The Darkness/The Wildhearts Live in Texas - April 2004

So, how did The Darkness/The Wildhearts show go?....

We get to the venue and are standing there in line.... There walking off the bus, is Ginger.... So I yell out GINGER!!!... and he looks and gives the thumbs up. He's probably like "Bloody Hell, who the hell knows me here in Texas"...LOL!!!
We get in, are like on 1 and a half row... hehe... middle stage. The Wildhearts come on to an awesome blistering song after song until.... The mishap!

One of his roadie's ran onto the stage to fix something on the drums... well Ginger not looking, trips and flips over the roadie... and slams hard on the stage... Getting up it's apparent that he has hurt his hand big time... PISSED!!!... Looked like a rabid dog ready to bite. Ginger gets up, shaking his hand to shake the pain off... and throws his guitar at the roadie, hitting him on the back... by this time Ginger is pissed beyond belief... another of his roadie's comes to give him a new guitar... Ginger straps it on... and starts to play, only for the guitar not to be tuned... Well, needless to say... Ginger unstraps the guitar and throws it against the sidewall... walks up to the mic and says that he'll talk until his roadie gets him something tuned. Finally, the roadie straps him on with another guitar… and the show goes on... ya can tell Ginger is just not there anymore... pissed and in pain... he plays on, one awesome tune after another.

By this time, the five front rows are into The Wildhearts big time... then again there were a few fans that we talked to. Everybody in the back has no clue who The Wildhearts are... hahaha... at this point... Ginger speaks into the mic… "I love you guys all up front right here... who are making this a show... all you people in the back can "either enjoy, or Fuck off and go vote for Bush!!!"...LOL! The last song is played and at the end... Ginger just walks off the stage still pissed at his fall and his; I'm sure painful hand injury. Great show it was... The Wildhearts ruled the night!!!

Now for The Darkness... after 2 and a half songs we left... They were just too silly ... it was more fun watching the drunks falling over each other... so I can't say anything about The Darkness other than from what I heard. They were very tight on stage, the music being great, but the vocals were terrible. Well we walked out and in turn hung out with The Wildhearts and had a blast.

by Marcus Calzada

Visit the Wildhearts Website

Visit the Darkness Website