Gin Rummy Riotfest 2018, a trip down amnesia lane…

Yesterday I had an interview with the Sailor Jerry Podcast.

“The Bronx” singer, Matt conducted the interview. We have something in common. We’ve both performed Riot Fest Chicago🎉.

I have to say, each time The Bronx performed Riot Fest, they’ve slayed! The video is incredible, you should watch it.

https://youtu.be/WGfgbxVUcbw

I thought I would stroll down amnesia lane to Sept 14, 15, 16, 2018. Here are some photos from that Riot Fest show with “Gin Rummy”. It was blazing hot on that stage, bathed in hot Midwest, noontime. festival sun. But Hot Damn, what in incredible show!

It still blows my mind, during that show we were waiting for hurricane Maria to slide by the island of Puerto Rico. Right before that hurricane Irma had slid by the island so we were hoping that everything would be OK. It was not. As we were performing, the hurricane was driving closer and closer to the island, not blowing away like we had anticipated. As I recall the hurricane was just making landfall as we were taking the stage. I just remember by the time that day was done on the 16th, nobody could see the island on any map. It was completely covered by hurricane Maria. The entire island was encompassed in this massive hurricane. We were all sick with worry that week as the Maria sat on top of the island, churning up disaster upon disaster.

It was truly surreal. Had we not had that gig in Chicago with riot Fest, we would’ve been here on the island. I’m glad that we had riot Fest to distract us, even if just for a couple of hours.

I remember being so concerned about what was happening in Puerto Rico that I threw all of my costuming into a trash bag I got the fuck out of There as soon as possible so that I could go home and sit in front of the TV and watch for updates. That’s when we saw the massive storm cell sit directly on top of the island and not move for 36 hours. My costumes stayed in that trash bag for a couple of months after this show because we were so busy with hurricane relief, I completely forgot to put my costumes away. Considering all the damage that was done on the island, it sounds stupid for even me to even mention anything about my costumes but this is the world that I was living in at the time. And I do still have all of those costumes, except for one that I handmade and gave to a very dear friend of mine. I simply could not wear it after that show. It brought back way too many painful memories.

It might sound like a weird rant but I just couldn’t wrap my head around anything at that time other than thinking about all of my friends back on the island. I don’t really go back to that time mentally very often because I saw so many people I loved in such a fearful and painful state but looking at these photographs right now it just reminds me of the only thing I could think about while I was preparing for that show.

I find it extra interesting that my ex burlesque partner that went by that very name, and I had broken up and she had created another hurricane within my life. So the name hurricane Maria took on a very definite special meaning to me after that day on so many levels.

So.

Many.

Levels.