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Archive Sunday #68

Added 2024-09-29 16:00:11 +0000 UTC

From Richmond, we headed farther south to play our first show in Athens, GA. Most of us have been fans of The Elephant 6 bands from that area, so we were excited to check out the music scene there. We played at a cool venue called the Georgia Theatre, and I remember meeting one of the members of REM's son slightly before we played. He seemed really cool, and it turned out to be really great night. We really enjoyed our time in Athens because it seemed like the perfect size with a strong art scene, so hopefully we can spend more time there at some point.

The next day we continued off the beaten track we trudged down on past tours, and hit up Tallahassee, Florida. We were excited that we could finally tour this corner of America without a bunch of costly travel days on the way back up that would put us in the red. We played at this nightclub called The Moon that seemed catered to yacht rock and lounge music. It was a cool spot though and conveniently located across the street from a Little Cesar's pizza. This must have been the day that Peter Tork from the Monkees died, because I remember Will throwing "For Pete's Sake" into the setlist at soundcheck. I also randomly remember John F. surprising us with a CO2 cannon at the drop during Hippie Powers. It definitely was perfect for the moment, but for a split second I thought something went wrong haha.

Our next stop was at Orlando, and on our way we were seriously kicking ourselves for not padding an extra day in the schedule so we could hit up one of the theme parks. We stopped at a gas station on the way that had these freshly picked oranges that really hit the spot. John F. had just run out of clean laundry so he found some cheesy tourist shirts in 2X that were 3 for $10. The venue was called the Beacham right in the heart of downtown. It was crazy hot and humid that day, but we did our best to conserve our energy for the show. Thankfully I found a smoothie spot that really hit the spot. It turned out to be another great show, even though it was our first venture down there.

From there we went to Tampa Bay to play a venue called the Orpheum. I remember the venue had an outdoor stage and a couple smaller indoor ones. Thankfully we played inside so it was a little bit cooler. Other than that, I don't remember too much beside it being a fun show. This was still at the point when I would help sell merch at the end of the night, so I was probably pretty wiped.

Next up, after a couple of long travel days along the gulf we hit up New Orleans, LA. It was a week or two before Mardi Gras, so the city was in full bloom. Most of the decorations were already out, and beads lined the fences along the parade routes. I remember checking out a couple of record stores and vintage stores before we had to make our way to the venue. We played at the historic Tipitina's that was an old stomping ground of legendary New Orlean's artists like Dr. John and The Meters. I remember seeing Allen Toussaint's plaque outside before loading in and being really excited to play the same stage. It was a super fun night, and I remember the venue gave us a free shirt that I still have laying around somewhere. We hit up Bourbon street to grab some Po' boys for a late night snack afterwards. The next morning Andrew took us all to Cafe du Monde to grab some of their delicious beignets and chicory coffee. Andrew's dad had recommended it, and honestly I still crave those warm flaky pastries doused in powdered sugar from time to time.

From New Orleans we headed west to Texas, where we were excited to hit the major cities again, this time as headliners. The first stop was White Oak Music Hall in Houston. I remember Andrew really tested out his driving skills as he had to back in the van and trailer up a pretty steep incline. Normally he would have been fine, but the hill caused him to scrape the trailer hitch if he didn't take it just right. Luckily after about twenty minutes we made it work haha. It was a cool venue, with exposed wood lining the outer walls which gave it a unique look.

The next day we headed to Austin where we played a little outside downtown at a cool spot called Emo's. I remember this venue had the main green room a little down the road at a separate building, which turned out to be super nice because it felt like a little escape. I took a stroll down the main strip to grab some Mexican food after soundcheck which is always so much better when we're down south.

After that we played at Deep Ellum Live in Dallas. I was kinda expecting another spot like Club Dada on the strip, but this place seemed relatively newly built and super nice. For some reason I remember someone throwing a cowboy hat on stage, which Will popped on for a song or two. I don't know if it's the same one or not, but we still have an old beat up cowboy hat on the van to this day haha.

Our last show of the tour happened in San Antonio at a really neat spot called the Paper Tiger. It was certainly smaller than the previous nights but really seemed to showcase the local art scene there. The stage was a tight fit for all our gear and the lighting package, and I definitely remember getting blinded trying to glance back at Andrew. It was a great way to end the run, and the crowd was probably one of the best of the entire tour!