Before getting to the juicy details of our apprehension and detainment, we want to say a few things about Summer Camp. A big shout out goes to all the people who came to our performance on Sunday afternoon. We saw many familiar faces and even more people we didn't know. Thanks to all of you who brought your friends along to see us. We really appreciate that kind of help and we can’t do what we do without it.
The festival was incredibly well attended and it felt like a gathering of the coolest people in the Midwest, combined with some of the best bands in the country. We were truly honored to be there. Personal highlights included Los Lobos, Backyard Tire Fire, Bass Nectar and (of course) Willie Nelson. Props to the organizers of the festival for all the hard work.
Now, onto the crux of the story . . .
The sound at our show was likely the best we've had anywhere (thanks to Shaun Spillers of the Canopy Club in Champaign/Urbana) and the crowd was fantastic. Afterwards we played an acoustic set in the campground and made even more new friends.
It's important to note that we wear suits so often that we usually forget we even have them on. After a lot of shows, this is somewhat of a moot point. Most urban environments run the fashion gamut and no one gives us a second glance. This was not the case at Summer Camp. Without a doubt, we were the ONLY people at the festival wearing suits. We laughed at the relative absurdity of it, then forgot it.
About ten minutes before Willie Nelson got on stage, we were disappointed to be reminded (by a passer-by in one of our T-shirts) that we had forgotten to pick up our goods from the merch tent. We grumbled about giving up our wonderful Willie watching spot and headed to the merch tent. Twenty minutes later, with a black plastic trunk in hand, we headed back towards the main stage to catch some of the show before heading home. After getting a good taste of Willie's show, we decided it was time to go...and then, the hammer dropped.
Nathan Venechuk has been one of the best things to happen to us as a band. He takes his jobs very seriously, and this we thank him for. Unfortunately, his devotion served him poorly in that moment. As we exited the concert area, a very large man came barreling towards us at full speed and grabbed at the heavy merch case. Thinking that someone was trying to steal from us, Nathan locked his knees and grabbed onto the case for dear life. His first attempt thwarted by Nate's fierce loyalty, this hulk of a man changed tactics and began kicking violently at Nathan's shins, trying to sweep his legs out from under him. Within five seconds, Nate was on his stomach.
Needless to say, Ryan and I were in utter shock, unable to comprehend what we were seeing—our honorary band member incapacitated so violently. Before we could react, BOOM!! We were blindly jumped from behind by two other assailants. Face first in dirt and confusion, we struggled to understand what was truly going on. Then they busted out the handcuffs. A couple hundred people, it seemed, had gathered and started hollering “Willie loves you!”
Questions arose quickly while the reality of our impending (and unjust) arrest settled on us.
“Do you mind telling us why you’re doing this?” Ryan (The Lawyer) asked, spitting dirt from his mouth.
“We're a band. That's our merch case!” I stammered.
The female officer had taken me down and was cuffing me as I asked more questions. What she said next left me speechless:
“We got the call over the radio to take you out.”
Take us out? Take...us...out?! They were told to “take out” the only guys at the festival in suits?
Fear not bluegrass fans. All ended peacefully and without too much further incident. Said authority figures realized rather quickly they had made a serious mistake. Shortly after our “take down,” they un-cuffed us and apologized, even brushing the dirt off our suits with genuine remorse. It bears noting that a police officer at an event like Summer Camp is probably stressed out and prone to making less than logical decisions. Of course, our suits having been the reason we were considered suspicious is utterly hilarious and will not soon be forgotten.
The most tragic part of the whole incident is that Nathan took the worst of the storm. We couldn't ask for a more loyal intern/assistant/all around great guy. In fact, he agonized before telling his parents about the incident, fearing that they wouldn't let him continue working with us. So, here's to Nathan Venechuk...and Summer Camp. Great times (and even better stories) were had by all.
P.S. If anyone there took pictures from the show or the debacle afterwards, PLEASE send them to us! We would love to see them and post them for all to experience.