All posts by lance

on the road again – part 2

road trip

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…

on the road again – part 1

road trip

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…

almost famous – part 6

road trip

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.

you’ve gotta be kidding me

general

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?

almost famous – part 5

road trip

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

thinking on the job

general

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.

almost famous – part 4

road trip

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.

A Sunday

general

– paying bills.
– breakfast.
– entertaining cats.
– Starbucks for Mocha Frappucino.
– pier to read “Pittsburgh Love Stories” from the gang at the New Yinzer (a buddy edits).
– ferry to S. Hoboken, Newport & finally Midtown (wasn’t my choice – they weren’t running direct, but pleasant anyway).
– bus to 42nd.
– “Supersize Me” @ Empire 25.
– bus thru tunnel to Hoboken.
– walk to pier again, never actually read this time though.
– witnessed a man reeling in a 2.5 foot shark out of the Hudson.
– walk to diner for pick-up (French dip).
– walk home to eat.
– Six Feet Under.

And in the time I was gone, Cali has learned to fetch. I throw a mouse, she chases after it, grabs it, brings it back, drops it on my chest and waits for me to throw it again. She’s really good.

In a meeting

general

So I’m sitting in this meeting called “Pre-strategy” which is all about preparing for another meeting called – wait for it – “Strategy.” It’s one of the many meetings in which I’m the only male, not that it matters, it’s just an observation. A few minutes earlier I really just wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, not any phrase in particular, just a high-pitched shriek. Instead I’m typing into my handheld like I’m taking an impressive amount of notes. It keeps me from wanting to scream. There are really only a few things I can do during this meeting: 1) scream, 2) start laughing at the girl sitting across from me who is as miserable as I am (occasionally we’ll catch each other’s eye and almost lose it), 3) play solitaire, 4) try to kill myself by digging at my wrists with my ballpoint pen, or 5) write an entry in the guise of taking copious notes. Number five seems like the best option right now, although I’ve been eyeballing my pen rather intensely. Right now at the other end of the table they’re chattering away about something, but I’m not really sure what. Hopefully I won’t get called on.

Okay I just contributed a sentence. It got shot down, which is par for the course. Typically what happens is that I suggest an idea or warn against something, it’s ignored but then in the end (weeks later) I was right. They don’t always ignore it, but enough that it’s what I expect to happen so it no longer bothers me.

Good god, the mindless drivel that makes up this meeting…

At least I get paid.

Free papers for all.

general

This morning on my way to the PO Box, I saw one of the AM New York newspaper guys talking to one of the Metro newspaper guys. It was nice to see that the free newspaper foot soldiers can get along. I wonder who’s gonna win this war of the mediocre morning papers? I gotta say, so far I’m an AM New York guy, but only because I’ve gotten it more often. Metro is gonna have increase its circulation to pull me in.

SONG OF THE MOMENT: Death in Vegas – “Flying”

Names. I think we have names.

pets

So, after putting this off for several days, I think I’ve come up with names I can live with for the kittens. The anal / obsessive part of me kind of wanted matching theme names, but after much searching, I couldn’t find any that I really liked. I was also wanting to have something that represented their personalities, but I think we’re still working out what those personalities will be. So then I just started cruising through different name sites – and nothing really stuck out there. Next, I started making my way though the iPod for song titles and that’s where I hit the first one for the gray cat. I introduce you to:
© 2004 permalance.com
The song “Luna” by the Smashing Pumpkins caught my eye. There’s no real reason for the name other than I like the way it sounds when I talk to her. I suppose I could justify it by saying she’s white & gray, which is kinda what the moon looks like…

For the cat formerly know as “Not Gray” I didn’t really draw on a song title in particular. Here she is:
© 2004 permalance.com
She’s not a Calico (Mackerel Tabby – I think) so that’s not what it’s for. Again, I just like the sound. But she’s kind of too cool for school… and look at that face, she’s a movie star, so it could be short for California.

That’s it. I’m beat. Time to give the girls their medicine.

The zoo.

pets

So… two weeks ago I had no pets. Today I have 12. Oh my. The first new roommates were a group of fish I adopted from a friend who was moving. They’re freshwater tropical, ten of them. Other than that I have I no idea what kind they are. Well, I know one of them is a catfish of some kind. They seem to be adjusting well. They must be hearty fish – as I have really no idea what I’m doing. I did test the pH which came out fine. I need to test the other things – ammonia, nitrates, etc.

I’ve slowly adjusted to life with the fish. They swim around, and eat. I watch them. I’ll have to change some of the water soon, which should be interesting considering I can’t get the siphon to work.

So, ten fish. And as of today, two cats. My friend took me out to the North Shore Animal League to look at kittens. I had been going back and forth on whether to get a kitty or not. Was I ready for the commitment? Am I too selfish to take care of another living being (fish don’t count really… they pretty much chill out all day). But with my mind somewhat made up, that yes, I can handle a cat – I went to Long Island.

The first kitty I really looked at, seemed very into me, licking, biting, and clawing. I totally fell for him. It was a male, short-haired black cat – pretty much exactly what I was looking for. He started getting a little too frisky towards the end of our time together, but I figured that just meant he loved me… so I started the paperwork.

Then a lady came up and said, “Sir, I’m sorry, but that cat is already going through the adoption process, his reservation fell off the cage, I’m sorry. Would you like to look at more cats?”

I was heartbroken. Did I really want to look at more cats? No! Damnit. But I said yes, and went back in to look at kitties. The first cat she brought me… there was just no chemistry there. The next cat, kind of the same thing. He was cute, but nothing was really tugging at my heart strings. I was pissed and hurt, and feeling like the situation was hopeless. I just wanted to go home at that point. My friend who had been to the shelter the previous day had spied a couple of girl kittens she loved, but when we looked, they were gone. Turns out they had colds, so they wanted to keep them away from the other kittens. But, I was curious, so they brought them out. It was love at pretty much first purr. They were a double adoption… So, the previous day I was debating on whether to get a cat, and now I was filling out paperwork for two. Oh my again.

The references took a long time to come back in, but a couple of hours later, we were driving from Long Island back to Jersey. With two kittens. In a box.

I just gave them their first round of medicine. There was some blood loss – all mine. They were a little perturbed at first, but they seem to be okay about it now.

I haven’t named them yet (or the fish for that matter). I had boy names picked out, but no girls. This might take some time. I am getting to know their personality a bit. The lighter one is more friendly and vocal – maybe even a bit needy. The darker one is the explorer… always running off somewhere. She’s a little less snuggly. This should be interesting.

They’ve already taken over the bed… not sure where I’ll be sleeping tonight.

3pm

general

Why is it taking all day to do the promo grid – I ask you why? Ergh. There is so much stuff to do at work these next couple of weeks, but I refuse to stay late. Stop the insanity. Hoochie mama!

My sister and I decided to surprise Mom for Mother’s Day, so we both flew home without telling her, and then showed up on her doorstep, like two little puppies looking for a home. It was fun. We had a really great time.

We also visited with my grandmothers. One of them is 100 – and is still pretty coherent. The other one is a bit younger, but she’s taken a turn in the past few months. She’s become paranoid and delusional. It’s heartbreaking. You wonder where her mind is making this stuff up. She’s convinced that my aunt is using a computer to do all these horrible things to her. She kept asking, “can you believe anyone would be so mean to me?” People are also following her around. She said she wishes she had someone big like me to take care of them for her. I assured her that I’d take the two guys stalking her, throw them over my shoulders like a couple of potato sacks and take ’em to the curb. She seemed to like that. At one moment she’ll be fine, and the next she’s worried about people controlling her with computers.

Back to the promo grid.

new fave place

general

Okay, after Cookie and Barry I decided to do a little more walking and now have a new favorite place. It’s another pier not far from the one I was just at. There’s not much green here, just some trees growing out of planters, but again, it’s quiet. It’s not that wide but it juts out into the water fairly far. Right now I’m staring at the GWB… The city is gorgeous. There’s a guy fishing with about six rods set up. He’s reeling in something as I’m typing this… What a great night.

© 2004 permalance.com
PIX OF THE DAY: My new pier.
© 2004 permalance.com

cookie

general

So right after that last post, I decided to start reading my book. I only had it open for a few minutes when an older African-American woman came up and asked me where those helicopters were coming from – for some reason the sky seemed to be full of them. I pointed out the heliport across the water. She asked if she could join me, and as soon as I said “Sure,” she sat down beside me on the bench. I wasn’t really sure what to make of this, but a couple of hours later she got up and went her own way. In those two hours she talked, and I listened (chiming in occasionally) about her dog (Snowball) that her son had taken from their Jersey City home and had let loose in the streets of Newark, just because. She told me how dogs could sense evil. She wondered if it was okay if she helped her son with his Walk-a-thon (some people had told her that it was wrong to help him raise money). She told me about another dog she had when she was little. She had a crib for her doll babies, but she used to let him sleep in it – she’d even dress him up in her clothes. Later someone in the neighborhood poisoned him. She said she likes to explore, to go places, she’s not content sitting still. As we watched the ferries come and go, she mentioned that she wanted to take her youngest son out on it for a ride. She doesn’t think anyone got out of the World Trade Centers alive. She believes they’ve come a long way with cancer, because when she was little you could see the cancer when people had it, you could see holes in their flesh from where it was eating them alive. At some point in the middle of all these dozen or so stories, I put my book away.

I’m not really sure how to describe those two or so hours… Eventually she decided it was time to go. “I’m Cookie, it was nice talking to you.” I introduced myself and returned the compliment. Then as quickly as she had appeared, she was gone.

a walk

general

When I moved into my new neighborhood last year, which actually was once my old neighborhood about six years ago, I didn’t do much exploring. I really haven’t done much of anything this past year, other than work and then come home and either shutdown or do more work. I guess you could call it a funk. But right now, I’m sitting on a park bench, on the water with a mocha frappuccino, and I’m only five minutes from my apartment. So, I’ve learned that there’s a Starbucks a few blocks away and a decent waterfront promenade just beyond that. I need to explore more. Actually I just need to do anything other than working more.

This place isn’t as nice as the park I had been going to in the past, but it’s a lot more convenient. It’s also quieter, which is fine right now because I’m not really in the people watching mood anyway. For some reason I’ve really been disliking humans lately – I’ll probably write more on that later. There are six people here now, spread out over three blocks, which is the perfect amount. There aren’t any boom boxes blasting, or kids screaming – not that those sounds are always unpleasant or unwanted, but right now the sounds I’m listening to are enough. There’s the little clicking sound a ten-speed bike makes when you’re coasting. The waves are making that lapping sound as the water licks at the pier. Occasionally there’s a car driving past. The sailboats in the marina are making dinging sounds as little boat parts bang against the masts in the breeze. And there are the helicopters. I’m across from Chelsea right now… But what this really means is that I’m at just the point on the Hudson where the helicopters taking off from the midtown heliport swing out to start their approach or liftoff. I don’t mind actually, I love the sound of helicopters but I’m wondering if it drives people away. Yet another reason to love helicopters?

almost famous – part 3

road trip

Got some time to kill…

Day 3 – Killington
So let’s see – at this point of the trip I’ve only gotten lost once and that was on the way to a health food store, in a town that issues house numbers not sequentially, but randomly. By the time I got to Killington, the tally was at two. It happened somewhere in New York, but at this point I’m not sure exactly where. Suffice to say after talking to the band’s driver I felt better, as he got turned around at the exact same place as I had. So, if this whole Internet thing goes belly-up I might be able to get a job driving a bus. Sweet.

Remember the ass-smelling motel in Buffalo? Yeah well, thank god for the Inn at Six Mountains. I had a gorgeous room in this ski resort, lodge-type place. The bed was wonderful… and no ass smell to be found.

So I’m in the middle of a mountain town. A relatively small band is playing. I’m thinking the turnout is gonna be poor, much like the previous night in Buffalo, but to my surprise, the place is packed. It probably helped that Jack Daniels was sponsoring that whole week in Killington. The place was crawling with “Jack Daniels Girls” – blondes with strategically-placed tattoos and tight, skimpy outfits. A shame really.

I kinda hung back again at this venue, just people-watching (I averted my eyes whenever the JD Girls cruised through – honest). Before the guys came out, the roadie hit the stage and taped down the set lists at which point, a bunch of fans ran up to take a peek. A couple of guys hung back, so I decided to ask why. It seemed they like surprises and it turns out we’d get one with the opening number. We talked a few minutes more and then introduce ourselves, and it turns out we had been in contact online for a couple of years – so it was good to finally have a non-virtual encounter. As we’re standing there, the guys come out and open with a song they hadn’t played in forever. The three of us were totally blown away – and stayed that way for the rest of the show. It was an amazing gig, the band was on and the crowd was really into it. After an encore the band is trickling off stage one-by-one. The bass player grabs my shoulder and says “make sure you come on the bus.” WOW. Then the guitarist comes through a couple minutes later, and mouths to me “you gotta come on the bus.” That made the whole trip for me. Right there.

I went out to the bus and just hung out for an hour or so. I don’t really like beer, but the one I was drinking tasted great – but probably solely based on the atmosphere. It was really cool, everyone was just chilling out, talking, eating, drinking. The bassist put some old Clapton on the stereo and we’re all grooving along. It’s weird to watch a band listening to someone else’s music and totally getting off on it. Not sure why, but I guess you just realize that they’re fans too. It’s kind of like the great equalizer, everyone enjoys a good riff. At one point the drummer disappeared in the back of the bus with a fan girl for a half-hour or so… rock n’ roll!

I got to drive the guys a little that night too. I made a run up to the cabin so they could all take showers. I ended up falling asleep on a couch waiting for them. Ran ’em back to the bus, and then to my hotel at which point it was 4am, and I needed sleep.

Next stop – Boston.