adrienne's Tour Diary

I moved to Fresno from Hawaii in 1986 and it was like a foreign country to me. While I left the Central Valley at 17 to go to college, there's something about that flat, quiet, city of truck drivers and Cost-Cos and mini-malls, with all its parking and convenience, big blue sky and calm, that I dream about sometimes. Convincing Chris and Chris (Dan is a Fresno veteran) to go to Fresno wasn't as tough as I'd thought it might be, and four of our friends, Randy, Lara, Heather & Bob, came too. Audra, a fellow Fresnan, was in town as well. My mom had a buffet set up for us when we arrived: veggies & dip, chips, a party platter from Bobby Salazar's, soda, beer, juice, water, cookies and brownies. Then she decided to get a pizza too, so I went with her to Round Table, where I often went on my lunch break from high school for their slice & soda $1.99 special. The inside of RT had been remodeled, but it looked worse somehow, too bright, not dark like I remembered it to be, a cave to retreat into between fourth and fifth periods. My mom was taping ice skating on TV at 8 p.m. so we only watched Justine Bateman as "Jenny Lee" in Satisfaction on the WE station (never heard of this station before, possibly a Fresno exclusive) until 8 and then went to the club/restaurant. Dan and I played at Tokyo Gardens before with Secadora, about 4 years ago, and it looked the exact same inside. There was a good crowd, including 2 of my friends from high school. One of my friend's cousins, Bobby Lee (no known relation to Jenny Lee from Satisfacton), was very out of it when they arrived. Bel & the Dragon played ripping guitar solos. My mom sat right in front during our set. Pink Eye rocked into the early a.m. hours. When we got back to my mom's house we finished off the buffet but one petite brownie remained. I slept in my brother's room, his posters of the solar system, Star Trek, and Morrissey looking down on me from the ceiling. My mom has changed very little in our house since my brother and I moved out, which makes going home really like going home. Fresno is Esquire's #6 city in the USA for live music. Who knew? Everyone at Tokyo Gardens did, as this factoid was announced in many conversations.