Barn Door – Final Show

While doing a little spring cleaning the other day, I came across this old poster in a dusty old flat file – it’s from the last show at the infamous Barn Door in Wilmington, a place I spent most of my nights during the early 90’s, hanging out and playing shows in Nero and the Obese Pharaohs of Funk. If you never got the chance to go, it wasn’t very impressive – just a tiny, hole in the wall bar with no sound system and only one incredibly disgusting bathroom that you had to climb over the stage to get to. But chances are if you played music in Delaware around that time, then you probably played your first show at the Barn Door. It was all ages and not genre specific – anything went musically.  And because of it’s small size, every gig felt intimate and the audience was always up front, and the music was loud, viceral and in your face and the sweat from the band mixed with the sweat from the crowd. It was the first state’s micro CBGBs with a little bit of Cheers thrown in.

Anyway, I posted the photo on facebook and shortly there after, I got an email from Darren O’Toole, who had filmed the last hurrah, and posted the whole thing on youtube (sadly, he was unable to film the Black Light Rainbow set, which is missing.)  Below is Nero’s set – be sure to take notice of the huge sideburns I was sporting at the time.

And on a side note, Obese Pharaohs of Funk held the record for playing the most consecutive nights in a row at the Barn Door – 7.  Funny story, on the sixth night, when Art told us we were one show away from breaking the record, we randomly barged the next night’s gig and demanded that we play.  And the band that night was Jake and the Stiffs – who were (lucky for us) super cool about it and.  We went on to play many shows with them down the road and they’re still one of my favorite bands from that era – do yourself a favor and check  out their set from that night as well.

And I played my first ever “real” (non-house party) show there with OPF in July, 1993 – we opened for Spindrift, who were just getting started around that time as well.  And, twenty years down, Kirpatrick is still going strong.  Super proud of that guy.  You can watch their set here.

Anyway, enough old man ramblings – enjoy the show.

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