I hitchhiked to Sunday Break 2 from College Station. Think I was 17? On 2222 me and a buddy were riding on the sideboards of a VW Bug which would swing from the ditch to the other lane to keep moving ahead. The finally came upon cops ahead and had to pull into the stopped traffic.
Me and my bud jumped off and “cut the corner” of 2222 and 620. It was rough going but we finally made it to the venue. Once we got there we discovered folks were using a colored marks a lot to mimic the dye the promoters were using to allow in and outs. That was the true counterfeit ticket. I bet I personally saw 50 people use it for entry!
As I was leaving SB2, 2 guys were walking down the middle of the road - 1 was holding up the other, who had blood all over him. They said some guys had jumped them and beat them up and asked me to take them to a hospital. I was really suspicious, but my good Samaritan side took over and agreed. The injured guy was bleeding all over the passenger seat in my van and kept saying "we didn't do anything to them" as he was moaning. I was getting stressed out, driving as fast as I could and running red lights, trying to get a cop to stop me so that he could take them off my hands, but no such luck. I finally got them to Brackenridge and helped them get accepted. A bad way to end a good concert.
What is striking to me is the incongruency of on one hand being canny enough to acquire the best names and on the other hand just showing a complete lack of common sense for something so basic as ingress and egress. It wasn't just these guys. Many promoters in the day ignored the importance of fans actually getting to the venue. Surprised that local authorities didn't step in and demand a traffic plan. The authorities sure wanted to do the autopsy but had they stepped in earlier at the planning stage the show would have been placed somewhere else and likely survived.
Michael, great article! I was a part of Sunday Break II and didn’t know half of the overall story until today. Since Sunday Break II happened before you moved to Austin, I’ll share a few trivial tidbits as I remember them.
I was a 25-year-old UT Art/Photography student of UT guest lecturer Gary Winogrand. Inspired by Winogrand, I boldly approached the office of the Capital Country Gazette, a small Austin weekly (or monthly?) newspaper and somehow sweet-talked them into giving me a press pass for SB II.
On the big day, important press people like me were boarded on bad-ass speed boats at the lower end of Lake Austin headed for the upper end of the lake to the Steiner Ranch.
Even on the ba speed boats, I think the rockin’, bouncin’ trip up river was supposed to take about 30 min. About half-way there though, our boat tied up and disembarked us on a huge 2-story, slow-moving houseboat that casually served us the best dang breakfast buffet I’ve ever had.
Eventually, a speed boat picked us up for the rest of the trip to the Steiner Ranch.
I’ll stop here since my story is running long but I’ll share the last part of the story (which includes my first-ever experience as bonafide Chicago Roadie) if anyone wants to read it.
After the 18 mile speed boat (and buffet house boat) journey down Lake Austin to Steiner Ranch, I spent the better part of the afternoon and evening wandering out in the crowd, listening to the music, shooting rolls and rolls of b&w 35mm, and occasionally going backstage to the buffet for food & drink.
Out in the crowd, the afternoon and early evening were brutally hot but I saw a number of drinking water stations and a lot of hot but happy people. I did hear talk here and there about traffic problems getting to and into the concert but I didn’t pay much attention. I was still basking in my first-ever “Press” status.
Early evening backstage was way more shady and cool. That’s when I first started hearing talk about the speed boat fleet blowing engines right and left (port & starboard?) all afternoon. The trip from Tom Miller Dam up to Steiner Ranch and back is approx 36 miles. Apparently carrying 5 or 6 press members and VIP’s to Steiner Ranch and going back for more, running full throttle, trip after trip, was apparently too much for the Bad Ass Speed Boats.
Realizing that our water shuttle home was not going to happen, talk turned to road traffic and finding rides. Apparently there were plenty of cars and trucks on the only road into and out of Steiner Ranch. Problem was, demand far exceeded supply. That single 2-lane road apparently hadn’t moved for hours and law enforcement officers were telling folks to turn off the engine, roll down the windows, and prepare to sit a spell. If you could hitch a ride, you might make new friends and catch a buzz, but you weren't going anywhere anytime soon.
My ultra-cool press pass representing the Capital Country Gazette wasn’t going to carry much weight from this point on. I started looking a vacant picnic table bench to cuddle up on.
As the clock ticked on into later evening, I just tried to chill in the backstage area and accept my fate. There was still a lot of activity and it was cool to just lay back and listen and take it all in. Good thing too, because pretty soon I heard a major disturbance that turned out to be Chicago’s roadie manager cussing, screaming and majorly freaking out! He had 4 of UHaul’s largest trucks loaded to the gills with Chicago’s equipment. He had 4 trucks idling and ready to go but driver #4 was awol.
The trucks absolutely had to be at Austin’s Mueller Airport and loaded onto a couple of large airplanes by 10:00 am in the morning for a gig that night, in L.A., I think.
Enter backstage right - Stephen Milstead, UT photography student, holding his legit backstage pass in one hand and his commercial driver’s license in the other. Hired on the spot, no drug test or background check required. First day in my life with a backstage press pass and first job as a roadie for a major touring band.
I hitchhiked to Sunday Break 2 from College Station. Think I was 17? On 2222 me and a buddy were riding on the sideboards of a VW Bug which would swing from the ditch to the other lane to keep moving ahead. The finally came upon cops ahead and had to pull into the stopped traffic.
Me and my bud jumped off and “cut the corner” of 2222 and 620. It was rough going but we finally made it to the venue. Once we got there we discovered folks were using a colored marks a lot to mimic the dye the promoters were using to allow in and outs. That was the true counterfeit ticket. I bet I personally saw 50 people use it for entry!
Bicentennial Outlaw Concert is the one I attended. Since I was in radio at the time I got delivered by boat. Marcia was good.
As I was leaving SB2, 2 guys were walking down the middle of the road - 1 was holding up the other, who had blood all over him. They said some guys had jumped them and beat them up and asked me to take them to a hospital. I was really suspicious, but my good Samaritan side took over and agreed. The injured guy was bleeding all over the passenger seat in my van and kept saying "we didn't do anything to them" as he was moaning. I was getting stressed out, driving as fast as I could and running red lights, trying to get a cop to stop me so that he could take them off my hands, but no such luck. I finally got them to Brackenridge and helped them get accepted. A bad way to end a good concert.
What is striking to me is the incongruency of on one hand being canny enough to acquire the best names and on the other hand just showing a complete lack of common sense for something so basic as ingress and egress. It wasn't just these guys. Many promoters in the day ignored the importance of fans actually getting to the venue. Surprised that local authorities didn't step in and demand a traffic plan. The authorities sure wanted to do the autopsy but had they stepped in earlier at the planning stage the show would have been placed somewhere else and likely survived.
Michael, great article! I was a part of Sunday Break II and didn’t know half of the overall story until today. Since Sunday Break II happened before you moved to Austin, I’ll share a few trivial tidbits as I remember them.
I was a 25-year-old UT Art/Photography student of UT guest lecturer Gary Winogrand. Inspired by Winogrand, I boldly approached the office of the Capital Country Gazette, a small Austin weekly (or monthly?) newspaper and somehow sweet-talked them into giving me a press pass for SB II.
On the big day, important press people like me were boarded on bad-ass speed boats at the lower end of Lake Austin headed for the upper end of the lake to the Steiner Ranch.
Even on the ba speed boats, I think the rockin’, bouncin’ trip up river was supposed to take about 30 min. About half-way there though, our boat tied up and disembarked us on a huge 2-story, slow-moving houseboat that casually served us the best dang breakfast buffet I’ve ever had.
Eventually, a speed boat picked us up for the rest of the trip to the Steiner Ranch.
I’ll stop here since my story is running long but I’ll share the last part of the story (which includes my first-ever experience as bonafide Chicago Roadie) if anyone wants to read it.
Oh what are you even waiting for? Do tell us the full tale, please.
Yes, we most definitely want to read it!
Sunday Break II
After the 18 mile speed boat (and buffet house boat) journey down Lake Austin to Steiner Ranch, I spent the better part of the afternoon and evening wandering out in the crowd, listening to the music, shooting rolls and rolls of b&w 35mm, and occasionally going backstage to the buffet for food & drink.
Out in the crowd, the afternoon and early evening were brutally hot but I saw a number of drinking water stations and a lot of hot but happy people. I did hear talk here and there about traffic problems getting to and into the concert but I didn’t pay much attention. I was still basking in my first-ever “Press” status.
Early evening backstage was way more shady and cool. That’s when I first started hearing talk about the speed boat fleet blowing engines right and left (port & starboard?) all afternoon. The trip from Tom Miller Dam up to Steiner Ranch and back is approx 36 miles. Apparently carrying 5 or 6 press members and VIP’s to Steiner Ranch and going back for more, running full throttle, trip after trip, was apparently too much for the Bad Ass Speed Boats.
Realizing that our water shuttle home was not going to happen, talk turned to road traffic and finding rides. Apparently there were plenty of cars and trucks on the only road into and out of Steiner Ranch. Problem was, demand far exceeded supply. That single 2-lane road apparently hadn’t moved for hours and law enforcement officers were telling folks to turn off the engine, roll down the windows, and prepare to sit a spell. If you could hitch a ride, you might make new friends and catch a buzz, but you weren't going anywhere anytime soon.
My ultra-cool press pass representing the Capital Country Gazette wasn’t going to carry much weight from this point on. I started looking a vacant picnic table bench to cuddle up on.
As the clock ticked on into later evening, I just tried to chill in the backstage area and accept my fate. There was still a lot of activity and it was cool to just lay back and listen and take it all in. Good thing too, because pretty soon I heard a major disturbance that turned out to be Chicago’s roadie manager cussing, screaming and majorly freaking out! He had 4 of UHaul’s largest trucks loaded to the gills with Chicago’s equipment. He had 4 trucks idling and ready to go but driver #4 was awol.
The trucks absolutely had to be at Austin’s Mueller Airport and loaded onto a couple of large airplanes by 10:00 am in the morning for a gig that night, in L.A., I think.
Enter backstage right - Stephen Milstead, UT photography student, holding his legit backstage pass in one hand and his commercial driver’s license in the other. Hired on the spot, no drug test or background check required. First day in my life with a backstage press pass and first job as a roadie for a major touring band.
I've spent one evening in Austin, and even then I couldn't even find a show to go to, but just want to say I'm enjoying your substack quite a bit.