Joseph Lamar Panicked That Nobody Would Show for His First Gig

Joseph Lamar: “The Voice program at the University of Denver was okay, but honestly, I was kinda bored. I wanted to perform my own music, so I did a non-required sophomore recital to satisfy my creative impulse. On the day of, we set up, sound-check, and go to the green room till showtime. Now keep in mind, the recital is supposed to start at 7:30 p.m. It’s 7:15 and nobody’s there. I think to myself that it’s okay, they’ll be here by 7:20 for sure. 7:20 comes – nothing. 7:25 – nobody. 7:28…a tumbleweed rolls through the room.

“Now I’m sweating. Profusely. My nice, pressed polyester shirt is sticking to my damn chest. I’m like, ‘They RSVP’d on Facebook! How can the entire audience be late?!’ Then, and I’m not kidding, at literally 7:29, the entire audience walked in at once, as if it were some elaborate prank, or as if they’d all carpooled together. At 7:30, there were more people than chairs. I wiped the sweat off my face. Now that we had an audience, it was time to put on a show.”

Joseph Lamar will play at the Lion’s Lair on Saturday, August 25.

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.

Joseph Williams birth name was used erroneously in this comic. He performs as Joseph Lamar.