TEXAS MONTHLY – The band was getting antsy. It had been an hour and a half since Flatland Cavalry had received a spot on the West Texas Walk of Fame during an induction ceremony at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center. The members had had their fill of the buffet and the frosty bottles of Shiner served from an open bar at the reception that had followed. The night wasn’t going to last forever, and the next day they were booked solid—photo shoots, an afternoon sound check, and a headlining set at Texas Tech University’s homecoming concert. This was their only chance to get to the Blue Light, the famed music venue where the bandmates had played their first show, as undergrads, more than a decade ago, and they were eager to blow off steam at an old haunt.

The only problem? Front man Cleto Cordero couldn’t make it more than three steps across the reception hall without getting stopped by a local dignitary offering congratulations on being honored by the City of Lubbock.