CarSeatHeadrest225

Archive Sunday #17

Added 2023-09-24 16:00:04 +0000 UTC

The Car Seat Boys head to Amsterdam!

AK: Amsterdam has always been a blast to perform in. For whatever reason we typically have had multiple days in the city which includes a days off to explore. The days off really add to the enjoyment. Most nights Seth and I would venture off to buy some weed brownies or some joints at a coffee shop (what they call weed shops there). Seth had a friend who would show us around and we'd end up smoking a joint by the canal on some dark street. Seth just reminded me that one night a group of locals approached us as we were walking into a weed shop and asked if we could get them some stuff. They handed me money and I didn't really think much about it since I was already going in there. In hindsight we figure they were just kids that weren't allowed to buy weed yet so they would solicit tourists. Oops!

WT: Paradiso is a classic. I don't believe we've ever played another venue in Amsterdam. Is there one?

I'm just remembering the "BackStage Hotel" looking at these photos. Our old UK booking agency used to book all our hotels for us, & there were some quirky ones. There was another one in Berlin that was kind of this massive complex that I think was filled with touring bands. I've booked the hotels for most of our US runs, and it's been a pleasantly interminable blend of La Quintas, Country Inns, and Home2s. Generally what I remember of Euro hotels is not sleeping due to jet lag.

SD: Our last stop for this European run was Amsterdam, probably due to it's international airport being one of the cheapest options to fly in and out of. So we checked into this wacky music themed hotel right before heading to the venue. The rooms were mostly red and black with repurposed drums and road cases used for lampshades and furniture. It looked like they even had bands play in the lobby bar, but unfortunately we had to go further into town.

I was excited to have easy access to vegetarian food nearby, so I grabbed some falafel on the way to the venue though I did kinda miss the fresh baguettes and cheese from the nights before. We loaded our gear upstairs to the small room of Paradiso, and peeked into the church-like main room where we saw Grimes setting up in front of the massive stained-glass window for the show later in the evening.

After soundcheck we all went to the diner across the street that served all-day breakfast planning to crunch the numbers of the somewhat complete tour as we ate. It didn't take us long tallying up the expenses to realize we actually loss money for this Europe tour haha. Fortunately we all knew that it was great experience regardless and necessary to make a name for ourselves in these new areas. And luckily I was able to pick up a few more shifts at some venues back home to help me make that month's rent.

We capped off the run with a great show in front of an enthusiastic crowd, and even finished early enough to catch most of Grime's set next door. Andrew and I stayed until the very end and meandered our way back to the hotel through the busy streets of wasted partiers.