The only hotter ticket in town that night was the one for the after-hours gig at Cervantes, where Zilla took the stage. Zilla is a band featuring String Cheese's drummer, Michael Travis -- so naturally the thousands of Cheese-heads in town all wanted in on the action, lingering outside the doors with one finger in the air long after the last ticket had sold.
The band jammed on for hours and was just wrapping up when three visiting Cheese-heads stepped onto the same Five Points parking lot I'd left less than an hour before. They were robbed at gunpoint, and even though they complied with their burglars' demands, they got shot anyway.
Police believe the culprits are also responsible for a couple of similar shootings around town. Hopefully this despicable act of senseless violence won't put a damper on upcoming shows at Cervantes. Hippie patrons know that going to a show in Five Points ain't as safe as one in, say, Boulder. But Cervantes is one of the best venues around, and once the cops catch the trigger-happy fools who are reeking havoc on our great city, the venue should get back to peace, dance and music. -- Luke Turf