In Portland, you know you’re a big time rock star when the mayor gives you a key to the city.
Godsmack, a band whose single “Voodoo” was played by local alternative rock radio stations to the point of exhaustion, was scheduled to play a concert in Portland last Tuesday. When they arrived on Monday, Mayor Cheryl Leeman made yet another bid to win the hearts of local youth by offering the key to the city to the rock band.
The ceremony was scheduled for 2 p.m. but it was closer to 3 p.m. when it finally began. The waiting crowd became restless, as the only action was the illegal peddling of Godsmack’s new album, Awake. The knock-offs cost a mere five dollars, complete with a poorly copied cover.
Among the waiting crowd were housemates Cayla Morin, Ruthie Putnam, and Jaedra Emery of Chebeague Island, who arrived an hour before the ceremony was scheduled to begin. The wait lasted through Morin’s entire pack of cigarettes. The sun grew hot and conversations became lazy as topics ran out.
The scene was still until WCYY set up a table to raffle off the last remaining spot in Godsmack’s video shoot which was scheduled for that evening at the Asylum.
The ceremony finally began with a speech from Mayor Leeman, who cleverly worked the titles of several Godsmack songs into her presentation and praised Portland for its rich music scene. All went well in the mayor’s speech until the end, when she began mistakenly referring to the band as Goldsmack and Gluesmack.
Despite the slip up, front man Sully Erna accepted the key exclaiming that it was “the biggest honor” the band had ever received and calling Leeman “the coolest mayor.”
The event ended abruptly with Sully’s nonsensical announcement that, “The clubs are now open 24 hours!” The band departed shortly after, leaving a bemused and disappointed crowd in their wake. After the long wait, many had hoped that there would be at least a brief musical performance.
The Chebeague contingent left disappointed after hours of waiting and a bizarre, confused ceremony. Morin, who had come to the event solely to meet Sully, was upset. Not only was there no concert, but neither Morin nor her companions were selected in the WCYY raffle. The three women had skipped school and work in order to be in Monument Square, only to be let down repeatedly. The only consolation was the chance to enjoy one last moment of summer.
The concert that Godsmack was scheduled to play on Tuesday was understandably canceled following the disastrous events in New York City, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania that morning. The performance has not been rescheduled. Ticket refunds are available at their place of purchase.
Contributing writer Joe Frechette can be contacted at [email protected].
Classic Godsmack moment.