Riot Pilots Have Bad Luck Playing Irish Pubs

Shane Smith: “Riot Pilots, from Parker, have not had very good luck when it comes to playing at Irish pubs. This is ironic when you consider the “luck of the Irish” and some of the members’ Irish heritage. The band has traveled across Colorado on multiple occasions, playing many of the state’s fine venues. This has led to performances in various pubs throughout our career, which has almost always been a bad experience.

“In March 2018, at a pub that will remain anonymous, we had to use the house sound system. While setting up for the show, we noticed that the electrical situation was less than stellar. It took some work and a little bit of ingenuity, but eventually everything came together, and we were set to begin. JD Robinson, our singer, stepped on stage, took a sip of his beer, and hopped on the microphone. He got a little more than he bargained for when the microphone jolted back at him, shocking him in front of the whole audience. Needless to say, the rest of the night turned out to be quite an interesting adventure, but we made it to the next show.”

Riot Pilots will play The Toad Tavern on April 20 and Herman’s Hideaway on April 23, with Saving Abel.

Editor’s Note: The Denver Bootleg is a series chronicling the history of local music venues by longtime Denver cartoonist Karl Christian Krumpholz. Visit Krumpholz’s website to see more of his work.