, his family contacted me and invited me to Atlanta to attend his service. Being poor, and having not worked much in the proceeding weeks, I debated whether I could afford to go. I started quickly looking into the cost of travel, and if I could even find a flight that I could bend my schedule around. I just couldn’t say no to the invitation, though, and finally as I was talking to my coworker, Tony, he said, “Don’t worry about the money or anything else, just go. He was your friend.” Peabo himself would have told me to go too, to make an adventure out of the opportunity to travel, to live life. So here I am, on my way. On the way to honor the memory of a friend who embraced me as his family. Who advised me in hard times, and who took the time to care. I will miss him.
Okay, I’ll write again about the adventure when I get to Atlanta.
I arrived in Atlanta and traversed the airport, it’s huge. Then I took the MARTA (light rail train) to within a block of my hotel. A great deal at $2.50. Just tap any ATM or credit card. I received a text from Jon, my FOH engineer at work right before we pulled into 5 points station on an empty train. “Apparently there is a FIFA fanfest going on right now in Atlanta by the wheel.” He said. And when the doors opened, so many soccer fans got on the train that there was barely room to stand.
But I made it to the hotel, where Kia at the front desk had saved my whole trip the day before due to a Priceline SNAFU!, And when I asked for her she gave me my room key without even having to look at my ID. “ I know EXACTLY who you are!” She said upon our meeting. So now, a shower and a nap are in order. Then dinner, which I’m greatly looking forward to, as Atlanta has great Southern cooking. I’m hitting Mary Mac’s Tea Room, it’s an institution!
It’s Monday morning and I’m waiting for the number 2 bus, which will take me to Peabo’s celebration of life service. After a short trip I arrived early and met up with friends from Peabo’s band. I ended up sitting with Regina Troupe, one of Peabo’s backup singers and her friends who I knew from work. I met plenty of people who he had befriended over the years. People who had traveled from all over the world to be here. The services were moving. I cried a little. Everyone’s stories bore similarities to my own and stories of Peabo, and the stories I tell about our friendship. It’s truly amazing how many people’s lives he touched. Many people spoke about how Peabo enriched their lives. In between speaking there were musical breaks. It’s a Baptist church so the music and choir were great. Be Be Winans sang a song as did Ruben Studdard (who I hoped to talk to, but for such a big guy he disappeared quickly) and then Regina Belle definitely gave Peabo a fitting send off to heaven, singing Can’t Nobody. Her rendition gave everyone a joyful moment, which we all needed.
It was nice to meet so many good people, knowing they cared for my friend and theirs.
Sorry I don’t have photos from you, but I hope you understand.
There was plenty of media coverage though so I am going to leave links here.
A short news article about the service: https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/livestream-peabo-bryson-services/85-305c882e-ca46-4181-a360-411aa4b264e8
Here is an interview with Regina, who I spent the service with:
And a live feed of the whole service, if you are interested:
Anyhow it’s time for another good meal! After the service I changed clothes and grabbed my camera. I walked the streets downtown shooting video for my stock collection until well after midnight. While I was at it I did a little pub crawl, stopping at places with good craft beer and drinking. Near the end of the night I ended up at a place in a basement called American Dive Bar. I spent some time listening to a cover band and drinking with a crowd of IBEW electricians, who were in Atlanta for a big convention.
Here’s some photos of my wanderings around the Midtown area of Atlanta.
I also had a nice conversation with Jimmy the audio engineer. Then I walked and shot more videos until I was able to stumble back to the hotel. Now it’s noon and I’m getting up with a hangover to seek out another good meal. I’m thinking fried eggs, sausage and of course I’ve gotta have grits!
I’ve been wandering around Georgia tech campus. The university is amazing. I just wandered into a building in the manufacturing related disciplines for mechanical engineering and material science and engineering Department. They had an incredible machine shop which I shot a lot of video in. The people are very friendly here.
Out for my last dinner at a place called Max Lagers, they brew beer. I’m ordering a BBQ Creole shrimp dish, and a flight of beer. I’m not drinking any more tonight!
After my meal I continued to shoot video until I couldn’t walk anymore and now I’m going to sleep. I have to get up early for my flight home tomorrow. Now I’m posting this from the airport, sorry if there’s spelling errors etc. All in all, my trip to Atlanta, Georgia was not what I expected. This is a beautiful city with great eats, awesome bike infrastructure, ( I wish I had time to ride) and friendly people. I always wondered what kept Peabo living in Atlanta. We spoke many times about racism, and his personal experiences with it. He was always fighting for peoples rights, the right for people to vote, civil rights, and made every effort to educate people who thought narrowly. When he first arrived in Atlanta it was a different place from what it is now. And I think his efforts had much to do with that. I’m not saying that racism and prejudice is completely gone, but while I was here I saw many rainbow flags, and people of all races getting along and living peacefully together in a beautiful city. So Peabo’s efforts were not lost. He was a great person who I will never forget. He befriended many people like me, and spread his love widely. Rest in Peace Peabo!
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