West Texas Millionaires Steal the Stage...Literaly

Dan Simonis and the West Texas Millionaires have been on a highway robbery tour through Texas. They will slip into small clubs and tell the head bar tender that they are ready to set up and play, they got the go ahead of the owner and will split the door with the bartender. Well, what bartender could pass that up? So he lets them in, knowing the other band has their name already on the marquee, but an opening band that splits the money that the other would not sounds pretty good.

So Dan and the boys move like lightning getting set up, usually before happy hour begins. It is usually the busiest time 'cause there are drink specials, so a little for the door ain't so bad. The band goes through their set and they all start making toasts to get the crowd even more drunk.
They also have set up a donation jar in front of the stage for little Billy, a fictional character they dreamed up. You see, little Billy suffers from busy knees, a syndrome in which he can't help from bopping one or the other knee, up and down like an oil pumper, as fast as he can. It can get real annoying on a wood floor feeling it vibrate at 120 knee bops per minute.

When Dan knows the crowd is drunk enough, he tells this story and dedicates a song to little Billy, asking the people to just give what they can. Everybody in the house is skunk drunk and crying, pulling out wads of bills and filling the pickle jar plum full. The songs continue for just another 30 minutes and Dan plays the finale. The crowd roars, the band breaks down, happy hour is over at 6, everybody staggers home.

Then the real band arrives to an empty hall. "What the hell is goin' here!!" yells the band leader as the owner pulls in his Cadillac. "You know the terms, no crowd, no pay". When the band leader goes to the bar and asks why it's such a slow night, the bar tender replies, "Oh it ain't no slow night, these fellers called The West Texas Millionaires came through at happy hour and plum made bank for the night. Nice boys."

This scenario is starting to wear on his base fans, who can't figure out where he is playing next, since this formula pays twice as much and does not want to give his next destination away. Not only that, the other bands, of course, are sending out tracers to keep tabs on him, so Dan has to switch cars

Of course you know this means war.