“At the show, I was wearing my most favorite vintage coat that I had picked up in a thrift store in Pennsylvania, where I’m originally from, for $3. It was a delicious rusty brown, with a unique pattern, fur collar, and gold material on the inside. It smelled like an old lady. It was fierce!
“Before our set, I placed the coat on top of one of the monitors in front of the stage. About halfway through the show, I saw some jackass take it off the monitor and leave with it while I was playing. As I watched this, I was tempted to throw my fiddle down and chase that coat-stealing coward. I had a real conundrum on my hands as I contemplated saving my coat or being a professional and finishing the show. I chose to play the show and finish the set.
“Back in those days, I was at the 15th Street Tavern at least once a week. I searched high and low for someone wearing my coat, but I never saw it again. If the vestment thief thought he was getting any money out of it, he was sadly mistaken, as both coat pockets had huge holes and were purely ornamental. I still think about the coat and wonder where it is. Bastard!”
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.
