1988

LIVE IN HALIFAX   (Southview Records  14657-S66)

Side One
George's Island (Bidet)
Carry Me To The Bridge (Bidet)
Aztecs & Angels (Bidet)
Keep Hoping For The Snow (Bidet/Proctor)
Champion Of Kensington  (Bidet)

Side Two
Tears Of A Clown (Robinson) W/ Special Guest Smokey Robinson
Pants Full Of Blues (Bidet)
Consistant Love (Bidet)
Cream Of My Soul  (Bidet/Esteeny)
The Last Night Of Howard Delancy (Bidet) W/ The Halifax City   Orchestra

Side Three
Rage In Tiny Places (Bidet)
Pass through, Tired Soldier (Bidet)
Into The Love (Bidet/ Esteeny)
Consumption Junction (Bidet)
Don't Keep Dying  (Bidet)

Side Four
Workingman's Sunshine (Bidet)
THE ENCORES:
Smokehouse Man (Bidet)
Thunder Road (Springsteen)
Crossroads (Johnson)
The Tides They Are A-Changing (Bidet)
O Canada (Traditional)
Produced by Smokey Bidet and Danny Esteeny
(The Cassette version also contained Heaven Waited For You.)

ONLINER NOTES:
You know, in the 6 years I played with Smokey I have never seen him work so hard. I mean, he always works hard. But this was a labor of love. He booked the gig 6 months in advance. It was ending the "7" tour and we wanted to have a big blow out event. Smokey set it up so that all the money made at the show would go toward the start up of Clean Nova Scotia. He also wanted to cut it as a live album 'cause he knew that it was gonna be a great show. It was going to be video taped but that never panned out. Too bad. We played for over three hours straight. We were smokin' that night.

Smokey got the Halifax City Orchestra and Smokey Robinson and pulled out all these songs he used to play on the docks. It was like the prodigal son comin' home. The whole city went nuts. Over 30 thousand tickets were sold and after the show started they let people in for free. It was incredible. The crowd actually shut up and listened, or they sang along. It was the greatest vibe I ever felt. (Laughs) With the possible exception of the charge I got playing in La Paz that time, but of course I was completely drunk and one of the wires on my snare mic was exposed.

When the time came to start the show, The mayor of Nova Scotia came out and introduced him personally. Then Smokey gets up there and plays "George's Island" which is some song from his dock days. The crowd goes nuts. We couldn't lose. Halfway into the show, just before Howard Delancy, I slammed my hand down on the rim of my floor tom. Pain shot up into my brain. I started crying. We finished the song and Smokey started playing Delancy with the orchestra. I went back stage and the doc found that I had shattered my wrist. He wanted me to stop playing and send in the drum tech in my place. I said no. He splinted my wrist, duct taped the stick into my hand, downed half a quart of bourbon and hit the stage after intermission.

I don't remember much after that.

-Coatcheck Charlie (Smokey's former drummer. Des Moines ,IA 2000)