In Days of Old cont...
Back in Australia later that year, the band toured constantly, trying to recover from their financial losses overseas. They became a regular feature at The Playroom on the Gold Coast. The venue owner had loaned the band a substantial amount of money while they were in the US, and playing regularly at the Playroom was how the band replayed the loan.
Early '92 saw the band touring hard as usual. They headlined an outdoor festival in Nimbin to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the day control of the Nimbin Township was handed over to hippies. The Rage of Aquarius featured various local acts and included the Kevin Borich Express. Kevin also played with Bourbon Street on the night and joined the band on various tours throughout the coming months.
On a roadtrip to Sydney, the band was selected to join the Eagle's Joe Walsh and Doobie Brothers" Skunk Baxter for a live performance at a Dee Why venue for the "Long Live the Leadbreak" competition. Good Morning Australia was there to film the event. After a brief rehearsal with the two guitar legends, the six-piece played to a packed house and were featured on the national television show the next morning.
Eventually, roadstress took its toll and the band got tired of the constant touring. They relocated in Sydney's Bondi Beach for the middle part of '92 and played their usual haunts while breaking in material for what would become their third album. The band had grown fond of writing and rehearsing material in seclusion, usually in a farm house somewhere out west. Songs and ideas born in this environment were crafted into the live set list and refined at gigs. These were the songs that inspired the band to record before the year's end. A new record deal was arranged with Merovee Music, and the band began the recording process. Time Flies was released in late '92 and spawned a hit single in the title track. A video accompanied the release and the band found new life on the road again. Footage for another video, the intended 2nd single, "When You're Broke", recorded with Kevin Borich, was compiled but never released. The band was unhappy with the recorded version and decided not to proceed.
On January 10th, 1993, Bourbon Street headlined an outdoor show in their hometown of Lennox Head, NSW. They were on the northern end of a long Sydney tour and were looking forward to playing a local gig before a long break. Those in attendance recall this as one of the band's more memorable shows. After two support acts, Bourbon Street played for nearly 3 hours non-stop. Shortly thereafter screams were heard in the area. These were largely ignored by local residents who mistakenly took the screaming for enthusiastic punters. The next day, the body of a man was dragged from the dark waters of Lake Ainsworth.
Perhaps a bit too late for some, the band removed itself from the road shortly thereafter. The excitement for Time Flies had died down and record sales levelled off. It was decided that the band would call it quits following the already-booked Chincogan Supercharge on September 11th of that year. The band headlined a bill that included Things of Stone and Wood, Phil Emmanual and host of touring acts. A crowd of more than 3000 witnessed Bourbon Street's last official performance well into the wee hours. It was the police who finally, and quite litterally, dragged the band offstage as the dawn was breaking.
Since then, the band has not recorded and, while banding together for the odd weekend gig or two, has not been enticed to reform in any serious way. Their most recent incarnation was the Grass Roots Tour, sponsored by Jack Daniel's and featuring Smart Artists as the opening act. This mini-tour comprised a total of nine shows between Yamba, NSW and the Gold Coasta dn came to an end on June 18.
