“It’s Chappelle’s Show, Chappelle’s Show…”
So, did ya go?
Weird old Portland is making national news today, thanks to Twitter and the love of Dave Chappelle. In case you haven’t heard, he did an impromptu appearance at Pioneer Courthouse Square in the wee hours of the morning. OurPDX’s Dieselboi live-Tweeted the event, but since he’s probably napping at his desk right now, I thought I’d toss up a few observations. Besides, his account will be much more coherent after forty winks and forty ounces. (At least a picture, DB? In case the Merc needs one, you know…)
I’d heard the day before that he was in town, thanks to Byron Beck. Celebrity sightings are commonplace anymore, but Dave Chappelle? He’s up there with Shaq and Conan O’Brien in the star department, the kind of guy you want your picture taken with. He appeals to the everyman, and from the looks of the crowd the girls like him as well. A LOT. Oh, so many pretty girls. What was I talking about? Oh yeah. Dave.
I first heard the rumors on KUFO, and began asking around. I asked a familiar Clean & Safe officer if he’d heard anything about it. He hadn’t. “What time is it supposed to start?”
“I heard midnight,” I told him.
“Cool. I’ll be on my third beer by then. I may have to wander up and give it a listen.”
About ten o’clock the downtown bustle picked up. It was like Halloween or Fat Tuesday; throngs of people converging on downtown, smuggling booze in every oversized purse and backpack. The crowd seemed a bit rowdy for the Harry Potter premiere, so I held out hope. Would he show?
My work night ended at midnight, so I took a brief detour past The Square. Text messages from Betsy said 1,000 people reported there already. My estimate was three times that; the place was rocking.
Since I could see no PA system, and could barely get into the Square without being obnoxious, I decided to do the sensible, chicken thing. I hurried like hell for the bus and got out of there. If it was a hoax, there could be looting and mayhem like the New Year’s Eve party of 2001 that didn’t happen. Best case scenario? I’d have to leave mid-performance to catch the last bus anyway.
Run, Forrest, run!
It was a nice, quiet bus ride home. The driver got an alert on his communications device to suspend the bus schedule, USE EXTREME CAUTION and make sure everyone got home okay. I asked if that meant he would be working late.
“Let’s just say anyone riding with me better be ready to go by 1:35 AM.” He smiled. I’m curious: To those who stayed, was TriMet service still available when it was all over?
I came home and followed the events the same way I heard of them, by Twitter and text message. It’s safe to say Dave Chappelle knows he’s got a friendly place to hang his hat while on the west coast. And I would almost bet money that he returns to give us a show that will knock our socks off.
Okay, it’s time to wake Dieselboi. Lunchtime is almost over…
{ 2 comments }
If I had been thinking coherently at 4am this morning, I would’ve written this blog post on OurPDX! Ah well.
http://www.morganpdx.com/2009/07/15/silly-shoes-social-media-porn-and-a-dave-chappelle-fail
“To those who stayed, was TriMet service still available when it was all over?”
Nope. It was a long walk home.
What a night though.
Comments on this entry are closed.