Open Stage at The Blue Gator
By Liz Pahl - 1/5/2002
If Athens were more West of the country I swear I would see tumble weeds right now. The students are gone and I have to admit, the "free-bags" over the meters in town brings tears to my eyes. It's not that I don't want the students to come back because, hell, I'm one of them. But the start of this long winter break has allowed me to discover some priceless things. Yes, one of them is the free parking, but another lends itself to becoming an Athens tradition: Open stage at the Blue Gator. Last week, Shannon Scott (guitarist for local band Direct Attention) and I decided we would dine at the Blue Gator and stay for the open stage at 8 p.m. The food was yummy, the company was great, and the music even better.
The talented and famous "Catfish" started off the evening with his fine guitar work and even played (one of my favorites) a unique version of "true colors" by Cyndi Lauper. Then the very musically inclined Junebug joined him on the upright bass. These boys make it look so easy and it's clear that they are having fun while they're at it. It's contagious. After they were done, Shannon Scott played the guitar while I sang a few tunes: SRV's "Look at Little Sister", "Mr. Jones", and a few originals. People were starting to pile in.
The Gator was looking pretty full for a Tuesday night in Athens. A father-daughter duo played and sang a few James Taylor songs. She had a beautiful soprano voice, and they had the crowd singing along with them on a few songs. I'd have to say one of the highlights of the evening was Ms. Cathy Wicks (The Misprints) performing Bonnie Raitt's "Give It Up or Let Me Go". What a treat. It was sort of Cathy's good-bye set, as she moved to Columbus the day after the open stage. She sang her own song titled "Gone", and she said it was appropriate.
Another highlight for me was sharing the stage with Ms. Wicks as she asked to me to help her sing John Prine's "Angel from Montgomery". She will be missed, but she promised me she would come back to visit and perform. As we were leaving, the members of Maximum Overdrive were setting up to play, as I've heard them before, I'm sure they pleased the crowd.
Another thing that I love about the Blue Gator is that it allows Athens natives not only to hear great music and eat fantastic food, but also to let down their hair and feel comfortable. I was chatting with one woman, the owner of a well-established uptown business, last week at the open-stage, and she said, "Here (at the Blue Gator), I feel comfortable. I don't have to worry about getting pushed around by drunk, rowdy people like I do at other places. I can just concentrate on having a good time". There are only a few bars in Athens that can successfully accommodate both college students and community members.
If you haven't visited the new Blue Gator yet, you should stop in for some Gator, (yes, it's really on the menu. It's delicious), great music, and great ambience. Open stage, Tuesday nights at the Blue Gator. Like Catfish says, " If you've got a special talent, heck, even if you don't, come on up."
