It was during Anniversary Month four years ago, that I first mentioned The House On St. Charles. Even though I heard whispers about it a couple of decades ago, my first real brush with it was back in 2006. In fact, it was just a few months prior to the first entry in this blog. It was the first week of June or so and I had been in Europe. I had been hanging out with this one hit wonder who was planning a year of touring in support of their one hit. They had done a late fall tour the year prior when the song hit number one, but had not been able to get more than the quick in and out visas common to new bands. It allows you to hit a couple of cities in ten days and then you have to get out. In 2006, they had the oddest tour dates, I still have ever seen. Two or three days in the US followed by a week or two in Europe followed by a week in the US and the pattern just repeated itself.
This particular group had been touring and been successful from this one hit wonder for a couple of years prior to it breaking in the US. The sad thing for them was it was a remake of a song, so the only way they could make big money was to tour as much as possible. I was with them for the last show in Europe prior to them hitting the US again. It was an odd group. It consisted of one really young member and someone a solid decade or so older. They didn't really hang out and the younger person had joined the group when she was not even old enough to drive. They played a show in Europe Memorial Day weekend and then had a week off before another show in Europe and then a week off before their show in the US. After that Memorial Day show, there was a man waiting backstage. An older man who was waiting for the still young singer to finish getting ready. He then escorted her to a limo and she was gone. I didn't see her again until six days later when they played again. Immediately afterwards, the same scenario repeated itself. I didn't see her again until we boarded the plane a few days before their US show, which just so happened to be in New Orleans. On the flight over, we were all back in economy, jammed into three rows of three which was everyone involved in the tour. I asked her if the guy was her boyfriend. She said no, and that he worked for a man she was seeing. She would be seeing him again in the US. Was he flying just to see her? No, he had business. She didn't say what kind of business. What I found out later was the man worked as an EU big shot and was married and sleeping with the singer who was passing along information to someone she knew in her country which is where this man was based. In New Orleans, he was going for a trade conference, and was confronted there about his affair and secrets. He had been confronted shortly after a sexual encounter with the singer. He chose to help rather than have his secrets blasted out in the open.
After one more US date, I was done with the tour and went home. Get this though. Right after the US date, they went back home and she started seeing another guy. I don't know who he is. I do know that a few weeks later they were back in the US and once again, playing in New Orleans. The band hasn't existed since a few months after that last New Orleans stop.
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