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Nash flies to Winnipeg while Scotty drives the van with the equipment. Scotty left Toronto two days ago but drove the 2,000 km in 24 hours. He picks up Nash at the airport around 1 pm Winnipeg time which is 2 pm Toronto time. Although I can never figure out this human concept of "time", "time" is about to have a profound effect on the visit to Winnipeg. According to Einstein, the genius canine companion to truck driver Bud the Spud, "time is a forever shifting continuum of gas stations and donut shops". As we philosopher-dogs say, "the conundrum is about to hit the fan". After settling into the hotel, Nash and Scotty go off to do a short, live radio interview with Gordo Fry on CITI-FM to promote the up-coming gig at the Casino. This is a great station that supports a lot of independent music. Keep up the good work, guys. One of the problems with doing a Casino gig is that the venue can't advertise or charge admission. The logic here is that because it is a business run by the Manitoba Government, the Casino cannot spend money that isn't the Casino's to spend (advertising, etc) and it can't charge admission because that is revenue that could be corrupted. However, the gig can be mentioned on radio and in gig listings as part of entertainment news. The Government runs a tight ship as you'll soon see. Later that night, Scotty and Nash go over to the gig to check out the facilities. They are given the grand tour by Alain the stage manager, and the place is overwhelming. This Casino is situated in suburban Winnipeg, on a stretch of roadway best described as classic white trash suburbia. Fast food, gas stations, furniture outlets and the tallest trees in all of Winnipeg: four giant plastic palm trees out front of Club Regent Casino. The parking lot in front of the building has over 100 spaces. They are all marked "disabled" and are for handicapped senior citizens to have easy access to the front door to Bingo Heaven. What the government giveth, the government taketh away, with easy parking thrown in. The general parking lot covers 4 football fields. The Bingo Hall is where Nash is performing, but before we get to that, let's take the grand tour. The Casino just added a new wing last year at a cost of $40 million. That's just the new wing. There's a sixty foot high waterfall, cascading over what look to be very real rocks. There's nothin' real here honey, including your money. They have interactive birds and animals \(the leopard in the tree turns and looks at you then roars) and a giant aquarium tunnel walkway where the fish swim above and beside you. It takes a scuba diver to clean the tank. Totally surreal. The interior design is very beautiful, yet the main activity is one of compulsion, greed and fixation. The gamblers never notice how beautiful the waterfall is. It is incredible how one can see the design beauty of the place, yet the majority of the patrons have no appreciation of the decor. It is pearls before swine, but the swine have come to expect it. This decor is the background for a steady flow of gaming machines, card tables and food courts. In the aquarium tunnel, Alain introduces Nash and Scotty to the head-honcho of the casino. He says he likes to come to work every morning and just stand in the tunnel and stare at all the fish. If this guy wasn't such a "suit" Nash swears he was on something. They then check out the stage area. This is serious high-tech with a friendly stage crew that are dying to do something more than put on bingo. There is a rear screen projection system that Nash can put his videos through. The image will be on a screen 40 feet wide by 20 feet tall. This is going to be one hell of a show. The load-in time is called for 2:30 am Sunday. The Casino opens at 9 am, so all set-up and sound check must be done while the casino is closed. Nash can set up all night. The trouble is that Sunday is Daylight Savings Time, and the clocks go back another hour. The casino is open until 3 am normally, but Saturday/Sunday night it will be open until 4 am, Saturday time! Do you get all this?, 'cause I sure don't. Anyway, Nash, Scotty and the casino crew decide to work on Saturday hours and not celebrate DST until all the gear is set up. That's just over 24 hours from now. Digger |
