Yesterday we introduced #bhamchat to Birmingham, AL. We tried to explain some of the principles in a post on the Newsstand and had 12 folks take part between 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. We’ll be adding a more detailed description to this section of the site later this week and plan to do it every Tuesday evening starting at 6:30 p.m. – with a recap by the following Thursday morning (unless we have to move it, which we’d let you know way in advance on the site’s front page).
Here’s an review of our first one with selected tweets:
We actually didn’t see this part of the news story until after the chat was finished, but it would be safe to say that City Stages has been a topic of discussion for several days, especially after last week’s last minute request to the Birmingham City Council. We wanted to see what folks thought about its future.
Topic 1: @CityStages – it’s on everyone’s mind; what do you see happening? How do you see it continuing?
- @apollorockit City Stages is going the way of the buffalo. Or, more appropriately, the Music Midtown.
- @DOGingham City Stages pres has NO incentive to grow the event. There is a paycheck regardless of event success.
- @opusmagnum The high costs of the food and drinks @CityStages keeps me from going. If I go I want to be able to enjoy the food.
- @Jerry_Griffies: @bhamterminal I see McMillan’s bank account decreasing and another “organizer” stepping in or CS is history.
- @jbagby25 So excited that there is a #bhamchat. Would anyone really care if City Stages left? Why can’t it be smaller and interesting again?
Our second topic was suggested by one of our participants and took a look at the growing problem of pet overpopulation in the city.
Topic 2: via @DOGingham – the euth numbers keep rising. year after year. solution suggestions? http://bit.ly/H7FvM
While there weren’t many comments, it definitely raised the importance of the issue in metro Birmingham:
- @DOGingham: For those that dont know:dogs/cats..State 149K intake, 111K euthanized. Birmingham Metro 50K intake, 40K euthanized.
Our third topic was probably the most interesting one of the evening in terms of the conversation among participants:
Topic 3: Transit – Thursday’s ONB breakkfast will include info on new downtown bus circulator… thoughts on usefulness, etc.?
- @ProgressiveElec: i hope they don’t replace these bus drivers with the max drivers – if that’s as deep as we can get in transit ideas well . .
- @deongordon: The new buses would be a step in the right direction. But w/o a mass transit initiative (incl. light rail), it’s still lacking.
- @jbagby25: I don’t think you can do worse than the current bus situation. Any improvement is a step up.
- @pascal_caputo: @bhamterminal will be a bus rapid transit system plus neighborhood circulator. Good way to get more people interested in transit.
We’ve also learned about how those that will not be able to attend Thursday morning’s Operation New Birmingham Breakfast briefing can learn more about the proposed circulators.
As we continue to hold these, we hope that it will give you the chance to find new folks on Twitter to follow and also help to keep you aware of some of the issues currently affecting Birmingham. If you have an idea for a #bhamchat topic, drop us a line at info@bhamterminal.com.
FYI: If you feel the need to take a break from the @bhamterminal Twitter feed on Tuesday nights, you may want to take a look at Twittersnooze, but read the fine print first…
Bye Bye City Stages, Good Bye
Editor’s Note: Scott Schablow is a music lover and a fan of City Stages. He was a volunteer for the first ten years of the music festival and attended City Stages for many years after that. He did not attend last year or this year due to what he describes as a lack of top tier and up-and-coming bands to stir his interest. He didn’t want to let City Stages slip away without saying goodbye. He decided what better way than a remake of an old classic American Pie. – ACN
A long, long time ago…
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, they’d be happy for a while.
But has-been acts made me shiver
With every song they’d deliver.
Bad news on the bank step;
They couldn’t take one more step.
I can’t remember if I cried
When I read about his fallen pride,
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died.
So bye-bye, City Stages good bye.
Drove my Hummer to the drummer,
But he didn’t reply.
And them good old boys were nursing their black-eye
Singin, “this’ll be the day that I die.
“this’ll be the day that I die.”
Did you write the book of love,
And do you have faith in God above,
If the Bible tells you so?
Do you believe in rock ‘n roll,
Can music save your mortal soul,
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?
Well, I know that you’re in love with him
`cause I saw you dancin’ at the park named Linn.
You both kicked off your shoes.
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues.
I was a lonely teenage broncin’ buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck,
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died.
I started singin’,
“bye-bye, City Stages good bye.
Drove my Hummer to the drummer,
But he didn’t reply.
Them good old boys were nursing their black-eye
And singin’, “this’ll be the day that I die.
“this’ll be the day that I die.”
Now for 20 years we’ve been on a loan
And moss grows fat on a rollin’ stone,
But that’s not how it used to be.
When George sang out for the king of lien,
With a note he borrowed from the cash machine
And a tax that came from you and me,
Oh, and while king Larry was looking down,
Stages played his bankrupt town.
The courtroom was adjourned;
No audience has returned.
And while Council read a book of larks,
The quartet practiced in the park,
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died.
We were singing,
“bye-bye, City Stages good bye.
Drove my Hummer to the drummer,
But he didn’t reply.
Them good old boys were nursing their black-eye
And singin’, “this’ll be the day that I die.
“this’ll be the day that I die.”
Helter skelter in a summer swelter.
Stages flew off with a writeoff shelter,
Half a million bucks and growing fast.
It landed foul on the grass.
The players tried for a forward pass,
With vendors on the sidelines in a cast.
Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
While the sergeants played a marching tune.
We all got up to dance,
Oh, but we never got the chance!
`cause the players tried to take the field;
The marching band refused to yield.
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died?
We started singing,
“bye-bye, City Stages good bye.
Drove my Hummer to the drummer,
But he didn’t reply.
Them good old boys were nursing their black-eye
And singin’, “this’ll be the day that I die.
“this’ll be the day that I die.”
Oh, and there we were all in one place,
A generation lost in space
With no cash left to start again.
So come on: jack be nimble, jack be quick!
Jack flash sat on a candlestick
Cause fire is the devil’s only friend.
Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage.
No angel born in hell
Could break that satan’s spell.
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite,
I saw satan laughing with delight
The day the music died
He was singing,
“bye-bye, City Stages good bye.
Drove my Hummer to the drummer,
But he didn’t reply.
Them good old boys were nursing their black-eye
And singin’, “this’ll be the day that I die.
“this’ll be the day that I die.”
I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news,
But she just smiled and turned away.
I went down to the Stages door
Where I’d heard the music years before,
But the man there said the music wouldn’t play.
And in the streets: the children screamed,
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed.
But not a word was spoken;
The church bells all were broken.
And the three men I admire most:
The father, son, and the holy ghost,
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died.
And they were singing,
“bye-bye, City Stages good bye.
Drove my Hummer to the drummer,
But he didn’t reply.
And them good old boys were nursing their black-eye
Singin’, “this’ll be the day that I die.
“this’ll be the day that I die.”
They were singing,
“bye-bye, City Stages good bye.
Drove my Hummer to the drummer,
But he didn’t reply.
Them good old boys were nursing their black-eye
Singin’, “this’ll be the day that I die.”
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