THE DAVE EMORY TOUR DIARY,
thus entitled: DOOMSDAY, CAR BOMB, CONTINUING
DAY 5:
Unbeknownst to Negativland, the first gig on the TRUE/FALSE 2000 tour is in a topless bar.
The vans limp to the venue, the Royal Grove, and are greeted by a sign which reads, "LIVE DANCERS 11 TO 8 - NEGATI LAND (sic) TONIGHT AT 9". The "v" in Negativland (of ALL letters...) has fallen off the sign, but Tom finds it, appropriately enough, in the bushes.
Naked and semi-naked women parade confidently past the Negativland crew as they set up staging for the concert, which is an all-afternoon task on even the best of days. The crew scarfs down a provided meal of Hush Puppies and Po'Boys as the dancers cross in front going to and from their dressing rooms.
Hmmm... sounds like they made that part up. It all just sounds totally unbelievable to me. This next part is particularly egregious... Continuing...
After a few hours, erstwhile off-stage lighting expert Anne is approached by one of the Royal Grove managers... does she need a job? Meaning, ANOTHER job? Anne leaps at the chance to "perform" at last, and soon can be found gyrating and wobbling with the rest of the dancers on the auxiliary stage, clad only in a leather belt with Mini Mag-Lite clipped to it. She dances most enthusiastically to the strains of "Light My Fire" as covered by Jose Feliciano emanating from the club's tiny sound system, leaving stage only occasionally to adjust another hanging light on the other side of the club before rejoining her new friends.
The show is a success, though the audience size is very small (100 people or so). There have been no real dress rehearsals, so everyone is very happy that they can actually pull off this ridiculously bloated and difficult concert, replete with set and costume changes and complex lighting cues. The decision is made to drive all night to Minneapolis for the second show. Unfortunately, just outside of the city limits, van #2 begins to lose power in freeway traffic, and has trouble shifting automatically in low gears (the lack of a gear indicator on the steering column makes manual shifting a fascinating exercise, and the van won't go into reverse without methodically being placed in first, second, and drive beforehand.)
| Intro | |||
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 |
| Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 |
| Day 9 | Day 10 | Day 11 | Day 12 |
| Day 13 | Day 14 | Day 15 | Day 16 |
