we used to say live and let live
As
if 2.4 million annual visitors per year, Childish Gambino’s sold-out all-night concerts, a shiny new national monument, Desert Daze (which we enjoyed listening to—from three miles away), a story on what to see and do in JT—in GQ, and a host of finely bearded hipsters and fauxhemians wandering about town looking like trendy Amish tourists, weren’t enough to remind us our beloved little corner of the Mojave is most definitely undergoing some drastic changes, Sir Paul McCartney arrived recently to perform at Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, in beautiful downtown Pioneertown. Though the show was reportedly supposed to be intended by the McCartney folks for locals, that definition evidently included all of Los Angeles and Orange counties, as well as the Inland Empire, promoted on plenty of non-local media, like KCRW, which probably picked up the news because it was announced to the entire world on McCartney’s own website. This resulted in slightly more “locals” showing up for tickets than Pappy’s could handle, though on some weekends, it does seem like all of southern California is there. Our sources told us traffic was building in and around Pi-town shortly after the 10 a.m. announcement on Thursday, October 13. Later accounts from locals ranged from ecstatic (they got a ticket, or they informally listened to the performance from outside, which included a sound check in the Likker Barn down on Mane Street) to bitter commentary on how the line for tickets was handled, though trying to manage that crowd had to be a security nightmare. There was a guest list that ensured some locals did get in, and we’re pleased that Pioneertown’s Linda Herzel not only got in to the performance, but also received the set list from the concert (though someone reportedly tried to grab it from her). Overall, most hi-desert locals seemed to be quite pleased with having Sir Paul play an intimate concert at Pappy & Harriet’s, one of the smallest venues he’s played since his Cavern Club days (I’ve been there and it’s a bit claustrophobic for my taste). Kudos to Robyn and Linda for pulling off a magical night at Pappy’s and adding to the ongoing mystique of the hi-desert’s iconic musical roadhouse. Mane Street may never be the same. –SB Have a hi-desert photo or story you’d like to share with our readers? Send it to us at: tortoisetelegraph@gmail. The ol’ Tortoise would love to hear from you!
In this issue:
You know we did, you know we did, you know we did...
H
ere’s our Tortoise Telegraph photo of Sir Paul McCartney touring Pioneertown prior to his concert with none other than big Beatles fan, Vladimir Putin (Photo courtesy of www.kremlin.ru). Putin was taking a break from the US presidential campaign circuit and had been taking in the Desert Trip concerts in the low desert when he heard the announcement Sir Paul would be playing Pappy & Harriet’s. Putin was exhausted after standing in line for over three hours to get his ticket, but is reported to have enthusiastically enjoyed the performance, at one point pulling off his shirt to join Sir Paul on stage for a duet of All You Need is Love (and nukes). OK, this photo is really from a trip Sir Paul made to Russia in 2003, but since we weren’t trendy and hip enough like those non-hi-desert publications to get a press pass for the McCartney concert at Pappy & Harriet’s, this’ll have to do. Both Pappy’s and McCartney’s people ignored our media request for a photo, so you get Putin. See what happens when we don’t get invited to stuff? Tortoises are sensitive little beasties, after all. The photo below, sent to us by our actual friend and associate (Chris) Brewster, is as close as we got to the McCartney concert since we didn’t have a day free to stand in line, and yes, that’s security coming towards Brewster to chase him off. All we can really say about the McCartney concert is, ‘Nice buses, dude.’ Brewster was rewarded (not by us) with passes to Desert Trip where he got some really cool photos that we’re not going to print because they’re from the low desert and we don’t do low desert. That’s just how we are—all hi-desert, all the time.
artist snake jagger continues his true life story in the second installment of becoming snake jagger
joshua tree music fest was fantastic, of course. so was the hwy 62 open studio art tours
the weed show is blooming in 29! Plus november festivals & events, yucca chamber gets its own big top, the land trust wants to #protect62...
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