arthur lee

2002: a tight crew of friends headed off to yet another concert at richard's on richards... but this was no ordinary show... the headliners??? arthur lee and love. by then, we were all fully-fledged devotees and hella stoked to be able to catch them in the flesh. well, their leader arthur lee anyways, the rest of the group's original members had long since dispersed to parts unknown. upon arrival, we were greeted by a "SHOW CANCELED" sign on the door. arthur had been in trouble w/ the law recently and couldn't get across the border. "OMG!!! NO!!! what are we gonna do???" rang our cries. "let's go to seattle!!!" and off we went... the following day, arthur lee and love played to an ecstatic crowd at the EMP's sky church venue. under its tall ceilings and electric feel, a supportive audience were treated to a rip roaring set of power and grace. i imagined arthur's old seattle buddy jimi hendrix gracing him w/ positive vibes for the show... even old love bandmate "snoopy" pfisterer showed up for an impromptu percussion jam... i'll never forget this night. arthur was in amazing voice and if i closed my eyes, it was easy to imagine myself traveling strange and distant lands. but fantasy aside, it was live and we were there. the power of music... blessed (again)... thank you arthur lee!!! RIP