Michael at the Mint…July 16, 2001

By Cyndi, with help from Kelly & Dawn

The sign at the Mint (since 1937!) * The ad for Michael's show * Cyndi & Dawn at our table * Kelly & Miss Pamela

MDB Pics by Kelly    Photo 1 * Photo 2 * Photo 3 * Photo 4 * Photo 5 *

MDB Pics by Cyndi   Photo 1 * Photo 2 * Photo 3 * Photo 4 * Photo 5 * Photo 6 * Photo 7 * Photo 8 * Photo 9 * Photo 10 * Photo 11 * Photo 12 * Photo 13

While I was in town for the Missing Persons shows, I had Monday night free, so I was absolutely thrilled when Michael told me he was playing at the Mint every Monday night in July. Naturally, I dragged some friends with me, all of whom had varying degrees of fondness for Michael for Duran-related reasons. We had a wee bit of trouble finding the place (because I had "Pico and Crescent" in my head, and it was actually "Pico and Crescent Heights"). One quick call to 411 solved our dilemma. Luckily Dawn is a fast driver! We ultimately got there in plenty of time.

The Mint is a dark, tiny bar with a bunch of tables close to the (teeny!) stage, which was only a foot off the floor! We grabbed a table right up front and were about 2-3 feet from his microphone. Behind a curtain (in a light-brown leather jacket), Michael was walking around, and we could see glimpses of him, which totally froze me in unaccustomed shyness.

They opened with a pounding, sexual, screaming rendition of "Mississippi Queen," and now I don't hate it anymore, hehe. In fact I've been looking for it on old cassettes at truck stops, with no success. Mississippi Queen…do ya know what I mean? Oh My GOD, he was so cool. So commanding on the stage! He told jokes, some of which fell flat, but most of which didn't. He was an absolute scream. And he had so much energy and passion, all the 70's-rockstar-arena moves on this dinky stage. They did TWO Rod Stewart songs ("Stay With Me" and "Hot Legs"), and "Tush" by ZZ Top (during which he turned around and waved his ass at the audience), "Honky Tonk Women" by the Stones. So many cool songs.

My friends amazed that I knew every song, the words & all. It's because I live in a part of the country where those songs are in the air around you even when the radio's not on. Classic rock are the folk songs of the Midwest. And Michael's got the voice and the attitude for them. All of his rock star tricks were pulled out, from the crotch grab to this leaning stance that he did on WKRP 23 years ago (see photo)! He was wearing tight jeans, and a ripped up, sleeveless denim shirt that showed off his phoenix tattoo on his awesomely muscled arms, and his hair was silver and wild.

After a few songs, Mister Michael was very sweaty, and wrapped a purple sash around his head (like, to use as a sweatband). And as he tied it, he quipped, "This is my tribute to Nick Rhodes." SHRIEK!!! We HOWLED. :)))) (How does Michael Rock? Let me count the ways. :) ) It was totally for us, too. We were all giddy! We took lots of pictures of him, and he glanced at us a bit and played with Kelly, who was mock-swooning and worshipping and wailing at him, and he totally played along.

At the break between sets, Kelly decided to go find Michael and make sure he knew we were there. The Mint is so small that "backstage" is actually outside; there was a door that led to a second door that emptied into a (tiny) back parking lot. Michael had told me that the dressing room was upstairs, and it was—in a separate building, about twenty feet from the club door. It wasn't really a dressing room; it was more like a living room, with a couch, a couple big chairs, a coffeetable. Loads of people talking and smoking. Michael was in the center of the couch, talking with a couple of men, introducing everyone around. That's when Kelly met Miss Pamela!!! Of all the people in the world who have fans, Miss P understands probably better than anyone what it's like to gush at an idol. Pamela was a DOLL! She had genuine smiles for all of us, and she looks like she’s maybe in her mid- to late-thirties, tops. Adorable!

The second set rocked as hard as the first half, and the setlist was on the stage right next to our table, so we could see it throughout the show. The coolest thing he did, near the end of the show, was a smutty version of "Bang A Gong." It was arranged like "Bang A Gong" (the old version by T.Rex) instead of the faster way Power Station did it, but it was called "Get It On" on the setlist (and he didn't even mention Power Station or that he'd been in the band, or anything). He sang the entire thing in his lower range, and I kept expecting (well, hoping) that he would really rip loose and sing the second and last verse an octave higher as he used to back in 1985, but he didn't. A kickass version of Led Zeppelin's Rock 'n' Roll" ended the show.

From the moment he took that stage and switched from Affable Smiling Cutie to Swaggering Ballsy Rock Star, he was glowing. After having just seen his episode of The Pretender again, I'm at a total loss to decide which is his true calling - acting or rock 'n' roll. This seemed more natural to him than breathing. Maybe acting is that way for him as well.