Messiah/The Final Warning

 On this Friday night, in Beaumont, TX  Messiah walked on stage as a new band, with a new show: "The Final Warning" The show was so intense that no one noticed the audience's reaction. It didn't become apparent until the last note was played. There was dead silence from the audience while the band exited from the stage thru the fog to the dressing room. If it wasn't for the evil sounding church organ music, from the end of the show, playing through the PA system there would have been total silence. This is not the reaction we expected! Back in the dressing room the band was surprised - no cheers - no boo's - no nothing!  What did we do wrong, did we sound that bad? One musician, the skeptic, said "I told you I didn't think a show about the devil would fly in the bible belt" I replied " there should have been some reaction, good or bad, but something". The dressing room door opened and in came the soundman and lightman. What's going on out there, I asked. It's strange they replied, no one is leaving - it's almost like they're in shock! The place is a buzz, everyone is talking to each other. The club owner is telling everyone they have to leave - it's past closing time, but hardly anyone is leaving! Now I was starting to get scared, maybe these southern people are offended - maybe they want to kick my *#!* !!!  A young yankee musician like myself never dreamed I might offend these people in the bible belt. Up north, people might have yawned and fell asleep during the show, It wouldn't phase them. Maybe I should have listened to some of my younger band mates, maybe this was to much for the bible belt. In some towns we played, on nights we did our Tribute To Black Sabbath (with our mock Black Mass Ritual) we sometimes had Nuns passing out flyers in front of the club. But, this only helped draw more people in to see the show! We never had a reaction like this, that I can remember. There was another knock at the door and this time it was the club owner. You guys need to hurry up and change and get out here and greet your fans, they won't leave and it's way past closing. People wanted to take pictures, they wanted autographs - some had tears in their eyes, you guys are gonna be famous they said! God has touched your band, one said - another said you're playing in the devils backyard and He's looking out the window watching...you'd better be careful!

Saturday night, our last night was even more crowded than Friday (if you can believe it). The reaction was back to normal, as most of the audience came back again, but this time with friends. People in Beaumont, TX. understood the concept of the show, they saw that I was portraying both the Messiah and Satan in the show. In each Human Being there is good and evil. I raised the devil up, and I became the devil for that instant, and then I cast Him back to hell a few minutes later. Maybe because we were in Beaumont for so long that people got to know us, they saw we were good people, not evil!  But, things were different when we got back on the road again with our new show. In some towns people got angry, and tried to attack me - physically beat me up! I remember bouncers dragging one gentleman from the club and all the way to the exit he kept shouting at me that this was blasphemous and wrong...I'd better watch my back!  This same gentleman was waiting for me outside with a shot gun when I left the club at the end of the night. He fired and just missed me, as I ducked back into the club. I heard a few more shots outside the club and I heard glass break. He left before the police came, but he managed to shoot the marquee sign with our name on it. We were on the news the next day! Of course the club was jammed pack the next night, people wanted to see what all the excitement was about.

                                                                          THE CASUALTIES OF WAR!

About two months into our tour of the south, I could see the stress of watching our backs was starting to take a toll! The guitar player, Michael, decided he was going to take an offer to become a studio musician. It seems the recording studio where we recorded The Final Warning at for the Houston Radio station where we won the contest to be on a CD with various other groups, had an eye on my guitar player! They made him an offer and he accepted. The day he left he seemed relieved to get away from me - The Human Target!  A few months later, Danny my keyboard player, who had fallen in love with this girl in Beaumont, Tx  decided he wanted to leave! I didn't even know he was in love, I knew he hung out with her a lot during his spare time, but I never expected him to fall in love and quit! Then the final straw that broke the camel back, was when my best friend John, who I had been with since the begining decided to quit! He also found a girl and fell in love. The musicians I replaced my band mates with, were good but, the feel for the songs were gone. Things just weren't the same. The show "The Final Warning" had taken a toll on the original Messiah.

The above two photograps are taken also from the same show and feature the new Drummer Jeff (same name ironically) and  Chris the Keyboard player. These guys replaced Jeff Basham and Danny Ariens!

Maybe because of the change of musicians, or because the feel of the music had changed, we started loosing our fan base. We weren't packing em' in anymore. I didn't care and was just going through the motions each night. Eventually our pay dropped and I couldn't pay the monthly payments back to the club owner in Beaumont, Texas. So of course I got word that the club owners son was coming to pick up the truck and equipment! Naturally the band members got their personal gear out of the truck and split, they didn't want to be around when the club owner showed up. I started it and I had to be the one to face the music when he arrived. As depressed and worn out as I was, the end of Messiah actually brought some relief, although for many days to come I had periods of depression so bad I actually broke down and cried! I felt God was displeased with me, I let Satan get control of the band and do what He does best -  DESTROY!  I was broke, and  penniless. I couldn't even afford a bus ticket home to Detroit, Michigan. I swallowed my pride and called my Father to send me money so I could come home! I felt like the prodigal son from Scriptures. I resigned myself to the fact that it was over, but little did I know, at the time, that God was not done with me or Messiah yet! There were plans For a New Messiah, 10 X's more money invested then had been in Texas, + 1 Album and 1 EP, not to mention another religious experience and another awesome band, with more awesome original music!  This part of the Messiah story starts in Detroit, late 1981.