Bunny Rabbits From Hell
Manhattan, KS, Blue Valley United Methodist Church - June 4, 1989
Manhattan, KS, Blue Valley United Methodist Church - June 4, 1989
Setlist:
Wasted Years
Hypnotize
Hypnotize
Stairway to Heaven
For Whom the Bell Tolls
(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth
Creeping Death
Guitar Solo
Am I Evil?
A few years ago, I participated in the Matter poetry-book release-party at the New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins. And let me tell you, it was a spectacle like no other. There were adults in top hats, tutus, and loincloths. There were dancers, cheerleaders, and hula-hoop enthusiasts. There were poems about omelets, vomiting up ghosts, and hearts taking pisses. There was a man playing a cardboard box and another wearing a dress and reciting poetry about disco. In short, it was a free-for-all!
The Bunny Rabbits From Hell live at the Blue Valley United Methodist Church on June 4, 1989, that also was a free-for-all!
Incompetence was plentiful that night and talent was in short supply. Being a Sunday, Neil wasn't allowed to participate, which was a shame considering he was the only decent musician in the band. Instead, throughout the night we rotated between Andy Van Meter, Ben Stamey, and me behind the drum kit. Our set featured the never rehearsed Wasted Years, the rarely rehearsed Stairway to Heaven (I remember Paul reading the lyrics directly from my cheap Led Zeppelin song book), the never rehearsed For Whom the Bell Tolls, and the never rehearsed Am I Evil?. Sharon Schumann even attended the concert at our request to perform the duet with Paul during the never rehearsed and subsequently never performed Battle of Evermore. Even songs that we should have known, Hypnotize and Creeping Death, were hardly distinguishable from random noise. At one point, our band's famous poster with our fearless rabbit crashed down onto the drum set. At another point, my amp nearly exploded. There were limitless amounts of feedback, which were sometimes drowned out by insanely loud yelling and screaming. And to top it off, Paul had the nerve to sing lyrics like "I'm creeping death", "my mother was a witch, she was burned alive", and "am I evil?" at a church lock-in. I'm honestly surprised that we didn't get thrown out. Or at least get the plug pulled on us.
I recall having a raging headache most of the next day. No wonder why.
Oh, and here's the logistics. John Stamey set us up with his church for this, our second concert, and our second youth-lock-in. We played in the annex behind the church, in a cinder block room in the corner of the upstairs.
And as for the videotape, alas, I doubt it even exists anymore. That's too bad, because I was sure my homemade Metallica Kill Em All tank-top featuring one stick figure offing another would make for great cinema. Sadly we miss out on Ben Stamey's incessant crotch zooms. And, I remember a touching moment during Stairway to Heaven when Ben captured the face of a girl near tears. I suppose we'd been successful at making her eardrums bleed.
But the good (or bad news, depending on your point of view) is that an audio tape survived so that our descendents will have the fortune (or misfortune) of experiencing, as Paul said, "us, the one and only BRFH!".
If you want to experience the melee from the Blue Valley United Methodist Church, click here to download the audio recording from that chaotic night.
... And for a you bass players who need a challenge, see if you can decipher John Stamey's handwritten music for the show. Note, he was as prepared to play The Battle of Evermore as the rest of the band.
Wasted Years
Hypnotize
Hypnotize
Stairway to Heaven
For Whom the Bell Tolls
(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth
Creeping Death
Guitar Solo
Am I Evil?
A few years ago, I participated in the Matter poetry-book release-party at the New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins. And let me tell you, it was a spectacle like no other. There were adults in top hats, tutus, and loincloths. There were dancers, cheerleaders, and hula-hoop enthusiasts. There were poems about omelets, vomiting up ghosts, and hearts taking pisses. There was a man playing a cardboard box and another wearing a dress and reciting poetry about disco. In short, it was a free-for-all!
The Bunny Rabbits From Hell live at the Blue Valley United Methodist Church on June 4, 1989, that also was a free-for-all!
Incompetence was plentiful that night and talent was in short supply. Being a Sunday, Neil wasn't allowed to participate, which was a shame considering he was the only decent musician in the band. Instead, throughout the night we rotated between Andy Van Meter, Ben Stamey, and me behind the drum kit. Our set featured the never rehearsed Wasted Years, the rarely rehearsed Stairway to Heaven (I remember Paul reading the lyrics directly from my cheap Led Zeppelin song book), the never rehearsed For Whom the Bell Tolls, and the never rehearsed Am I Evil?. Sharon Schumann even attended the concert at our request to perform the duet with Paul during the never rehearsed and subsequently never performed Battle of Evermore. Even songs that we should have known, Hypnotize and Creeping Death, were hardly distinguishable from random noise. At one point, our band's famous poster with our fearless rabbit crashed down onto the drum set. At another point, my amp nearly exploded. There were limitless amounts of feedback, which were sometimes drowned out by insanely loud yelling and screaming. And to top it off, Paul had the nerve to sing lyrics like "I'm creeping death", "my mother was a witch, she was burned alive", and "am I evil?" at a church lock-in. I'm honestly surprised that we didn't get thrown out. Or at least get the plug pulled on us.
I recall having a raging headache most of the next day. No wonder why.
Oh, and here's the logistics. John Stamey set us up with his church for this, our second concert, and our second youth-lock-in. We played in the annex behind the church, in a cinder block room in the corner of the upstairs.
And as for the videotape, alas, I doubt it even exists anymore. That's too bad, because I was sure my homemade Metallica Kill Em All tank-top featuring one stick figure offing another would make for great cinema. Sadly we miss out on Ben Stamey's incessant crotch zooms. And, I remember a touching moment during Stairway to Heaven when Ben captured the face of a girl near tears. I suppose we'd been successful at making her eardrums bleed.
But the good (or bad news, depending on your point of view) is that an audio tape survived so that our descendents will have the fortune (or misfortune) of experiencing, as Paul said, "us, the one and only BRFH!".
If you want to experience the melee from the Blue Valley United Methodist Church, click here to download the audio recording from that chaotic night.... And for a you bass players who need a challenge, see if you can decipher John Stamey's handwritten music for the show. Note, he was as prepared to play The Battle of Evermore as the rest of the band.
