Just looking at their name it is pretty clear the Butthole Surfers aren't likely to settle for the expected. It is little surprise, then, that their summer tour with the Stone Temple Pilots will take them to unique venues, including drive-in movie theaters, beaches and motocross tracks.

    Capitol Records, the band's label, has called the concert jaunt an underground tour and a party, and both descriptions seem apt. "The Stone Temple Pilots wanted to do something outdoors, something different and we thought this would be more unusual," said Murray Hepple, tour manager for the Butthole Surfers.

    Unusual too are the ticket prices, which range from $15 to $17, depending on the venue. "Its a good price for the show," Hepple said. With opening bands Firehouse and Basehead on the first half of the tour, tickets are worth five hours of music. "The kids really get their money's worth," Hepple said.

    Seating at all of the concerts will be general admission (GA). "Nobody wants it set up as a festival. This is not a Lollapalooza, but we wanted that GA vibe," said Hepple. Average capacity on the tour is 4,500, with larger venues being used in key cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles.

    While some of the tour's more conventional venues, such as theaters and amphitheaters, have staging, stages are being supplied by the promoters in many cities. Lighting, by R.A. Roth Inc. of Tucker, Ga., and sound systems, from Showco Inc. of Chatsworth, Calif., are being flown from city to city for most jumps. "Some places we can't fly so we're using ground support," said Hepple. Two semi trucks carry equipment on the road.

    Hepple noted that the Stone Temple Pilots are using conventional lighting, while the Butthole Surfers have incorporated telebeams and emulators into their lighting. Lighting design was by Lawrence Upton.

    The Butthole Surfers will also use stage-flanking projection screens during their sets. "There are loads of different images," Hepple said of the pictures the screens will show. "It's just a lot of cuts and bits and pieces." The 16mm camera images are projected on screens that are an estimated 24 by 16 feet. "It's quite an incredible effect," said Hepple.

    Changeover time from band to band is 20 to 25 minutes, "which is really good considering the amount of equipment that we've got out there," Hepple said. The show's production manager is Greg Gazetta; tour manager for the Stone Temple Pilots is Patrick Bryan.

    Concert starting times are normally at 5 p.m. or 6 p.m., although in some cities and venues, the shows will start earlier. For the second half of the tour, Flaming Lips will open and the shows will be slightly shorter.

    Food will be supplied by vendors in each city, who are being coordinated by the promoters. Items such as hot dogs and hamburgers will be featured.

    Butthole Surfers merchandise was done by Nice Man out of Minnesota. Four different T-shirt designs and a baseball cap will be available. Stone Temple Pilots merchandise was done by Giant Merchandise.

    Because of the unusual venues being sought for this tour, some sites have yet to be announced.
 

The Butthole Surfers/Stone Temple Pilots tour with Firehouse and Basehead opening began at Tampa State Fairgrounds, June 18, followed by Bayfront Park & Amphitheatre, Miami, 19; Edge Field, Orlando, 20; Boutwell Auditorium, Birmingham, Ala., 22; State Palace Theatre, New Orleans, 23; Band Shell, Dallas, 25; Sunken Gardens, San Antonio, Texas, 27; Lone Star Amphitheatre, Houston, 27; Beach, Albuquerque, N.M., 29; Mesa (Ariz.) Amphitheatre, 30; Castaic Lake, Los Angeles, July 2; North Island Beach, San Diego, 3; and Greek Theater, Berkeley, Calif., 4;

Upcoming dates are Salem (Ore.) Armory, July 6; Aquafest Stage, Vancouver, B.C., 7; Seattle Arena, 8; Salt Air Pavilion, Salt Lake City, 10; and Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Denver, 11.

Dates with Flaming Lips opening include: Memorial Hall, Kansas City, Mo., July 13; Peony Park Royal Grove, Omaha, Neb., 14; Trout Aire, Forest Lake, Minn., 16; Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, 17; Summerfest, Milwaukee, 20; Riverport, St. Louis, 21; Motocross Track, Cincinnati, 23; and Phoenix Center, Pontiac, Mich., 24.