But on the afternoon of August 14th, millions of people lost power and some did not get it back for days.
The road crew and the staff of DTE Energy Theater had surely put in hundreds of combined hours already in prepping for the concert, as the power went down around 4 in the afternoon.
I was still in Louisville, and my friend called me and was just dumbfounded at what had happened, As the news revealed that the blackout was initially caused by a tree branch in Ohio that somehow had managed to take away power from possibly 50 million people in New York, Toronto, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio and beyond, I started to see what a big fucking deal this was. I didn't know if I was going to be able to go at all now.
"But on the bright side", she said, "that Stooges show has been postponed."
"Is that so, hmm, well I don't know if I can do it with work", I said. "I might have to come back before its rescheduled."
The next couple of days brought a bit of relief, and I did leave for Detroit at my scheduled time, as the power in Detroit came back on within the day or next, and the power across the region was gradually restored, and chaos back to calm.
So to put it in a timeline, I got there around the 16th or 17th, and the show had been rescheduled for August 25th, a Monday. In the back of my mind, I was hoping it would work out obviously, but to me that seemed like a long time to stay in Detroit.
But it did work out, someone covered my shift at work, and I was in the clear. We scored free tickets for the lawn which was good enough for me because it was Ron and Scott Asheton and Iggy! Come on! And Mike Watt, of course kicking all the ass. And there I was, a suburban 90's kid at the show of a lifetime. Hooray for rock and roll!
At one point, I remember spotting Bobby Harlow and John Krautner of The Go and had to stop myself from squealing like a baby. They were wearing sunglasses.
And that brings us to the end. There isn't really anything else exciting to say about this story. I saw all the living Stooges at a prime time that was possible for me. I've said many times that I was born too late, and yes, I was in terms of music. But the fact that the Stooges got back together for a brief moment in time and I was able to witness it, makes me extremely happy.
As of yesterday, the Asheton brothers are gone. Dave Alexander was lost almost 40 years ago. The original Stooges are gone. Down on the Street has one of the best bass lines of all time, and I for one can't get enough of that song or the entire Funhouse record for that matter.
As of yesterday, the Asheton brothers are gone. Dave Alexander was lost almost 40 years ago. The original Stooges are gone. Down on the Street has one of the best bass lines of all time, and I for one can't get enough of that song or the entire Funhouse record for that matter.
Thanks to that whole shitstorm of the Northeastern Blackout of 2003, I was able to be in Detroit when the concert was postponed to which was August 25th, 2003, hence, I went to that freaking concert. I don't have anything else exciting to share about this story, other than I saw 75% of the original Stooges, and for that, I feel very lucky.
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