Georgia Theater: The Monday after

Proof that blogging is not a full-time profession for me is that I had to go out of town this past weekend during the middle of a big, breaking news story for the area. Regardless, I collected a few additional things including some photos taken by Athens-Clarke County Chamber of Commerce President Doc Eldridge, as well as some favorite memories from Bertis Downs, the manager of R.E.M.

From Downs ...

-THE POLICE playing there in the spring of 1979, with opening band THE WUOGGERS with Bill Berry on drums-- great show and they played their entire debut album as the set, then Message in a Bottle as the encore ... there were about 350 people there but there was a buzz of change (New Wave anybody!?) in the air. It felt good.

-R.E.M. playing after the POSSIBILITIES and Jim McKay's great film GIRLSTOWN aa a benefit/surprise show for Community Connection in October, 2001-- it was a perfect warmup for the guys who were getting ready to play Neil Young's Bridge Concert and a United Nations Food Program Benefit in Seattle a week or so later ... and the Possibilities honored the occasion by playing an entire set of Neil Young covers, which they did quite well.

-a kind and accomodating staff, a great sounds system and good cold beer on draft-- I imagine many people are remembering back to the terrible Tyrone's fire in January, 1982, where we felt like we had lost part of our town's "community house"

From Eldridge ...





And, in case you missed any of it, check out the solid reporting from the Athens Banner-Herald that was filed over the weekend ...

'Fiery demise for storied structure'

'The Georgia Theater: Timeline'

'Theater never met 'threshold' for sprinklers'

'Co-founders memories of The Georgia Theater'