Well, here we are at the Marriott West in Denver, Co. We left O'Hare at 1 and arrived at the hotel at 4 local time, so not too bad, I guess. Except for the flight, which was the longest 2 hour flight EVER. First off, my seat back would not return to the "upright and locked position," so I kept leaning back. It was very uncomfortable. To say the least. Then there was the hoople-head behind me who didn't shut up the whole time (thank god for head phones). From the moment we got on the plane until the stewardess (sorry, flight attendant) gave us the ok to use our approved electronic devices, all I heard about was how his seat belt didn't fit and he needed an extender and that's never happened before and how could this happen now, he hasn't gained any weight, so how does this happen now? Maybe it's cuz your fat butt needs to stop watching the ball game now and then, get up off the couch and and maybe go DO something other than eat at the $6.95 buffet at the Golden Skillet. Maybe try Jenny Craig or something. SO, the airport sucked. We played the dead rock star game on the way to the hotel: basically, the idea is to keep naming dead rock stars until you can't think of any more. It's one of those games where you start off fast, but run into a block quickly... very interesting.

On the way to the hotel, we saw this sign:
Welcome to Colorado! Shouldn't that sign read: "Correctional Facility Do Not Stop." ?

Uncle DJ came to the show last night, which was really cool. He came early and we went to dinner, then met up with his neighbor, John, and his brother-in-law Ron (yeah, I know). They really enjoyed the show, which was great to hear. I was just happy to see Uncle D and hang out with him: it seems like I almost never get the chance.

Billy and I wandered around the Colorado Mills mall for about 3 hours today: it's a huge mall. It's not unlike the one that Fifi, Noel, Dietz and I did the opening for last September. Same developer. But it was good that I went, because I finally got the battery for my phone replaced. I dropped it in a puddle a few months ago, and since then the battery dies after about 10 minutes of talking, even if I just took it off the charger. So I got the new one, we'll see how it works. The coolest part, however, is that they had a custom T-shirt shop there. So I finally bought the shirt that I've been talking about for a few years now: I know, hold back your excitement... here it comes...

Yeah, I know. You can't help but feel awed by the coolness of knowing yours truly. It's ok. I might even let you touch it the next time you see me...

"To predict the behavior of ordinary people in advance, you only have to assume that they will always try to escape a disagreeable situation with the smallest possible expenditure of intelligence."

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900)

Ugh... beat. Just got into the hotel about 30 mins ago. After an 18 hr drive from Scranton, Pa to Green Bay, Wi. About 10 am, we pulled over on rte 80 because one of the band buses was sideswiped by a trailer. Took out the driver's window and mirror, cracked the windshield, but other than that everyone was ok. Pics to follow. But big drama because now they have to have 11 people on one bus instead of 2. Well, sorry if I don't have alot of sympathy for that one, but I don't. Maybe it's because the crew bus has been full for the whole tour...

Scranton wasn't bad, except for the never ending rain. Other than that, nothing special, really. I'm kinda groggy from being in bed all day, so I'll continue this later...

Ok, so now I'm back. So here's a question that popped into my mind yesterday: Why is it, that when you get a fancy, $135/night hotel room, they give you the rough toilet paper? I mean, for the money spent on that hotel room, don't you think they'd have enough to give you the soft stuff? And there wasn't even a robe in the room either? What kind of hotels do they have here in Green Bay, anyways? This casino is so ghetto: it's only slot machines, the resturaunt had the worst service, and the entertainment last night was Nelson. Yeah, that Nelson. Vid (the production manager) thought that was hilarious, because Nelson opened for Cinderella when he was Cinderalla's PM in the late 80's. So after dinner I wandered through the casino, had a drink with Vid, and then hit the hot tub. It wasn't that hot (literally). The board in the pool area said it was 104 deg, but it felt more like 95. I was all alone, which was nice, until some fat broad and her husband showed up. So I went to the suana for a schvitz. After that, I poked my head into the sports bar in the hotel, where some really heinous Japanese torture ritual was being performed for all the patrons. After hearing the beginning of Summer Nights, I beat feet for my room and went to bed.

The gig is pretty easy, house lights in a tent, wow. We're having Gov't Mule shirt day instead of Hawaiian shirt Tuesday because managment made a big deal about someone wearing a Mule shirt the other day and told us that we're not allowed to wear Mule shirts on stage. And that's about that. Well, back to not working...

Almost forgot: saw this in the hotel this morning. Only in Wisconsin.

"Why a four-year-old child could understand this report.
Run out and find me a four-year-old child, I can't make head or tail of it. "

Groucho Marx (1890 - 1977)

What's up, gang? This is going to be a short one, cuz I just don't feel like writing right now. But Amanda pointed out to me that I haven't written in a while and I should, so here you go.

I haven't written in a while because I just don't feel like it. Don't got much to say. I'm kinda miserable right now, and I can't wait to be home. I don't really know why, except to say that there are certain people on this tour that have been here for way too long, and they seem to have forgotten why they do this. I'm not having fun right now, and that really sucks because my job is way too much work to not be fun.

That being said, Amanda and my Mom came out to the Garden State Arts Center show (note: NOT PNC Bank Arts Center. Those corporate jerks can take a hike for all I care) with Aunt Fran and Robert. It was fun to watch Rob backstage: his wide eyed excitement helped me remember why I do this in the first place. There's so many bitter and angry people around me every day; I often feel like the only reason many of them are here is money. And that really sucks. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of people who are here because they love what they do, and we have a good time, but it seems like the small percentage of anger and bitterness ruins that. And it's making me miserable. I don't know if I could do this for 3 months. But I digress...

Having Rob at the show was a really good time. I enjoyed watching him; he was so INTO the show... it's a great memory that I'll keep for a long time.

The rest of the tour has been pretty uneventful: NC had a pretty slow crew until we got to Atlanta, where I swear we built the rig 3 times. Every time I turned around it was like I had to stop the hand from doing what he was doing and explain it again. New Hampshire: NH has to be the only place I've been so far that I like less than Detroit. I've only been there twice, but both experiences have been dreadful. It truly is hell with trees. And now we're in Boston. It's actually not going too badly today: a couple of gremlins early on, but I hope we have them worked out. (great, I just jinxed it). Tomorrow is Scranton, Pa, then a big long bus ride to Green Bay. I can't wait.

Ok, so this short little post has now gone on longer than expected. I'm going to go take a nap now. Reese's Pieces.

Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons, and you will find that it is to the soul what the water bath is to the body.

Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809 - 1894)

Hey kids, just a quickie today, couple of pics:

From the Longhorn Steakhouse in Parsippany NJ: don't eat the prime rib. Just don't.

Atlantic City, NJ: Bare Feet Hoes. Wow. What a great store.


I bet this isn't nearly as funny at 3am...

And now, a little something from my favorite TV show:

"Pain or damage don't end the world. Or despair or fucking beatings. The world ends when you're dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man... and give some back."
Al Swearengen

So, for some unkown reason, my blog refuses to update. There was another link supposed to be in the last post, and it's not showing up, so I'll try again: the missing link. I was explaining that if you really want to read a good blog, you should check this one out. Or maybe this one, if that's more your speed.

Anyway, here I am at The Town Hall in NYC waiting for Boz Scaggs to do his thing. The locals here couldn't believe it when I opened the truck and there was no truss, just 8 moving lights and some pipes. We had it all built by 10 am and have been sitting around staring at each other for the last 9 hours. Only 3 more to go...

So I had something to rant about this morning as I was entering the Lincoln Tunnel, but I can't remember what it was. Must have been that good. Saw this on my way into the tunnel, tho, don't think I would use this company...


Got a call from my man Dan Dekowsky in MD this afternoon: he's getting married on 9/7/07. That's great for him, I'm happy, but that means I have 2 weddings to go to that weekend! Gonna be a long weekend, 'specially since it's in the middle of Fashion Week! Fortunately, I only have to be best man at one...

Well, I guess that's all. And now for someone else's words:

"Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish."
Euripides (484 BC - 406 BC)

So, it's been pointed out to me that my blog sucks. My father and brother decided to break the news to me in the bar Wednesday night. Well, guess what: I don't write the blog FOR YOU! I write the blog so that I can vent and not break things. If you want to read a good blog, go here. So there. That being said:

Here's a little something for you all to enjoy while I sit in Tom Ridge Field in Erie Pa. Why they would name an airport after THAT tool, I don't know, but they did, so here I am. Anyways, here's some fun pics of signs that I've run across over the past year. Enjoy!

Ft. Lauderdale, Fl: Glad I was on the 2nd floor...

This was on the bottom of a Heinekin shaped bottle opener. I'm not sure what an eating prohibiter is, but it doesn't sound good.

Girl, you thought he was a man, but he was a muffin!

Nice shot, Stevie.

Niagara Falls, ON.: This sign was found on the whale tank. Only a couple thousand gallons there...

Cincinnati, Oh.: Black clothing really doesn't operate much of anything.

Here it is:

You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.

Mark Twain (1835 - 1910),

I just wanna say this: to all you jerks with your jihad and whatnot, keep it to yourself, ok? I mean if you want to blow your own stupid self up, go right ahead. Just don't try to take the rest of the world with you. And stop messing up the damn airports! F! And why doesn't this thing correct itself? Stupid people.

OK, kids, so for all of you out there who are no longer reading, I'll continue on:

I know I haven't posted in two months, and I know I promised ABB pics, but see, here's the thing: Technology is a bitch mistress. See, after spending about $500 on upgrading my Dell laptop, I got to the second day of the Brothers' tour and promptly blew it the f up. Not on purpose, mind you, but these things happen, and they seemed to happen to me a great deal during the months of June and July. So between that, the great desktop debacle (kudos to eMachines for getting the damn thing fixed after only 4 months and 3 tries) and just being busier than a monkey in a banana factory (what?), I haven't really had the time to sit down and grace you all with my incoherent rants.

So let's get into it, shall we?

Rant #1: Mel Gibson. Who cares. If you haven't figured out that he's a religious fanatic after this one, then maybe you should pull your head out of the sand and look around before you vote this November, hmm? You know it's gone on too long when B-list celebs who haven't made a pic in almost 5 years worth discussing are coming out "in support of Mel." Well, boo-dee-freakin-hoo. I don't care.

Which brings me to rant #2: the Media. While you jerks are sitting around wondering what anti-Semitic comment Mel's gonna spew out next, PEOPLE ARE DYING! World War 3 is breaking out in the middle east, and the MSNBC and CNN are more worried about pipelines in Alaska and whether or not the winner of the tour de France is on steroids. Not that this is being completely ignored, but I have to wonder what the majority of the country is paying attention to. Oh, right, it's August: football is starting. Nevermind.

Rant #3: This is more of a work related rant, so for those of you who don't care, play with this. For the rest of you, here's a little something about other people's property: DON'T TREAT IT LIKE GARBAGE!!! You wouldn't like it if someone else treated your stuff like $h!t, so don't to it to other people's! If you borrow something, bring it back in the same condition! If you need something, ASK! And most of all, DO NOT put my workbox in the truck WITHOUT A [gosh darn] STRAP! F***! When I come into the shop on Monday and find my box on it's side in the back of the truck, that makes me a little tiny itty bitty bit homicidal. I mean, there's expensive, breakable $h!t in there! That's my LIVELIHOOD. I'd appreciate it if I could get that stuff back in one piece, thanks.

Ok, so now that I've had my breakfast, let's get back to the insanity...

Rant #4: Some of you have already heard this one, but I'll say it again anyway: what is the point of paying more than $60 to see a concert if the only part of the live show you can see is the video screen that they put up 500 ft from the stage? Are people's lives so boring and incomplete that they feel that watching a video feed from the stage is the same thing as being at a concert? Buy the f'n DVD. Save yourself $30. Tho I really shouldn't complain about this, after all, these morons are funding my paycheck. So prattle on, you insignificant Abercrombie and Fitch wearing preppie wannabe's, and stay out on the lawn with your smelly frat-boy a$$. But keep paying $7 for that Heineken. They don't call 'em Heinies for nothin!

Well, I guess that's all the ranting I can stand for now. I really don't know how you people put up with it, but then again, I really don't think anyone reads this thing ANYWAY (except the NSA, but that's another rant entirely), so there you go. Here's your quote:

"Washington is the only place where sound travels faster than light. "

C. V. R. Thompson

So, it's been a month since I've posted and I think it's time to add one. Not that anyone's watching (except for the Federal Gov't, Hi fellas!) but I like talking to myself, so it's all good...

Tomorrow I leave for the first 2 week leg of the Allman Brother's Band summer tour. As excited as I am to be going, I'm also scared stiff that I will screw up and it'll all go to hell. I've spent the last week working on moving lights for the tour; that and nothing but. So I'm a little apprehensive about the rest of the rig. I'm sure all the rigging, truss, and cable was prepared properly; I'm just worried that since I had nothing to do with it, I won't know what to do with it. I guess I'm just worried over nothing, really, since it's been prepared to the point where a color blind gorilla with barely passable reading skills could put this thing together. Besides, two of the guys who did build the rest of the rig will be there, so what do I have to worry about, really? Besides looking incompetent, that is.

So this will be a short tour, just 2 weeks and then 3 more in August, mostly East Coast venues with a few Midwestern stops. Lots of "old hands" on this one, guys who have been touring around 30+ years. Should be interesting, to say the least. I'm a little worried about a rumor I heard that the buses are dry except for a case of beer on the crew bus... I'm terrified that I'll have to go 2 weeks with nothing but Bud to drink... gross. Quite a few days off in this short 2 week period tho... an overnight in Niagara Falls at the Falls View Casino Resort... there goes that week's per diem. And then another day off in Atlantic City... I hope I'm able to actually make some money on this tour!

Ah well, that's enough for now. I have to go finish packing, then it's dinner with the 'rents and off to bed. Sounds boring, eh? Yeah. So here's your quote:

"Lord, I was born a ramblin man,
Tryin to make a livin and doin the best I can.
And when its time for leavin,
I hope youll understand,
That I was born a ramblin man."

~Dicky Betts

I saw this today and I feel the need to add my $.02: Zacarias Moussaoui, the only man brought to trial in the US for the 9/11 hijackings, was sentenced to life in prison today. He will be spending the rest of his life, with no possiblity of parole, in the Adminstrative Maximum (ADMAX or Supermax) part of the US Prisons Complex in Florence, Colorado. Now, I know many people out there are angry that Moussaoui isn't getting the death sentence; that the American taxpayer will be supporting him the rest of his life; that the punishment should fit the crime. What I say to them is: we took away from him the most important thing in his life. Not only will he be in a cell 23 hours a day for the rest of his life, but he will never, NEVER get to martyr himself for his "cause." His "glorious" fiery death that would have killed hundreds or thousands of Americans will never happen; he will rot on a concrete slab for the rest of his days and die as nothing more than a footnote to the turning point of the early 21st century. This, combined with the fact that Americans have shown that we're not out for blood but for justice, will serve as proof that we can take the moral high ground if we choose to. We can do the right thing when we need to. I only hope the future sees more of this kind of thing.

Myrtle Beach, SC - So on vaca with the girlfriend and fam... having a good time. MB is much more fun when you're old enough to drink. Last time I was here, it was on a band trip in '97... what a horrible trip. Alligator Adventure, which is as underwhlmingly exciting as it sounds, was one of our first stops then. This time: avoided it completely. We did, however, go back to the Myrtle Beach Grand Prix. Amanda and I got there right at opening time and had the place to ourselves... it was cool. I set the fastest time for the Grand Prix... I know, it's hard not to be impressed, but please do your best. Tonight we're going to Dixie Stampede for dinner. Apparently, it's like Medieval Times, except rodeo themed. I can't wait. Yeah, having a good time tho...

John, Amanda's nephew, is having fun. Today, we walked up to the beach and he got very excited when he saw the ocean... he shouted "There it is!" like he expected it to be gone or something... it was cute. I've got some good photos, but I can't seem to get them off the camera right now, and I have to go to dinner... I'll post them later.

"Vacation used to be a luxury, however, in today's world, it has become a necessity."

Anonymous

Real quick one for all you meat eaters out there: still don't believe me about mad cow disease?
Well, kids, it's coming... Also, hope you all had a good weekend, I know I did. Two days and no work!?! Woohoo!

And remember: all the leftover Easter candy goes on sale today! Go go go!

What a shitty week. Car show at the Javits center, OMFG. Around 4 AM today, when the Teamsters told me I couldn't load my truck until 8 AM, the blog entry I was writing in my head went something like this: Fuck the Javits. Fuck the Teamsters. Fuck New York City. I hate it all.

Now, if you know me, you know I'm a strong supporter of Unions. I feel that collective bargaining is a right, that sometimes the only way for the working man to be able to defend himself and not be taken advantage of by those who employ him is to get together in a group and force a change. It's the American way, despite what some people would have you think (Declaration of Independence, anyone?) But this week was a shining example of what happens when that right is taken advantage of and abused. I'm not going to get too deep into details, but let's just say that some people are too comfortable in their jobs and need to be reminded that their purpose is not to screw their employer at every chance, but to help the customer. Because if people stopped doing shows at the Javits center, they wouldn't have a job. And if there was an alternative, people wouldn't do shows at the Javits.

On to complaint #2: driving. Rush hour. Suck my testes, world. I hate everyone. Why is it that people need to stop when they come over a hill and suddenly the sun is shining in their face? You're traveling east, jerk, put the sun visor down. Go to CVS and spend the $5 on a pair of sunglasses instead of that pint of Haagen Daaz that your fat ass doesn't need anyway. AND STOP READING THE GODDAM PAPER IN TRAFFIC AND DRIVE!!!! The next broad I see putting on makeup on Route 3 is going to get beaten. Then shot, then beaten some more, and finally dumped in the swamp. Oh, and if there's an accident, or if someone gets pulled over for speeding, DON'T STOP TO LOOK!!! I can't emphasize this one enough: keep fucking driving. Especially if the police and fire and ambulance is ALREADY THERE. There's nothing more you can do, and if it's your grandma that plowed across 3 lanes of traffic and ran that soccer mom off the road, then you'll find out about it soon enough. There's nothing you can do here, so move the fuck on. And I'm not even going to get started on the cell phones, because that ground is so worn down you can see the lava flowing.

Well, I guess I should start on my taxes. I'm sure that will precipitate another wonderful rant, one that might even get the attention of the US Government, that group of assholes. Dan Savage, who writes the online sex column that gave us the wonderful term santorum, has started a movement called ITMFA. ITMFA is an acronym for Impeach The Mother Fucker Already. Now, while I can certainly agree with the sentiment, and would not mind seeing Emperor Shrub brought up on cahrges, I have one little, tiny, eensey problem with all that: President Cheney. That's right, if W. gets impeached, DICK CHENEY becomes PRESIDENT. Not that it really would make a difference, because he pretty much does the job now as it is, but there's still something so very very wrong about it. I don't know, kind of like I expect the seas to run red and the sky to become as dark as sack cloth and other biblical book of Revelations kind of shit to happen. I must be the only person to feel this way, because the site has gotten a pretty big response and Congress is actually looking into impeachment proceedings (for the second straight administration!). I don't know.

So here I will leave you with some pictures and a quote:

Safe hazards, on the other hand, you can keep to yourself.

This is Jack Johnson. No, really. He said he's been drinking Ovaltine.

This week's sign of the Apocalypse: appparently, some of you still haven't gotten the memo that Mrs. Federline is, in fact, certified 100% white trash. Please make a note of this, and get this crap off the news. Thank you.

And now, a quote:

Those whom the Gods would destroy, they first call promising.
Cyril Connolly (1903 - 1974), Enemies of Promise (1938)

And this one needed to be included too:

Intimacy is what makes a marriage, not a ceremony, not a piece of paper from the state.
Kathleen Norris

Sorry there haven't been any new posts: I'm home now and pretty busy. Seattle was the end of the tour, and Mr. Murphy proved his law again. Why it's Murphy's law and not O'Donnell's law or Finnegan's law, I'm not sure, but that link should have the answer. Anyway, it's off to the Javits center for the New York Auto Show... we're gonna make Big Lites fly! Woo hoo!

The Great San Fran Suck. What a crappy day. We loaded in to this convention center today and it SUCKED! The roof couldn't hold more than about 1,000 lbs, so the truss had to be ground supporded, and of course that means reinventing the wheel. It's not that bad, I guess, it just meant that we really had to work today, instead of the nice easy days we've been having in theatres with fly systems...

Of course, no sooner do we get the downstage truss built than the Hum heads (sound guys) decide that the truss tower is in the way of their speaker stack, so we have to move it. Since there's really nowhere to move it TO, we wind up deciding to hang it from the ceiling. Of course, this is 3 hours after we've told the truck driver "No, we won't need that rigging, so go ahead and put it on the truck and drive far, far away!" Fortunately, the house had enough rigging on hand to handle the job. But what a ball of suck!

Ah well... travel day tomorrow, then it's Portland, OR. Gonna have a few drinks tonite, that's fer sure...




Looks pretty. Looks can be decieving.


The band soundchecks. Lighting by Mother Nature. With a little help from Lucas.

ALL BLOG ENTRIES FOR THE WEEKEND WILL BE SUSPENDED DUE TO GIRLFRIEND'S VISIT. PLEASE CHECK BACK LATER IN THE WEEK. WE KNOW YOU HAVE A CHOICE IN BLOGS, AND WE THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING BACKWARDS K.

Well, here we are in LA, 3 days and 1370mi. later... All that time on the bus was getting silly. We had a Chevy Chase film marathon from El Paso to LA. At least, we TRIED to have a marathon: it wound up being Spies Like Us, Fletch Lives, and Funny Farm. Then we all fell asleep. Ah well, it's not like we missed out on much.

Dallas to Austin was fun, because we didn't unload any lighting in Austin, so Tyler and I had the day off. Everything was going well, until the right passenger side tire decided to blow up. I've never seen one of those blow before... it was crazy. But Frank (the driver) was right on it and we were back on the road in no time. Go Frank.


Austin was kind of boring, especially since we didn't have anything to do, and I wasn't feeling well. I wandered around on 6th St for a while, had breakfast, then went back to sleep. I was hoping to hang out at more of the bars down there, but I just wasn't up to it. Tyler and I wandered down to another bar down the street, and were just settling in to our first drinks when my phone rang: apparently Lucas was ill and couldn't do the show, so Tyler and I wound up running the consoles for The New Pornographers and Belles. Since we were part of the South x Southwest festival, and were playing with 3 other bands, we didnt' bring in our lighting rig or console. The house was set up with two consoles (I'm not sure why), so Tyler ran the movers and I ran the conventionals and it all went pretty well. I just wish I had a few pictures. Oh well. And so much for a day off.

Here's a handbill that was across the street from the venue. I found it interesting that the Spanish handbill got the name right, but the marquee at Stubbs' BarBQ didn't...

I didn't know that Mary Kay was making cars now... scary.


Dave, the merch guy, always on the lookout for the next t-shirt sale...


Yeah, so, last night in El Paso was boring... we went to a mall that was close by, and I still wasn't feeling well, so I slept on the bus, mostly. I'm feeling a bit better today, so hopefully I'll get a few St. Paddy's Day Guinesses (Guinnessi? Guinni?) in me. And that's all there is... exept for the quote...


"It is nobler to declare oneself wrong than to insist on being right - especially when one is right."

Friedrich Nietzsche

Some pics I wanted to post the other day, but the connection was too slow...


Tyler blows. And Lucas loves it.

The marquee at the Riviera, Chicago
The Swiss Miss' cousin from Chicago. Hi angle from Chicago... The marquee from Dallas.

The stage in Dallas. I can't believe we fit both bands.

Lucas' bunk. 'Nuff said.

Almost forgot: that little prank with Lucas' bunk... he got me back allright. Meet my new girlfriend:


Well, she was in my bunk, at least... funny thing tho... I haven't seen her since Dallas. Don't know where she went...

Dallas TX. I have returned to the scariest place on Earth. Or at least North America. Last night, I played it smart and didn't leave the hotel. Today has been ok. Except for loading into the smallest club in the US (ok, not really, but the stage is REALLY small.) The only good part about this place being so small is that we brought in almost no gear, which means quick load in and quick load out. Unfortuneately, it also means that we use the house gear, which is low grade at best. Ah well... as long as it works, right?

I overheard one of the locals make a comment today which gives me hope. He said that Bill Parcells coaching the Cowboys makes about as much sense as George Bush running this country. I almost thought I was hearing things; I mean, I thougt Texas was Bush country through and through. I guess it just goes to show that not all stereotypes are true...

Let's see, what else? Chicago was weird... very interesting space, again small and really old. The band was joined on stage by the Swiss Miss' rather large cousin... she did pretty well, too.

Milwaukee was not as cold as I expected, tho the crew was... well, they were a Steely Dan crew. Swiss Miss' cousin followed us there, too. It was kinda scary. Tyler and I wandered around this mall that was around the corner from the venue and bought some crap. There was a Sam Goody going out of business, so we (I) bought some old posters of bands like TLC and Enrique Iglasias. We (I) gaff taped them to Lucas' bunk, after adding a few autographs and other fun notes... it was kinda funny, if I do say so myself. The only thing is, I don't know what Lucas is going to do to me (us) in return, but I know it will only escalate an already tense situation in the middle bus.

Milwaukee was also Tyler's birthday... all he did was complain about how old he is, yet he's the youngest person on the tour. Bitch. So we were eating dinner, the only two people in catering except for the three women running the place, when one of the women says something about having to put the name on the cake and what was it again? Seeing as that gave away the surprise, we had to wait around until everyone else finished with sound check and came up before singing happy birthday.

On to Minneapolis, where I'm convinced there are no pretty people. Every one was just busted up lookin'. Tyler and I wandered over to Target, looking for some much needed supplies (deodorant) and on a mission from Iain, the tour manager: we were to find a blow up lawn ornament for the stage. Since it was the biggest stage we have seen on this tour (and probably will see), we wanted something like an inflatable lawn santa or snowman, or preferably leprechaun, to put on the stage and operate from the console. It would have been spectacular, except that Target sucks and didn't have anything. Ah well, it'll just have to wait for the next tour. Big props to the Minneapolis crew, who kicked butt in every way... real smooth load in and out, and we almost missed the 10" of snow that fell there yesterday. But we drove through the snow, and past the tornadoes in Kansas, finally arriving in Dallas about 6 pm local time last night.