Tour Diary - Part 15 (Patreon)

Here we are in Niagara Falls, NY, after a reasonably unbumpy ride last night.  Looking pretty gloomy out. It should be a nice break from the heat.

Sayreville NJ was LIT! (this should now be an in-joke for all who's seen the show) Starland Ballroom, a nice rock club vibe, a good greenroom, and a GREAT crowd. wow. I felt very at home all night.

JP, gets all the good stories, as he interacts with the venue staff the most.  The lighting guy was an older fella who's been doing it for years and had a kinda Ron Jeremy vibe. JP went to talk over the lighting cues - There's nothing major, but the show is not your standard rock show and there are specific things we need to happen... He interrupts JP and says in the most New Jersey (picture Paulie Walnuts) - "how 'bout you gimme me a list of the songs and what colors you want."  JP, keeping his cool as always, says, "OK, I will do that, but I will also be on comms and can talk you through some of the changes..." he interrupts again "Don't you think it's a little cheesy to be on comms for a show like this? I've been doing this for 22 years. I started with Tommy James and I built this rig..." Oh boy. JP, a master at diffusion: "Oh, I'm not worried about you. I just have to tell everyone this" Paulie/Ron: "Oh yea it's a nightmare out there. Don't worry, you guys will be baby food for me."

And wouldn't you just know it - the lighting was a mess. After the show, he said to JP, proudly, "that work for ya?" classic.

The Pre Show Q&A was eventful! There was a guy who was laughing, hysterically at every single thing I said... and it was clear that he had a condition and couldn't help it. I was sympathetic to it and didn't really call it out but it was hard for everyone to ignore and I began to worry that it would affect the show - not the standup portion, but the music portion could be an issue... but JP talked to him after the Q&A and he promised to keep it under control and it was all good through the night.  Right after the Q&A and our group photo, a man got on his knee and proposed. AWWWW! she said yes and it was very sweet! Congrats you two! Hope you're Patrons and reading this!

Both sets were strong. New fun refinements in the standup and the band was on fire.  Josh's body was feeling worn out but he pounded through it. I don't know how drummers do it. Ellie got some big love last night, and we launched into an improvised Ellie tribute song.  We also goofed a bit on the old Hair Metal Band You Could Take To Mom: Extreme, who had played there the night before... This will remain on the bus lounge wall for the remainder of the tour.

During my solo piano set, I had to pay tribute to The Boss in his home state and stumbled through an impromptu version of Thunder Road, which was loose, messy, and a lot of fun. I think the crowd enjoyed the attempt.  I'll post a video of that later... edit: here it is!  

It felt good to have a fun show and know we just have one more before a night off. After the show there was a general feeling of 'I could do another" and I feel that way this morning.

Back on the bus, before we left, I whipped up some of Tim's Original Bus Made Guac which we all gobbled down. I listened to the end of the Dodgers' game and konked out.

Tonight should be fun, It's basically sold out? maybe a few tickets left. Buffalo crowds always bring it. Let's go!