Tan and not very rested
The picture here sets a bit of the tone of this post. These are some of the riser from this past weekends show. The stagehands decided to just toss them over the side of the stage after the change overs.
Actually the show went fairly well.
No this weekend was another one of those airline nightmares. Started on Friday with a connecting flight through Dulles in Washington DC. It seems a woman on our flight had a checked bag that was flagged at security. No problem I know that has to make sure everything is ok. The weird thing was they told us we could get off the plane and get some food and that it would be about 45 minutes. At this point they just said it was an airport security issue and didn’t say it was our plane specifically.
After about an hour they begin paging a passenger. Turns out the woman they are looking for went to the bar to have a drink.
Let’s just say not only did our flight get delayed over an hour and a half. They were at least a dozen other flights affected.
Now Sunday is where things get interesting. Myself and Dave our guitar tech arrive at the Sacramento airport around 9am to fly home. He is going to Denver and I’m on my way to Rochester via Chicago. I find out my Chicago flight is delayed over 2 hours because of the inbound aircraft. Turns out they had to swap planes.
I finally get out of Sacramento around 1pm. Funny thing is Dave called me from Denver while I was at the gate and he was home already. Thanks for rubbing it in Dave.
I get into Chicago after 7pm and I had already been booked on later connection. The thing was I had a 2-hour layover. It’s father’s day so it is usually a slow travel day. Not tonight, O’Hare airport is a zoo. Plus flights are delayed all over the place.
I finally arrive in Rochester just after midnight. Plus with my 40-minute drive home it’s nearly one a.m.
At least I don’t have to get on another plane for about a month. I will be doing a new tour, which starts at the end of July. I will be posting more on that in the next few days.
Labels: California, Concert, Five For Fighting
Weekend in sun...oh wait Day in the Zone
On Friday it's off to the west coast again to do what will probably be my last Five For Fighting show for awhile. The album cycle is pretty much over for the latest CD.
John has a couple of acoustic performances later in the summer but that is about it.
So this weekend we will be doing a radio festival for KZZO radio in Sacramento. It is an afternoon show and we will be the next to last act. Our set time is 2:30pm which is pretty early. Smashmouth will be the closing act on this one. We seem to do a lot of these radio shows with them.
Still waiting on word of the tour in late July that I may do. The dates were finally announced yesterday. My fingers are crossed and emails are going back and forth.
Labels: California, FFF, Five For Fighting, Sun
It's lunch time
Just a few more days at home and then it's back to the west coast. The best part of the tour is that we will be in California and Nevada for the first 5 or 6 days. This can mean only one thing. An
In N Out burger stop!!
Oh yea we have some shows to do too.
I know, I have blogged about this before, but dam do I love them burgers!! Double double animal style.
The picture above is the location on Sunset in West Hollywood. It is next door to the old Hollywood High School building. Just a couple blocks from the Roosevelt Hotel, Grauman's Chinese Theater and the Jimmy Kimmel show. I can't tell you how many time's I have walked to this location while staying at the Roosevelt.
I even went there while doing Jimmy Kimmel, once. Went over before the band I was with did sound check. The drummer heard that I went so he decided to go after they were done. Everyone loves em.
Great....now I'm hungry.
Labels: Burgers, California
3 Days on the road...Part 1
The corporate date we did on Tuesday is over. Things started out with a couple of flights to California on Monday. Of course my connecting flight out of Chicago was delayed, thanks American Airlines. I finally got into LAX around 10pm.
The crew did get to stay at a
Ritz Carlton hotel right on the ocean. Now this is a place to spend a few days. Too bad we didn't spend much time there.
The venue was very nice. It's basically an opera house that was just built in 2006. There is a picture of it that you see at the top of this post. This is from their website.
The band and our guitar tech drove down from LA where they are rehearsing.
Just before sound check I was out working with the house lighting crew trying to get some programming done on their new console. They have an ETC EOS, which just recently came on the market. Not a bad console, but there are still bugs in the software.
While I was at the board I heard a crash on stage. When I looked up I see Randy the drummer getting up off the floor. It seems the local crew left some sort of rolling stage platform out and Randy didn't see it and tripped. He ended up injuring his right hand. It is mainly his thumb and the hospital didn't find a fracture. He was able to play some of the songs even though he was bandaged up.
The show went fairly well otherwise.
Want to mention there are a couple new guys in the band for the upcoming tour. Greg Suran will be playing guitar. You may have seen Greg play with Jewel recently. He also toured with the Goo Goo Dolls for a couple years. I have actually known Greg for about 12 years. He was the touring guitarist for the band Machines Of Loving Grace who I road managed for several years.
Playing bass on this tour is Eric Holden who plays with the Bo Deans. Of course Randy Cooke is still behind the kit.
We have a couple new crew guys this time out.
Labels: California, Concert, Crew, FFF, Five For Fighting
Peanuts, Pretzels and weary travelers
The next few days will be filled with sleepless nights, tight spaces and smelly people.
I have to fly to Los Angeles tomorrow for a show with Five For Fighting. Yes I know we are still two weeks from the tour starting. On tuesday we will be playing a corporate event, which is actually near Costa Mesa.
These things are always interesting. Sometimes they are just a party thrown by the company. This one is a yearly event I guess, where they give out awards to their employees.
John and the band are the evenings entertainment.
Anyway I get to spend the next couple of days flying from Upstate NY to LA and then back on Wednesday. I will be trying to fly as light as possible, I'm not even going to bring a laptop. LAX is a pain, not so much flying into but flying out of, even before 9/11.
I have been on line moving my seat assignment on the flights. I wish you could select exit rows on line.
The best part of the trip is I get to spend a day and half in some nice weather. Oh yea...I get paid too.
Labels: Airlines, Airports, California, Five For Fighting
