n By Gia Hale
Hollister got a rare glimpse of celebrity over the weekend from
visiting celebrities Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson. Rock took the
stage with local band Vent for a gig it will never forget.
n By Gia Hale
Hollister got a rare glimpse of celebrity over the weekend from visiting celebrities Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson. Rock took the stage with local band Vent for a gig it will never forget.
“It was insane,” Vent guitarist Bruce Gilfenan said. “It was really packed and hot – people really got into it.”
The couple arrived on Friday and left early Saturday. They were in town to discuss business ventures with Leal Vineyards owner Frank Leal.
“It was just a friend dropping by and talking business. They were flown in to hang at the winery,” Leal said.
Vent, whose members hail from Hollister and Gilroy, was hired to play at the vineyard and at Cantina Grill in Tres Pinos – also owned by Leal. The vineyard was set up for the couple to wed, but the ceremony was never performed. Not that it matters; the Associated Press reported that Rock and Anderson tied the knot on Thursday at the fabled Nashville honky tonk “Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge.”
And not that it mattered to Vent, either.
“We were told to play the wedding march in Jimi Hendrix distortion style,” bass player and Gilroy resident Jr. D said. “I don’t know if people in the crowd were yelling at them or what, but they stopped halfway down the aisle and went back.”
Despite skipping the wedding, Rock and Anderson did party at the Cantina Grill.
“We didn’t want them to leave without hearing that Hollister can freakin’ rock,” Vent vocalist and guitarist Kosh said.
Band members persuaded Rock to join them on stage for a few songs. Rock scratched records with the DJ, played guitar and sang his original song “Cowboy,” as well as covering AC/DC’s “Shook Me All Night Long,” Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” and the Steve Miller Band’s “The Joker.”
“The crowd really enjoyed it and most of the people were in awe,” Jr. D said. “They didn’t even know they were going to be there.”
Leal agreed.
“There were hordes of people,” he said. “Everybody had a great time.”
Vent found performing with Rock to be a great experience. Kosh said the band would tell Rock which song they wanted to do and he’d happily oblige.
“We didn’t really get a chance to sit down and talk to them,” the Hollister local said. “They had bodyguards all around them.”
Though the band didn’t get to socialize with Rock and Anderson offstage, Kosh said people he talked to described them as “down to earth.”
Also joining Rock and Anderson in Hollister were notable pro surfer Laird Hamilton and his wife, pro volleyball player and supermodel Gabrielle Reese.
“It was pretty exciting for everyone in the band,” Jr. D said. “I’m still excited about it.”
Vent, which also includes Gilroy drummer and radio DJ John Michael, performs all over South County and the Monterey Bay area. For information on the band, visit its Web site at www.ventrocks.com.
