Archive Sunday #64

   In the middle of August we got this pretty last-minute offer to play this park concert series in Nashville. I remember due to the late scheduling Grant and Gianni couldn't make it, but we decided to try it out with the five of us. It was in the middle of the Public Square Park right downtown and we were the second of three bands playing that night. We were kinda worried it was going to rain because it was pretty overcast while we were setting up, but it managed to hold out and we had a great time. It seemed like one of those shows we played to a mostly unfamiliar crowd, as I'm guessing most people were there for the Cold War Kids. But it was kinda fun playing different arrangements for the smaller lineup, and the crowd seemed really into it.

  From there we went back on tour in September, but this time we were all together again. We started out with a long two day drive to Minneapolis to play the historic First Avenue. It seemed crazy to think about how only a few years ago we were playing at the small venue next door to about twenty people. This time we got this nice cupcakes in the greenroom, and we had a great night. Next up we hit Madison, WI to play the Majestic Theatre. It had a cool retro vibe, but I couldn't shake the feeling that the room was off-center haha. It definitely seemed better from the crowd perspective, but I guess the downtown real estate forced them to build it a certain way. I think we threw in Something Soon that night after a long break from playing it.

  The next night we played at this huge venue in Chicago called the Riviera Theater. It might have been our biggest indoor venue yet, and reminded me a lot of the Neptune Theater in Seattle. The crowd there was awesome and made us feel super welcome. From there we drove to Detroit to play another Majestic Theatre which seemed to be built around the same time. It had this wide open floor that seemed a bit newer than it's ornate ceilings. We were getting pretty into playing the game Drawful in the greenrooms in our down-time. We all steadily improved over the tour, but John F. was always a step above the rest of us. Luckily it's one of those games that's fun even when you're losing.

  Then we played one of our few shows in Ohio. It was in the college town near Columbus at the Newport Music Hall. I remember Grant's guitar was giving us this loud hum during soundcheck that took us a bit to figure out, but thankfully during the show it didn't seem like a huge issue. We were kinda unsure if the place would fill out given that it was a new market for us. But it turned out to be a great night because the crowd had so many drinks in them that they were super receptive. Then we took the bridge up to Canada to play the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto and the Corona Theatre in Montreal. It was this trip when I realized how well-known Henry's grandfather was up in Canada. He had played hockey for the Maple Leafs and the Canadian national time so whenever it came up people would go crazy haha. I remember Henry accidentally left his traveling acoustic guitar in the Montreal greenroom and didn't notice until they day after. Luckily they were nice enough to ship it back to him.

  The following day we played at the Royale in Boston. It seemed like a newly built venue and had super nice accommodations. For some reason I remember Will playing some Radiohead during soundcheck while John was making some adjustments, though I don't think we actually played a cover that night. Next up we had two consecutive nights at Brooklyn Steel which was a welcome relief from the constant traveling. It was also nice because my good friend was working there at the time, so it was great to catch-up. I remember him saying we were one of the easiest bands to come through from the venue's perspective, so it was a nice break from more difficult ones. It almost feels like a mini vacation for us when we play the same venue back-to-back. Because we can leave all our gear there and use the next morning to explore the city and get some great food. Andrew and Will used the extra time in the green room to prepare for the first 1 trait show scheduled on our day off.

  The next day, we all helped out with the 1 trait show. We got to the venue Sunnyvale early surprised with how easy it was to set everything up. I remember Andrew told me to wear my shirt that said "staff" on the back so I could blend in side-stage before my short cameo. Grant and Henry also had a little skit they did for an intro to one of the songs. Overall it was a great night and it was a nice break from the more high-pressure environments. I remember John F. came along to control the four or so lights they had and hang out on his day off. By the end of the night he got pretty wasted from the free booze the venue gave us haha.

  After that we played Union Transfer in Philadelphia. It was a neat venue with a kind of Tudor vibe inside, but my favorite part was the giant mural outside. Then we went down to D.C. to play the 9:30 club again. This time we were booked for two nights and had an even better time than the first. I remember we invited out Don Babylon to come out and start the show. They were super excited because they had just received a record deal, and like many of us loved going to shows at the 9:30 club. I remember going to the National Air and Space museum before the second show to check out all the exhibits. We did this flight simulator at the end that spun us around to the point of getting dizzy, and the attendant laughed at us for being so bad haha.

  From there we went further south to hit up the Cat's Cradle and Orange Peel in North Carolina again. John F. enjoyed coming back to the venue he used to work at, but mentioned he was happy he moved on because a lot of his old coworkers had moved on. I remember buying this firewire mixer I found on Craiglist early the next day from this guy I met in an old garage. Luckily the other guys were cool with me throwing it in the van. Then in Atlanta we played this old movie theater called the Variety Playhouse. After that, we hit up a couple spots we never played before. One was this park series in Louisville that was outside right by the river. I remember a couple other bands played that night too including Shannon and the Clams that gave the night a more eclectic feel. Everyone loved finding out that Louisville had this local dish called the Hot Brown, and I think Grant and Henry even tried one. We played this venue the next day in St. Louis called Delmar Hall. I remember when all the house lights were on it kinda looked like this big cafeteria, but once the crowd filled in it seemed a lot better. It felt like the relentless schedule and several nights of bad sleep started catching up to most of us around this time, so it wasn't our best show. But I hope we get the chance to come back and give it another shot.

  Our last show of the tour was in Kansas City, and it definitely felt like everyone was in better spirits. You kinda get this burst of energy when the end is finally in sight. We played this outdoor venue with this giant courtyard with this cool coffee shop across from the stage. I remember running around town with Andrew to return the rental trailer to U-Haul before the show, and being scared we got the address wrong. It turned out to be in this giant old mostly abandoned factory complex, but everything went alright. It was an extremely fun night and the perfect way to put an end to the long tour!