<-- Back to The Rust List page        <-- Back to HyperRust Home Page
 <-- Back to RustFests Page

Sacramento RustFest (September 16, 1996)

Your Host - Jim Ten Silver Saxes Pittilla


Pre-Fest Notice

The Fest Call was put out by Jim Ten Silver Saxes Pittilla....

The votes are in...

Since the show is on a Monday night, and many people will be coming from work, the pre-show RustFest at Sacramento will be at the Sudwerks BrewPub. The food and beer will be much better at Sudwerks than inside the venue. Beer is German style lagers, and food is varied. Directions to CalExpo and Sudwerks follow later in this message.

I will plan on being at Sudwerks by ~5:30 on Monday, 9/16. The show is not scheduled to start until 7:30. Look for the MORE BARN! shirts. I hope to see lots of Rusties there.   :)

The CalExpo Amphitheater is on the CA State fairgrounds.

  • From the SF bay area and points west:
    Take I-80 east. This will intersect with Business-80 in West Sacramento. Follow Business-80 east (towards South Lake Tahoe), and cross the Sacramento River. Business-80 will head east for ~1 mile after it crosses the river, then turns north and meanders through the suburbs east of downtown Sacramento, before rejoining I-80 and heading to Truckee and NV. It 's kind of confusing because there are a number of freeways that intersect in this area, but follow signs for Business-80 and you will be fine. If you find yourself on Highway 50 (towards South Lake Tahoe, turn around and go back to Business-80. Stay on Business-80 until you find the exit for Exposition Blvd (just a few miles), and the CA State Fairgrounds. Take Exposition Blvd ~ 0.25 miles east to the Main Entrance for CalExpo (2 golden bears on either side of the entance). You will see the venue on you right, and the parking attendants,etc. You can't miss it. As you get onto Exposition Blvd. from Business-80, look to your left across the street, and you will see Sudwerks. It is <0.25 west of the main entrance to CalExpo.

  • From NV, the Sierras and points east:
    Take I-80 west until you hit Sacramento, follow Business-80 west for a few miles, and you will find the Exposition Blvd. exit. Go east, up over the freeway. Sudwerks will be on you left, and CalExpo will be on your right.

  • From Chico and points north:
    Take I-5 south to Sacramento. As you pass downtown Sacramento on your left, you will see signs for Business-80. Take Business-80 east for a few miles, and you will find the CalExpo/Exposition Blvd. exit and follow directions as above.

  • From Stockton and points south:
    Take I-5 north. Just as you approach downtown Sacramento, you will see signs for Business-80 east. Take Business-80 east and follow directions as above. If you take 99 north into Sacramento: 99 will intersect directly with Business-80, and then it will be just a few miles to the Exposition Blvd exit.

    The Sacramento freeways can be pretty confusing, so if anyone needs a map, e-mail me privately with your s-mail address, and I will send out a photocopy. (Sorry, I don't have a web page. Some things I still have to do the old fashioned way ;).

    Talk to you soon,
    . . . . .Jim (JPittilla@EMCONINC.COM)
    . . . . .Ten Silver Saxes


  • Fest Report

    (Also see the Show Reviews)

    This show was probably *the best* NY & CH performance I have ever seen (my opinion, of course, I haven't seem him that many times). I have really enjoyed reading reports where people have talked about their "entire show experience", not just saying "The jam at the end of Slip Away was spectacular", so I've added a little bit of that to mine. (I hope this post is not *too* long, and that you will enjoy reading:).

    Before we get too far, here's the list of folks that were involved in the RustFest. There were several more than this, but these are the ones who I can definitely remember. (If you were there but aren't listed, drop me or RE*AC*TOR a note):

    1. Mike Currie, aka Lost Dog
    2. Hugh ???
    3. Jon C (and company)
    4. Calistar
    5. Mrs. Calistar
    6. DevonT
    7. fontainebleau
    8. My Friend Jo
    9. Me, aka Ten Silver Saxes
    Okay, let's start from the beginning...

    It started for me at Sacramento International Airport the afternoon of the show, wandering around looking for a Lost Dog (aka Mike Currie). He was flying down from British Columbia for the shows. Having never met this individual, I was a little tentative. Friends had been saying stuff like: "WHAT, you offered some guy that you met on the internet a place to stay? Are you insane? You don't know what kind of freak he could be?, etc." Well, come to find out the that Mike was a great person with lots of passion for Neil's music. We found we had similar educational and vocational backgrounds, and similar tastes in music, and and we soon found that we had similar fervor for Neil's music.

    We left the airport and immediately headed for Rubicon Brewing Company in Sacramento for lunch and a pitcher. Then it was back to my place for more beer, etc., and LOTS OF LOUD NY MUSIC. Now, I don't have a huge Neil collection, but we were able to play many fine examples of Neil's work, from throughout all of the different phases of his career. Mike had also brought some tapes, including Glasgow. Not too surprising, often we would turn to each other and say - "I would love to hear Neil play this song tonight!!!" Now we knew previous set lists, and most of choices were admitted long shots, but it was great to speculate anyway.

    My friend Jo came over, and settled in for some listening before we left. She *loves* Neil's acoustic work, bought Broken Arrow when it was released, and gave it to me because she didn't like it (the day after she went to the Sacramento and Concord shows, she went out and bought BA again, she had been converted!!!!).

    Primed for the event we headed off to Sudswerks to hook up with other Rusties. There was a fine group of people in attendance (Hugh, JonC and company, Mr. & Mrs. Calistar, DevonT & Fontainebleau, and I know that I am leaving out some people, but I was pretty well liquored up at this point, and the memory is fuzzy.   ;)   Others joined later. Lost Dog had brought the MORE BARN! Banner from the Gorge, so we started passing it around for signatures, while talking, drinking, and eating. We took pictures of Rusties and the Banner w/the Sudswerks sign. Hopefully we can get them on HyperRust soon.

    Now it was time to head across the street to the amphitheater. It was a great night for a show at CalExpo, cool, light breeze, and some stars out. We made it to the seats and met more Rusties, and I won't try to name eveyone because I know I'll leave somebody out. I didn't get to meet everybody that I wanted to, because within just a few minutes the lights went down and the horse was let out of the corral !!!!!!!!!!

    Jim's show review is on the Cal Expo Review Page.
    This is getting rather long, but I would just like to add that I have not been experiencing the Post Neil Depression, as some people have been speaking of. I think it is because of finally being able to meet other Rusties face-to-face, and being able to be a part of Lost Dog's road trip. It's been quite awhile since I have been able to "connect" with people, let alone complete strangers, and it has been rare that I meet people that understand, or at least feel the same way about Neil's music as I do. The Sacramento and Concord shows opened up something emotionally for me, and I have a ton of things to think about now.

    I was traveling for a few months 12 years ago, and met lots of people. We had little in common except being in the same place at the same time, and getting poured on, or almost freezing to death, or surviving one more lightning storm, or having walked 1,000 miles to be where we were. I met some great people during that time, and have since fallen out of touch with all of them. (I am terrible about making the time to write or call - that's why e-mail can be sooooo cool.   ;)

    I really consider that 5 months to be one of the defining periods of my life. It was a time when I was meeting new people, and didn't have to apoligize for my obsession of wanting to backpack 2,000 miles. In some way it was like meeting other Rusties and not having to apologize for the fact that I get in moods where the best thing I can think of to do would be to crank Fuckin' Up or LAH or Changin' Highways or Thrasher or even ATGR to 11 (screw the neighbors!) It's really strange.

    LAH on 9/17 made me think a lot about being up in the high country during lightning storms and feeling the thunder pound me. Amazing that music can bring back that experience so vividly. But then again, we're talking about Neil.   ;)

    I hope this was not too long, and thanks for reading.

    Jim
    Ten Silver Saxes
    PS: Any other long distance hikers out there? (GA --> ME, '84) E-mail me!


     <-- Back to RustFests Page
     <-- Back to The Rust List page        <-- Back to HyperRust Home Page