After a bad Blind Melon gig in Houston on October 20, 1995, in support of their new album “Soup” Shannon Hoon started on a new stash of cocaine, casting blame all over the place. The bus pulled into a New Orleans hotel the next morning. While the rest of the band checked into their rooms, Hoon opted to roam the city streets. He called his girlfriend and talked for forty-five minutes telling her how messed up he was. He calmed down and at around 10 a.m. he left his to look for something to eat, he had smoothie at The Smoothie King (below) at the corner of St. Charles Street and Canal Street, where he proceeded to sit in a booth and talk to the psychic hot line for 45 minutes (according to an employee of the shop).

He got back on the bus instead of checking into his room, took off his clothes except for the pair of shorts, neatly folded his clothes and lay on Christopher Thorn’s bed, with the doors locked.

Some reports say he died while their tour bus was parked in a lot on St. Charles Ave. in the Central Business District. Although Lt. Defillo of the New Orleans Police Department told LAUNCH magazine that Shannon Hoon had been asleep on the bus with two sound engineers when the bus pulled up to the venue (Tipitina’s) in preparation for that night’s performance.

At around 1:30pm, one of the roadies woke him up for their soundcheck, he saw Shannon’s feet sticking out of the bunk so he tried to tickle his feet, but there were no response at all. The sound man tried to wake him up by calling out his name and shaking him but he knew something was wrong. He screamed for the bus driver to call an ambulance while the tour manager tried CPR on him. When the ambulance came, they announced that Shannon Hoon was dead at the age of 28 due to cocaine overdose.

In a slight bit of irony, he died a few blocks away from the studio where the group recorded “Soup” which they were on tour to support.  The album was recorded at Daniel Lanois, “Kingsway Studios” on 590 Esplande Ave. at the corner of Esplande Ave. and Chartres Street in New Orleans.

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