First we got a request from the big boss to come up with a contingency plan for keeping things flowing at work if something happens the week of the RNC. That makes sense. No problem. Consider it done.
A couple of days later we got another e-mail directing us to either take vacation, or work from home that week.
Good times.
SONG OF THE MOMENT: Simple Kid – “Staring at the Sun”
The guys had the next day off, which was probably a good thing, as they were about embark on an odd little journey… on a boat.
Day 2 – NYC
Yep, they’re playing a boat – a little cruise around Manhattan. It’s a first for me, and I’d be willing to guess for them too.
I hopped on one of those free NY Waterway busses that run from various places in the city to their pier on the west side. In theory you’re expected to get on one of their boats after the shuttle ride, but I planned to hop off at 38th and walk back up to 41st to catch my boat. Well, as soon as I hop off I start feeling a little guilty – I know, I’m a pushover – so I went ahead and bought a ticket for the ferry. I ended up using it the next day to get home after work.
After my guilt purchase I headed up to my boat. Inside I ran into several people I had meet on previous outings – it was fun, a family reunion of sorts. The boat was rocking pretty hard and we hadn’t even left port yet – so I availed myself of some motion-sickness medicine a friend’s friend was offering. At some point the guys came on and started rocking out for everyone… but it was an odd setup, they were playing in an alcove kind of stage, very minimal headroom. So, unless you were right up front, you couldn’t see them. I floated away from the stage to get a drink and never really went back. After getting a few more whiskeys in me, I became Mr. Social Butterfly and made my rounds, talking to people. I actually had a really good time, talking to the fans, the friends, etc. I sat with the tour manager/board operator for part of the night, he’s a great guy – very friendly. I also talked to the drummer’s girlfriend again – she’s a sweetheart. It was fun to be a little drunk at the show (usually I drive, so drinks are a no-no).
Afterwards the bassist motioned to myself and another fan/friend Kari. “Bus? Beer?” Why yes, yes I think we will. Out on the bus we indulged in beer (not a big beer fan, but somehow it tastes pretty good sitting on a tour bus), and chatted. I met the bus driver – neat guy, a lot younger than others they’ve had. At some point we drove over towards the hotel. On the way the bassist gave me a lesson on the Tour de France – he’s a big fan. It was interesting. Once we parked the bus the three of us headed over to a deli for food. Everyone was starved. The grill at the deli was off, so the choices for food were a little slimmer than usual. I ended up with the best grilled chicken sandwich I’d ever had – marinated chicken, roast red peppers, lettuce, tomato and Italian dressing on a hero – better known as the #28! We sat and talked like three old friends and ate our sandwiches. We got back to the bus and the two of them headed off souvenir shopping. I hung out with the drummer and the girlfriend and waited for the rain to stop. It finally let up, and I headed back home in a cab. Another great night.
Next up, Delaware…
Here we go again… the band has been playing the states, off and on, for the better part of the year. They typically do 4-6 weeks on, then a month off, then back out again, give or take. They’ve finally gotten around to hitting the northeast, so I decided to do another little road trip. This time I usually returned home after each show, unlike two legs ago when I stayed out on the road the whole time. I took three days off from work, and I’m proud to say I didn’t look at any work-related correspondence during my time off. While I was gone, my cell died and several people I haven’t heard from in ages called said phone just to say “hi.” I’ll get back to them on the new phone. Let’s dive in.
Day 1 – Providence
The drive to Rhode Island normally takes three hours – I did it in just a hair under five. All that really needs to be said is: I95 northbound sucks. Once I got into town, it didn’t actually get much better. The directions to the club were a little convoluted. The place ended up being down what looked like two alleys. I parked a couple of blocks away on the street, and was convinced that my car wouldn’t be there when I got back (but it was).
The venue was fairly cool. There was a nice big bar that took up a giant triangle near the back of the bar. While I was sitting there enjoying my whiskey I noticed an odd couple talking next to me. The man looked like an older businessman, maybe not too successful, but doing okay – gray hair, fair suit. The “lady in red” with him looked like she had been drinking a long time, and I don’t just mean that day. She would be the stereotypical floozy in bad 80s sitcoms. They ended up walking out together, rather he was walking and she was kind of being drug along.
The opening act was this really nice guy on acoustic who kind of had a Hank Williams (Sr. not Jr.) thing going on part of the time, but on other sounds he was more folksy. He was great with audience and really seemed to enjoy himself. The next act up was the band’s roadie who was out on the last tour. He kind of does this raspy singer-songwriter thing with the acoustic, with an almost reggae vibe to it (might help that he has dreads). He’s the kind of guy that if you talk to him first, and then hear him sing, it just doesn’t make sense… the talking voice is nowhere near the sing voice. He’s really good.
Around the time of his set, I ran into an old friend who I saw at Killington & Boston on my last adventure. He brought along a couple of friends, and ended up introducing me to a couple of guys I had corresponded with a few times, but had never met. We had a really good time chatting and talking in between acts.
By the time the band went on, I was in a great mood, the horrors of the commute purged from my memory by cheap booze and brilliant conversation. They did a killer set, and the crowd really seemed to be into it. In fact there was a superfan there that none of us “regulars” recognized. He knew the words to every song and was dancing like a man possessed. At first I thought he was annoying, but then I got to really appreciate how much fun he was having. Plus there were these people doing some kind of interpretive dance next to him… no way to explain their gyrations with my words. And that wasn’t entertainment enough, the venue was kind of set into the ground, like a basement, so it had those windows at the top of the walls facing out at street level. You’d see people cruise by, and stop to listen. It was fun to watch. We even got a young “hip” kid smoking a corncob pipe and mooning us.
I hung out after the show to talk to the guys. I still get nervous the first time I see them again. The bassist invited me on the bus but I can’t remember the exact details. I do remember getting introduced to the drummer’s girlfriend, which was funny because during the show we had kind of spotted her alone there – she was a little too pretty to be at a concert by herself, so at the time I joked to the guys around me, “must be a guitar girl” — I was close. I also met the new merch guy, but I had yet to meet the new tour manager.
It was getting late, so I decided to hit the road. On the ride home, I started getting tired, so I pulled off at exit after exit trying to find a cheap motel to catch a good night’s sleep, but they were all booked with families headed for beaches near and far. In the end I drove straight home, this time in three hours. When I hit the Cross Bronx Expressway, I caught my second wind… which was a good thing because it was a pain in the ass to find parking.
Next – NYC…
This post concludes this part of the tour for me. The guys had another few nights on the road in this leg, but I was done. And also, I was home…
Day 6 – New York City
After the Philly show, the tour made its way to Delaware, but I chose to break off at that point and head home. A really great friend was in town for only a couple days and I really wanted to see her. It was a good a decision, we had a blast, plus I kind of left the road on a high note – the Philly show was phenomenal.
So, fast-forward a day to the NYC gig. I went for drinks with a friend before the show, and we were running a bit late, so I missed the opening number. The gig was fairly good, not the best I had seen them though. It was probably my least favorite stop on the tour.
Afterwards I hung out ran into some more old friends and road acquaintances. We all chatted for a long time afterwards, with ourselves and with the band. It was a good night, low-key – a good way to wind down an exciting road trip. The band loaded out onto the bus. We said our farewells and then I turned to walk home and their bus pulled out into the night.
VP “We missed you at the pre-strategy meeting today.”
Lance “Well, I went looking for you all for the meeting at two. No one was around at 2:15, so I went back to my office to work. You could’ve called me, would have been happy to come in.”
Later I found out that the meeting began at 2:45 – 45 minutes late. What the fuck was I supposed to do, sit in a room alone and wait for your fucking lazy asses to roll in?
Day 5 – Philadelphia
The drive from Boston to Philadelphia takes you within a stone’s throw of NYC, so I made a quick pit stop at my apartment. I decided to lighten my load a bit, so I dropped off a little bag of dirty laundry. But the real reason I stopped was to use my own bathroom – there’s nothing quite like using your own toilet after a few days away.
I get to Philly and promptly get lost. It seems the hotel isn’t where it is supposed to be. I start to get a little frantic – how the hell do I find this place without an Internet connection. Then suddenly I realized, “Hey, I have a phone.” So after quick call to 411, I get the true address for the hotel. It’s about 20 blocks from where I thought it was. I get there, and the place is gorgeous, but it’s nowhere near the gig in Germantown. Now I had been staying at the same hotels as the band, because I asked the road manager if he could hook me up with recommendations, so I didn’t have to scout my own places. So, it seemed odd that they would pick this really nice place, 45 minutes away from the gig. Turns out the hotel booking was a goof, and they were staying a lot closer. Oh well.
At this point I have a confession to make: I didn’t have a cheese steak while I was in Philly. Ugh, I know.
Anyway, I get to the gig and parking of course is a pain in the ass. After leaving the car on a scary side-street, I hustled toward the bus. I wanted to make sure that the tour manager had put me on the list – he kept forgetting. I went on the bus and it ended up being a really interesting half-hour or so just chatting with the road manager. He’s been doing this kind of gig for years, and we was just shooting the shit with me while he was half-assed watching TV. It was a neat little education – I got to watch him work the phones, and handle the venue people. I then got to hear the story about what had happened that morning. The guys had agreed to do an in-store that day before the show. They were running late getting to Philly, so consequently they were late to the store, which was going to make them even later for sound check at the real venue that night. After the performance at the store, the roadie and merch guy loaded up the U-Haul behind the bus, and they take off to find the venue. About two minutes into the drive they hear all this honking behind them. The roadie jumps out of the moving bus and starts jamming down the street. Turns out the merch guy didn’t put the lock on the U-Haul and the gates popped opening, spilling gear and merchandise all over the streets of Philadelphia. Luckly the only thing they lost was a box of posters that got ruined.
The show that night was phenomenal. The place was packed two hours before the show even started. I ended up meeting some old friends, and made a ton of new ones, and the guys went on stage and promptly blew everyone away. At the end of the show, when they’re walking offstage, the bassist grabs my hand, pulls it open, shoves something in it and walks backstage. It was his pick… sounds corny, but oh-so-cool. My night was completely made.
I made my way back to the hotel and slept very well.
Interesting side-note, when I received my credit card bill, I was only charged for the parking, the room charge never came in.
Next stop – NYC
Yesterday I was having my weekly with the boss. We got to chatting about the possibility of hiring another person for my department (I’m my own department currently). This person would take on a lot (if not all) of my daily tasks, the maintenance stuff, etc. It’s something I’ve been requesting for a while now, and it looks like it might happen. We started talking about what my responsibilities would be once that load get lifted, and the thing that I realized was, I’m going to have to start thinking again. I haven’t really had to think on the job since 2000. Back then I was working on a really big project for another company. It was really challenging, but fun. Eventually I got laid-off from the gig, and all of the subsequent gigs have been pretty mindless – just maintaining things, no forward-thinking or planning really. It’s a little scary now, the prospect of actually having to use my brain again. I’m so out of practice. I was just sitting there staring at her, as she’s talking about something she wants me to work on – something I had no idea immediately how to do. It’s weird.
Man, I really wish I had written these road trip entries closer to the time it had happened, because I’m scratching my head when it comes to remembering Boston details – which maybe isn’t a bad thing. Perhaps I’ll be brief.
Day 4 – Boston
So, Killington (Vermont, New Hampshire – take your pick) to Boston – there were some roads involved as I remember. Actually the trip out of Killington was beautiful – mountains in the rearview, icy stream to the right. Hmmmm… that’s all I’ve got on the road part of this trip.
Boston was fairly easy to navigate. I scoped out the venue first, and then motored over to the hotel. It wasn’t nearly as nice as the Inn at Six Mountains, but it was still a step up from the ass hotel in Buffalo. I settled into my room, and unpacked a bit. There might have been a nap in there somewhere. At some point, I decided to dial-up and check some e-mail. First I spun thru the day-job mails… nothing significant. Then it was time for personal correspondence – about as expected. Then off to check the band related e-mail.
*BAM*
“Hey Lance, looks like the site was hacked. If you need any help, lemme know.” — a fanboy
Well fuck. Turns out some bored German kids decided to take down my message board. Blech. I tried taking a peek through the database to see if I could fix the problem, but I’m no DBA, so no luck. Next I called my friend who is a bit more MySQL-versed than myself, plus he has the same message board software. He logged in and found the problem, but the fix would be manual, and take me a while… plus I’m on a dial-up. I had to get it fixed, we’re in the middle of tour, and traffic has been heavy lately… so I called my hosting company and had the run an old back-up tape, which they did in less time than it took me to send the e-mail over the god awful 22kbps connection. Only problem was, that the backup was about 2 weeks old. We lost a few hundred messages, but better than nothing. In the long-run I ended up moving over to a different piece of software and have great support with it now.
At the show, I ended up running into a lot of people I knew – good crowd, but I was so fried, from the drive, from the hack, ugh. So for a lot of the set, I sat in the back by the merch counter, just hanging out and chatting with people who stopped by to say hi. I did end up finally meeting the managers and label people, they were cool. The band did mention the hack from the stage, which was funny. Everyone seemed to take pride in the fact we were hacked. I didn’t have the heart to tell them that it was a random attack, that angry Germans were taking down every message board they could find that used this type of software – yeah I kept that to myself.
Next – Philly.