Yes...I did say Elk's Lodge. THOR live at The Elk's Lodge in Orlando, FL! It was hard for me to believe, too...but it was harder to believe how great this show turned out. I didn't know what to expect from an Elk's Lodge THOR show....but things got off to a good start when I saw this written on the door upon our arrival:

"$10 Cover - Free Draft Beer All Night"

I fucking love the Elk's Lodge! The free beer really made for a great show, and some insane fans. THOR lifted one petite female fan over his head on stage more than once, and repeated the feat in front of the merch booth after the show.

Gardy-Loo opened the show, and they were fantastic. Hard, heavy, funny metal/punk. They'd just returned from playing at a huge European Metal Festival, and followed it up with a show at the Elk's Lodge. Amazing!

A special friend of ours showed up at the Orlando show - Sgt. Sword, bassist for THOR during the 1998 Thunderstruck Tour.
Great to see you, Sarge!

The next night, THOR and Gardy-Loo performed together again at Pegasus Lounge in Tampa, FL. Small venue, but a great show, again. Some friends of mine showed up to witness THOR for the first time: Joe, Kym, and Brian of Flight 19 Gallery, and my two favorite Devo fans Rosy & Michelle (aka The Ladies Of The Lake).
They are now all convinced that THOR is a Rock God. One thing I I noticed was that the club played some fantastic, brutal metal & punk before and after the bands. Long live the Pegasus Lounge!

Off to Gainesville, FL on July 25th for a show at Common Grounds. We were very pleased with the large stage, great PA system, and friendly/helpful staff. Loads of THOR fans showed up, in part due to the fantastic press coverage we got in Gainesville, and some of them even brought their own viking helmets & home-made swords. One fan in particular, Krystin Walters, who is particularly fond of THOR's Rock n' Roll Nightmare era, showed up with one goal in mind: To ride on THOR's back like a monkey! You can find out more about her within the photo descriptions on this tour report.

The next day was terrible. After an 11-hour drive to Chattanooga, TN, we arrived at a club that was padlocked & empty. After a few phone calls, we found out that the Green Martian was abrubptly closed down just a few days before the show (underage drinking, maybe?). Anyway, we were all exhausted from the grueling road trip and were ready to just relax for the night, anyway.

July 27th: After some much-needed rest, we headed to Nashville, TN on a mission to rock The Springwater Supper Club. My friend Christos (THOR fan extraordinaire), who I have known for years and years via email, was coming to the show to meet me face-to-face for the first time. He grew up listening to THOR in his homeland of Greece, and had been waiting to meet THOR for a long time. It was GREAT to see my Brother In Metal, especially at at THOR concert. We gave Christos the mic during the band's soundcheck, and asked him to introduce THOR that night. Read his personal report on his first THOR show experience.

GO TO PART THREE >>>