In an effort to quell the harsh bite of winter, Dad’s Café decided to host a “Summer Beach Party in January” special event, featuring the non-beachy progressive rock sounds of Parousia.

Having six members in the band, it was difficult to get a consensus on anything but when it came to Dad’s, all of us agreed that it was a cool place to play and relax. That made it all the more disappointing when we learned Parousia wasn’t booked to perform there anymore.

We didn’t know this would the band’s last time to play at Dad’s. Apparently, they could no longer afford to pay the “big bucks” for such quality entertainment.  That was the ‘official reason’ passed down to us… but after some thought, perhaps it had something to do with Mike Carroll’s unauthorized re-wiring of the clubs main electrical box so the band could finish performing their rendition of “Won’t get Fooled Again.”? “H-m-m-m…”

Although no one wanted to say it out loud but it was impossible not to wonder if the bad news could be foreshadowing of darker times ahead.

Well, surely as chickens will peck, the band’s next gig hit like a broad-hammer striking a nail into a coffin… I’m referring to Parousia’s road-trip in the dead of winter from Buffalo, NY to ‘beautiful downtown Burlington Vermont’ to perform at a music club called “the Texas bar”.

While the scenery in Vermont was breath-taking, the gig itself was soul-crushing and practically band-ending.  You can read about the horrible events which lead to the downward spiral here: https://parousiabuff.com/shows/parousia-at-the-texas-in-burlington-vt-february-9-131982

Frozen Downtown Burlington Vermont (Lake Champlain in the background) 02.13.1982

Garth, Gerry, Barry, Eric hangin’ inside The Texas Bar, Burlington Vermont. 02.13.1982

January 21, 1982 at Dad’s was an excellent night for all, the place was packed as usual. People were crammed in and drinking like fish.  At the end of the night the band was paid its contracted fee of $225.00 and earned an extra $25.00 from the draw at the door.  It worked like this; the band got paid one-dollar a head after the body-count inside the bar hit 100.

The entire classic Parousia entourage came out for this show.  Greg Filippone came out and ran sound and charged us only $20.00!  Mike Carroll got his usual $40.00 for the lights.  We had six roadies at $10.00 each.  The truck cost us $57.00 to rent.  Backstage took $20.00. With what we had in savings we paid $55.00 rent for the month at the Music Mall and then had to pay $50.00 to replace another blown diaphragm in one of the Altec horns.