Sat 8 September Toronto, ON - V Festival This was a festival on an island. Bjork headlined. I had to use a different version of my usual mixing desk. I did this thinking we would be able to load out, without having to wait for FOH, and get off the island quickly. It didn't work out that way. It was nice to see a bunch of Canadian touring friends. The rest of it sucked. And then I got high.
Sun 9 September Montreal, QC - Osheaga Festival I think this was basically the same thing but in a different place. Also on an island. But this island is made of fine sand. Dust. I am still cleaning it off my stuff. Page came out and we got to hang for a while. I miss that dude. And then I got high.
Mon 10 September Albany, NY - Palace Theatre To be honest I remember nothing of this place. Wait, it is coming back to me now.....The PA was fucked. Another episode of the left doesn't sound like the right. Amazing how many systems fail this simple test. In the past 20 shows I would estimate that this is the 7th place that I have had major problems the moment I turned on the system. Line check delayed. Sound check delayed. Support band check delayed. And so on. And the best part is we pay for the use of this sub par sound system. Why cant companies maintain their gear? I asked our production manager to add on to our technical rider "Please ensure your PA works properly because if there is something broken we will find it". I don't think he did, and I don't think t would make a difference, but I asked. And then I got high.
Tues 11 September OFF Tim and I stayed up till 6:00am and were able to check into the hotel. There was a Barnes and Noble across the street from the hotel. I don't remember much more than that. And then I got high.
Wed 12 September Boston, MA - Agganis Arena This was to be our warm up show for MSG. Lucas would deploy his full rig and I would use a slightly scaled down version of mine. Things took a long time to happen. I don't think i was making any noise till 5:00pm. It was rough for everyone. It is very difficult to scale the show up with no prep time. While this show was a warm up, it was still a show with paying patrons. You can only think that everything you ask of people will happen. At some point you really are asking the impossible. But I forgot that I am part of an elite squad that does indeed make the impossible possible. Or at least palatable. And then I got high.
Thurs 13 September NY Promo Day Everyone needed a day off. I saw Amy for a few hours and then walked around for a few hours. I would pretend I needed to go someplace to buy something and then I would walk there and on the way to location 1 I would think about something else and then wander off in another direction. The type of aimless wander that you can only do in city you know. And then I got high.
Fri 14 September New York, NY - Madison Square Garden My first time at MSG. It's an arena. Looks like a lot of other arenas. It's smaller than some and larger than others. What makes it different is that the first time I went there I was 6. And then I got high.
Sat 15 September Philadelphia, PA - Tower Theatre This was probably a repeat of Albany. Theaters just all blur into the same thing. They are all the same. And then I got high.
Sun 16 September Raleigh, NC - Disco Rodeo Unbelievable that this band is playing here again. The crew is mortified to be here. I hope it doesn't rain as I remember the leaking roof over monitor world a few years ago. I get nothing that I asked for that day and no explanation why. In fact I was told that what I had asked for was actually going to be there. The show was OK but I hate that place. Friends don't let friends play Mexican line dancing joints. And then I got high.
Mon 17 September OFF Day off at the Hard Rock hotel. Being off season the place was empty. It was nice. I had a good lunch. They had an arcade in the hotel. I won a watch and a Coby am/fm radio on the push the button to make the arm move while the prizes are spinning round a turntable game. I didn't sleep as much as I needed to. But i don't know what I was doing while I was awake. A typical day off. And then I got high.
Tues 18 September Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live Its A proper venue. Its a 3 minute ride from the hotel. A good PA that worked. OK food. easy bus access. Clean showers. Cant ask for much more. The place is void of anything resembling character or charm, but I can live without that if everything else is in working order. Lucas and I bought camouflage netting and rubber rats. Bobby bought a dozen rubber eyeballs. It was a good day. And then I got high.
Wed 19 September Miami, FL - Bank United A mini arena that they scaled properly. Drapes, sound baffles in the ceiling. Nice as far as mini arena places go. A local company provided a VDsoc rig with D&B subs. It all worked and a grand time was had by all. I don't really remember that last part but the rest of it is mostly true. Truth is it was another show. Nothing broke. And then I got high.
Thurs 20 September PROMO MIAMI A day off. Crew drove to Atlanta the night after the show. Day off in Atlanta that I don't remember. I ordered Chinese food from a place called Lucky Buddha. And then I got high.
Fri 21 September Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle Crusty old theater, church, house of blues, etc. I do not like the place. Using the house PA make me like the place even less. Catering was really good. FOH is way to close to the back bar so you have people standing 2 feet behind you. Atlanta crowds are rowdy. And then I got high.
Sat 22 September Nashville, TN - Ryman OK, historic landmark stuff aside, this venue is not very conducive to loud rock shows. You are either in or under the balcony. You can not make any type of amplified noise until 4:00pm. The building is a working museum and people are wandering all over the place. I was working at FOH doing some live mixes wearing headphones and tourists were stopping and standing behind me trying to talk to me as I worked. It was annoying. I would be friendly and answer questions if i didn't have headphones on, but if I did I simply ignored your lips moving. Good BBQ for lunch. It is a tough room. And then I got high.
Sun 23 September New Orleans, LA - House of Blues This place was small and cramped even by House Of Blues standards. The larger venue the band should have played at no longer exists. Bobby got me a life size skull with red jewel LED eyes. I have yet to name it. And then I got high.
Mon 24 September OFF This is where I am now. The Alden hotel in Houston, Texas. Desolate downtown Houston. The hotel is quite nice. I have had room service, twice. And a few drinks at the bar this afternoon. And then I got high.