It’s a tradition in Brainerd, MN. Every year at Shep’s on 6th, there is a weekend devoted to the selection of the next GRAND ELBOW at the ELBOW CONVENTION. The weekend is filled with music, and Sugar Buzz was chosen to headline the last night of festivities.
It’s tricky with outdoor shows, as the weather is always a concern. A flash storm rolled through as we completed setup and we had to troubleshoot for an hour as to why the main power feed kept shorting out. Chris, our sound engineer had to meticulously check each electrical box for moisture. Fortunately, he located the issue near the start of his check and we corrected the issue.
Then the party started. People were ready to dance and party. Mark became a member of the Royal Order of Elbows and happily sported his new t-shirt from Shep’s under his performance shirt. The crowd was boisterous and happy. We brought 2 brides to-be up on the stage (very carefully) and they danced and sang during HOT TO GO and other songs. All the happy bachelorettes took video and pictures. During break, the crew announced their new GRAND ELBOW and the lucky winner sported his new hat and received kudos from the exhuberant crowd. Sugar Buzz played 90 minutes, then 2 more hours straight through. The crowd loved it until the very end. Brendan gave away drumsticks as mementos – requested by the patrons, and many branded guitar picks went home with happy revelers.
During teardown, Shep himself stayed to thank the band. We had 3 pizzas waiting for us from Giovanni’s after the show (when you’re tearing down at 1am, pizzas are a Godsend). We felt the love from the locals – after all, that’s what the celebration is about – those local to Brainerd.