Creepin', when I should have been asleepin'..

I never blip. EVER.
It's a bad habit, as I generally find myself in nifty places
This shot is from a place I really thought I'd never see --

The inside of a Masonic ceremonial chamber.

We played in San Francisco. Lovely city, in spite of its lack of a middle class.
Throughout the day, I'd noticed a few Masonic symbols floating around the venue.
The most telling was the double headed phoenix in the marble floor in the foyer of the building, with 32° looming above.

So at the end of the night, after we'd all gone out for drinks and a bite to eat with some of the local crew, I spoke to the house manager, and he clued me in that the building was once a masonic lodge, and that we had actually just played the main ballroom. He offered the grand tour (it was 2 AM at this point) and I couldn't turn him down. I rallied some more people who I was sure would want to see the guts of this place and off we went.

This picture comes from inside the main ceremonial chamber. The ceremonial chamber is where they conduct rituals required for the ascension of the ranks of Masonic brotherhood. You know the term "the 3rd degree?" it comes from the ritual that the Masons all must go through to achieve the 3rd degree of Freemasonry. (it's a fake death, gruesome stuff.)

On this stage (it is not the one we played) was a massive counterweight system, used to fly in/out different scrims. In this shot, there are three scrims flown in, giving the scene a 3-dimensional look. They have over a hundred scrims used to set up different scenes, depending on the ritual being conducted. The system is over one hundred years old and in remarkable shape. Original ropes, original hand-sewn scrims. Needless to say, this area is strictly non-smoking.

Look closely and see if you can spot the special guests in this scene.