I'm working on a web piece for the Alibi, and would like to put this question to you all in an attempt to cultivate entertaining anecdotes: What is your most notable Launchpad experience, music-based or otherwise?

Thanks in advance.

one time me and some of the okto peeps found that the "green room" was open, so we hung out in there for a whole show until it was time for them to play. we read music industry mags from like 10 years ago. it was pretty sweet and totally elitist of us.

One time this guy was making fun of my eyeliner (even though my eyeliner was very rad) in a real dickish way, so I kicked his ass and then had the security through HIM out. It was REALLY funny, but you just had to be there to appreciate how crazy funny it was.

Harry / U7d

I went there for Crash Worship (10 years ago?). When everyone started to get naked, naturally I did too. At the end of the night, after the fireworks and wine pouring and making out and smoke-machine drum-line melon-eating craziness everything, the rest of the crowd magically pulled their clothes out of the little hidden places they had stashed them. I hadn't thought ahead. I had just dropped my clothes on the floor. They were destroyed- totally shredded and burned. I had to walk to my car through downtown in December almost naked, my underpants stained pink and soaked through from the wine, shivering my ass off, covered in bruises, sticky with fruit and spit. They don't make shows like that anymore!

This one time, at our CD release party, Beck showed up and wanted to play thru our gear. We let him do it. Then his fucking guitarist tried to steal my '66 Jazzmaster. So I gave him a punch to the face.

This other time (at Sunshine) while enjoying a REALLY PACKED show I felt a warm sensation on my back. I turned around and the chick behind me had puked on my back. It was great

Appleseed Cast / Mercury Program show (5? years ago) a torrential downpour blew rain across the upstairs area so hard that it crossed the pool table and hit the spot that the pinball machine sits now . I am not sure who it was (Bethke and Beto, mebbe?), but 2 guys got on the roof and were trying to fight the flap back into place to stop the rain from destroying the pool table... they did not succeed, needless to say.

The water was running down the east wall so hard that it looked like a waterfall and there was a lake in the middle of the live room.

The show went on somewhat unabated, and was amazing.

Similarly, it was snowing up by the stage during the Blue Cheer's show at the 'pad.

Then there was the time Neb fell asleep standing up right next to me, leaning on the stage. Can't recall which show that was...

I have no life.

I'm afraid to leave my house.

I'm so antisocial, and yet...

I feel the need to give all of you a big hug and a sloppy, wet kiss.

During the Spring Crawl of the first year I lived in Albuquerque (2001), I decided to go downtown, but realized after getting there there was a wristband you had to buy (wasn't nearly prepared then as I am now before going to shows), so I just kind of walked around, listened to the bands on the outside stage (I think that was the last crawl the Shins played at before they got HUGE!) and managed to find a place to drink that didn't require a wristband. After a few drinks, I was ready to indulge in my short-lived obsession of climbing buildings. After a getting on top of a few smaller buildings, I ended up climbing on top of the Launchpad. I jumped from dumpster to electrical box (NOT RECOMMENDED) to the roof. In a few minutes I noticed light coming out from around these 'flaps', and pulled one back. I was not prepared to see Beefcake in Chains, and was pretty taken aback by the whole thing. I watched that set then climbed down. After that night, I saw about 7 more shows from the roof. Then I stopped being a bum and I now pay to see shows there. I guess my launchpad story doesn't involve playing the launchpad or being in the launchpad, but its what I've got.

I have a ton of great times there in which are prolly are a lil too much for publication. I love the place and people there, don't want anyone to get in trouble haha.

Anyways one I can tell is a couple of years back me and a couple of my bandmates went to Beto's birthday bash. We started drinking from the keg Beto always had for the party before the bar "officially" opened. Then the tap broke. Sean, our drummer, had a tap at his house, so he went to go get it. By the time he got back, Joe already broke down everything and put the keg away (damn!). So anyways, Sean, my guitarist Chris, and I sat at the bar from about 7 to close drinking nothing but their great $2 MGD's, and jager shots. around 12 all i remember is getting splashed by Maria with jager (i guess it was for being so drunk haha, good times), and us 3 lying our head on the bar to prevent our heads from spinning. Good times. All I know is that it is the one bar that I have NEVER walked out of sober. To this day I still think there is something in that beer haha. I hope it remains the same. See ya there soon!

I went to see a Voodoo Glow Skulls show there a couple of years ago. While they were playing, one of the bouncers came up on the stage out of the blue and socked one of the band members. All chaos broke loose. The guitarists were hitting the bouncer with their guitars. The bouncer destroyed one of the trombones for which the trombonist pushed him off the stage into the crowd.

Everybody started to kick the shit out of him. His head was very close to my foot, so I kicked it. The guy walked away, so i have to give him points for toughness...minus points for sheer stupidity.

The moral of the story is, there's no better way to get hundreds of people to hate you than attacking the headlining band at the end of their set. Dumbass.

from what i saw it was a little different than him just walking on stage and attacking the band.

I saw the bouncer and guitar player arguing about something, then the guitar spit at him, then he proceeded to attack them.

Ya, although I didn't see it myself, I heard that he got spit on. Anybody know why?

oops, i mean guitar player.. and yeah, why did it all go down?

The bouncer was roughing up kids that were gettin rowdy. The bass player saw it, told the bouncer to fuck off, and then spit on him.

I gotta say, I find these anecdotes to be pretty disappointing. They all seem to involve people being pussies or thieves. Kicking a dude in the head because it's next to your foot? Pussy. Watching shows from the Launchpad roof? Scummy. Why do so many musicians act like baby dickheads?

I read what lolapaloser or whatever his name is had to say before it was edited. Yeah, this guy is a disturbed asshole but I have to agree with what he said about unit7drain. Dude, how is it that you kicked someone's ass but still needed a bouncer to throw him out? How about explaining exactly how this ass kicking of yours went down? Something tells me you didn't really kick his ass. And dude was right to say you were inviting shit by wearing makeup. I mean, dress however you want but don't kid yourself about the kind of attention you'll attract.

I could add my stories, but they're only garden variety sex drugs and rock n roll shit.