Roadie Blog: 2005-12-11

Melbourne -Show Day

Saturday, December 17, 2005

According to my day sheet, all crew lobby call is at 9:30am. What? I don't need to be there till at least 2pm, but I don't make the rules. A few people are missing from lobby call, is there a boycott I'm not aware of? Get to the gig, everyone keeps asking me and Hans why we are there. Finally the production manager comes by and apologizes, since he changed the time to noon and neglected to inform us. GREAT. Well, at least the internet is free here.

Finally do some work after lunch (which I don't eat as it looks horrible). More reading and hanging around till show time. Band plays a stellar set, the last of the tour. It is bittersweet, as everyone is tired from 15 months of touring, but no one wants it to end. Load-out and pack up my stuff to be sent home, since I have another gig to go to in January. After load-out, hang with the band some and eventually end up at a restaurant the promoter/management has arranged for an afterparty. Everyone is seating and eating/drinking, when we are surprised by a performance from one of the creators of the 'Puppetry of the Penis'. The guy is hilarious, I'd seen him before on an HBO special in the States. After the show, everyone ends up in the bar and I eventually leave with the last of the band members at 4:30am, some people stayed later... Oh well, looks like I'll get about 3 hours sleep, which is fine, as I want to sleep most of the 14 hour flight to LAX.

Melbourne -Production Day

Friday, December 16, 2005

Don't have to be at the gig till 2pm. Wander around the shopping area until about 1pm and grab some Thai food to take to the gig. Arrive at the gig, it's a retractable roof soccer stadium, HUGE. Load-in and setup then sit around reading, until line check at 6pm. Have dinner in catering, glad i brought my own lunch as the food is luch room terrible. Yuck. Band comes in at 7pm to soundcheck. Back to the hotel around 10pm.

Sydney to Melbourne -Travel Day

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Lobby call at 10:30am, off to the airport and group checkin for our flight to Melbourne. Arrive in Melbourne around 2:30pm. Staying at the same hotel we usually stay at, so I know where everything is. Grab a few guys for a trip to the Melbourne branch of Route 66. run into more guys in the lobby and decide to eat lunch first, settle on Wagamama's (again), since it's right next to the hotel. We should get frequent flyer points with this restaurant ;)

Off to Route 66 after lunch, don't buy anything this time. Guess I've gotten it all on prior trips. Walk around the shopping area, but stuff starts closing up on us around 5:30pm, so we eventually end up back at the hotel. Read my book until I fall asleep.

Sydney, Australia -Days Off and Show Day

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Monday 12/12/05: Had today off too, Beau and I walk around most of the day. Eat at Wagamama's again, this time with our keyboard player. get back to my room early evening, decide to read. Fall asleep till about 5:30am. Oops.

Tuesday 12/13/05: Production Day. Up early today(see above), hit the Starbucks around 8am. Off to the gig for lunch and set-up. We're playing the Sydney Cricket Grounds. Set-up after lunch, don't linecheck till 6pm (lots of waiting around), band soundchecks 7pm to 8pm. Back to the hotel by 11pm. Hang with the backline crew guys till almost 2am. Up to bed, fall asleep before I can read a page.

Wednesday 12/14/05: Show Day. Down to the gig for lunch, doors at 4:30pm and first band at 6:30pm. We hit about 8:30 and play till the 10:30 curfew. Show is sold-out, about 35,000 kids. Show ends with a big pyro finale. Back to the hotel about 1am. Lobby call at 10:30am tomorrow for our flight to Melbourne.