YUP.
I was on tour with a major international pop star a few years ago.
We played the arena and were staying in Jackson Mississippi and not flying out that night but instead the next day/// so we were staying in Jackson Mississippi area and considered it a night off after the show. .
Some guys and girls got backstage and asked us to come to a club afterwards. So myself with a few other guys in the band got in their car and went with them . Our Tour manager if he knew would have killed us.
Well, we were driving for about 20 minutes then turned off onto a dirt road. I literally thought they were taking us to kill us somewhere. REALLY.
But we pulled up to a joint in the middle of mississippi swamp. Dirt parking lot, All Dark outside, surrounded by trees and woods and pitch black at 11 pm at night.
Crowded outside in teh dirt parking lot , with girls running around .. It was like a movie.
They walked us right thru security and into the club which had a DIRT FLOOR.. It was a BARN!
Inside, the band that was playing was smokin' .
So we jammed with them. I had a great time and it was good to blow off some steam by JAMMING since we were playing a basic 17 song setlist for a couple of months.
We did get back to our hotel safely for plane call in the morning..
When i think back , it was one of the stupidest things to do..
Lucky we didn't wind up as gator bait.
But it was one of the most FUN times too.
We made it to the airport and did the next nights gig without a problem..
That was my experience with a REAL live Honky Tonk.
True Story
And then in Mississippi there were the small - and I mean SMALL blues clubs where there really was no stage - people jam packed dancing (fire code - ha) and me against the wall holding my bass as close to my body as possible and still getting pushed around by large proportioned women. We pay our dues.
