Roadie Blog: 2005-09-25

Fresno -Show Day

Saturday, October 01, 2005

Average day, setup, soundcheck, show, blah, blah.

Gigs is gigs, not much happening today. Pretty normal. I did talk to the drummer (Bryan) from my former band (Battersea Park) today. Haven't talked to him in years, I find out he lives a couple of blocks away from me AND that he grew up about 5 houses down from where I live now. Small weird world...

Sacramento -Day Off

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Up around 8:30am, watch two movies on the satellite, then ride up front with Mo. Get into Sacto around 1pm, check-in, shower, I have a migraine so I venture out in search of food. Run into some of the Bus 2 crew, we find the mall and eat at the local brew pub. I beg off after lunch/dinner to go back to the room and lay down and try to get rid of my headache.

Up around 7pm, ride my bike to try and find a Pharmacy for sinus medicine. It's closed, but spot an old theater (think Rialto Raleighites) that is showing "The Aristocrats" at 8pm. I've been dying to see this movie, it's all about the world's dirtiest joke. Head back to the mall for Starbuck's Green Tea Frap and Snickerdoodle, then back to the theater.

Movie (documentary) is great. Gilbert Gottfried and Bob Saget are hilarious. The ending is the best for me as one of my favorite comedians puts the cherry on top. Be sure to watch the credits if you see it.

Back to the room to catch up on the blog and probably read till late...

Portland -Show Day

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Get off the bus and it's freezing here. Even colder than Canada. Into the old Memorial Coliseum, man is this place OLD. Catering is in the US Plywood Room, a room of some distinction (?). Normal day at work. Meet Jeff and Kelly from Piloti shoes (great people) around 6pm and we take a quick tour backstage and then they disappear into the crowd to watch the show.

BBQ after load out (Roadie Friday). Tons of food, there must be 100 hamburger patties, brats and chicken. Who is going to eat all this? Well, at the end, all the burgers and brats are gone and there's a little chicken left. Onto the buses late for our ride to Sacramento for a day off, don't want to get there too early rooms won't be ready.

Vancouver, BC -Show Day

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Travel to Canada overnight. Mo sweet talks the border guard and we pass through without even waking up. Everyone gets up in the morning and is sure we are stuck at the border and not at the gig. Call my buddy Jim Survis, who lives on Vancouver Island. Try to talk him into driving over, he wusses out. His loss.

I watch the last 4 laps of the Malaysian Moto GP, Ducati comes in first and third. That's two wins in a row for Loris Caporossi and his Ducati. Rossi wins the championship by finishing 2nd, but is pretty whiny about it. GO DUCATI!!!

Typical gig day, except for the band setting off a fire alarm in the practice room. Seems someone took a fog machine in for ambience and it alerted the fire department. Pretty funny. Gig goes well, Canadians are always a good crowd.

Get woken up and taken into US Customs at the border. The seize some amazing steaks we got for bus food, as well as lemons and avacados that were clearly bought in the US. Guess they wanted to have a BBQ. Oh well, on to Portland.

Tacoma -Show Day

Monday, September 26, 2005

OK, so I'm getting a little lazy on this blog thing. Or maybe I'm getting too busy on gig days to write this stuff. Who knows...

Playing the Tacoma Dome today, giant dome built about the same time as the Pyramids. Anyone who's played this place knows what I'm talking about. It also has it's own aroma. Load-in, deal with some bill issues online, get a massage, linecheck, soundcheck, blah, blah, blah. Same old. BBQ after show, I shouldn't have had that Brat. Pay for it later.

San Fran to Seattle -Drive Day

Sunday, September 25, 2005

Wake up on the bus around 9am. Sit up front with Mo and watch the Northern California mountain scenery change to Oregon. We stop at a truck stop outside Salem around 4pm and I end up going back to bed until 6:30, then sit up front with Beau and Mo as we descend into Seattle. Check in to the hotel, shower, make phone calls, check email, then meet lighting crew and others for Sushi near the Pike Place Market (probably the most famous fish market). After Sushi, back to the hotel for reading and sleeping.