Sorry I haven't been too good about keeping up with this thing. I guess since I'm in the grove of things I don't think there's too much that's exciting enough to write about.
It's been pretty nice being back on the road. There hasn't been too much work to do here in Columbus, so it's definitely good to be working. I'm more used to everything now so that makes the job a bit easier. They're talking about going to a bigger set and adding some more people on the crew at the beginning of next year, so we'll see how that goes.
The other night Jeff got the hiccups during the show. It was the funniest show of his I've seen (and we're at over 90 shows now)! They started at the end of his routine with Walter. Of course he had Walter makes some jokes about it. Then they continued on into his routine with Achmed. He tried timing the hiccups to hit between lines, but sometimes it didn't work. Marnell and Robin were on the side of the stage with a bottle of water and small bottle of Jack Daniels (which apparantly is the best cure for Jeff). He kept going through his act and eventually they went away. Then when it came time for Brian to join them on stage he had the bottle of Jack in his back pocket. Luckily Jeff's hiccups started up again, so Brian pulled the bottle out. Jeff said, "How did you know that's what I need for hiccups?" and Brian said, "I didn't, I just had it with me." So Jeff took two sips out of the bottle and Brian took one. They made a few jokes about it and the hiccups went away again. Then once Peanut got up there we could tell he wasn't thinking quite straight. He mentioned his Comedy Central show and called for us to roll the commercial, then he came off the stage and asked what the next part of his act was. There was about 5 of us back there trying to help him out. He got back on stage, picked up where he left off and everything was fine! When he was back there he said "I drank too much of that stuff. It'll be really funny if I get through the rest of the show!" But he did. I guess he doesn't really drink, so that's why it hit him like that. I thought the whole thing was pretty funny.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Here we go again!
I'm about to head for the bus for the next leg of the tour! We have a show in Youngstown tomorrow so it won't be leaving until 4am, but he's at the shop tonight so we can get a full night's sleep. I'm glad in some ways to be going back out. I haven't worked too many shows here in town over the past couple months. Business has been slower than in the past, but I am definitely glad to at least have a job. I just have to keep thinking that.
Something that's different this time around is I now have a boyfriend :) We've been dating since July and it's been going very well so far. That'll make being on the road a bit harder, but it'll be ok. We're only gone for about 5 days at a time for the first few trips. It'll be nice starting out that way.
Thanks for reading, and I'll keep ya updated!
Something that's different this time around is I now have a boyfriend :) We've been dating since July and it's been going very well so far. That'll make being on the road a bit harder, but it'll be ok. We're only gone for about 5 days at a time for the first few trips. It'll be nice starting out that way.
Thanks for reading, and I'll keep ya updated!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Apologies
Yes I know it's been two months since I've posted. Sorry about that. We've only had a few shows between now and then. No shows in September. I think I mentioned that in previous a previous entry, but Aunt Nora brought to my attention that it would still be nice to have some kind of status report :)
We had a couple shows in mid July, a couple at the end of July and a couple in August. I don't really remember details other than we didn't have our bus for any of them because I guess it wouldn't be worth the money it would take. Also Dana our driver went out with a couple other shows for the summer. One week we had a bus similar to ours but a different driver. But for the most part we flew out and stayed in hotels. We drove to one show in a big rental van to Roanoke, VA. That was about a six hour drive. I think all the traveling we did between New York and Ohio when I was a kid made me okay with road trips like this :)
So now I'm working in the shop here in Columbus and doing a few shows here and there like I did before I was on the tour. We go back out on October 8th starting in Youngstown Ohio! So it may be another month until I update again.
We had a couple shows in mid July, a couple at the end of July and a couple in August. I don't really remember details other than we didn't have our bus for any of them because I guess it wouldn't be worth the money it would take. Also Dana our driver went out with a couple other shows for the summer. One week we had a bus similar to ours but a different driver. But for the most part we flew out and stayed in hotels. We drove to one show in a big rental van to Roanoke, VA. That was about a six hour drive. I think all the traveling we did between New York and Ohio when I was a kid made me okay with road trips like this :)
So now I'm working in the shop here in Columbus and doing a few shows here and there like I did before I was on the tour. We go back out on October 8th starting in Youngstown Ohio! So it may be another month until I update again.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Next part of Alaska
So after we got back from the rafting trip I was pretty beat, so I took a nap. We had plans to meet Brian for dinner at 7. The whole group of us ate at the Japanese restaurant in the hotel. It was a lot of fun. I had some really good sushi. There was one point during the night I went to the bathroom which was out in the hallway. As soon as I opened the door and came out I could here everyone talking and laughing. We got kinda loud and crazy as the night went on :P It was all Brian's treat which was very nice.
The next morning I got up and met a couple of the guys to go on an ATV tour. That was really cool. We went to a state park and rode all around the trails. We had all kinds of trails, too. Through puddles, over big rocks, over roots, through trees... it was fun. And we stopped a few times to get pictures of the awesome views.
Later that day I had a spa appointment, which I had never done before. I got a 60 minute massage and a manicure which were both very nice. And of course the next day a pen exploded on my hand, so the nice nails looked all blue and spotty. Me and a couple other guys went to the Japanese restaurant for dinner again, and I had some good sushi again :)
The next morning we had to meet in the lobby at 5:30 to go to the airport. Everything went well flight wise. It was about a 5 hour flight from Anchorage to Minneapolis, but I just slept as much as I could.
Like I said, the whole experience was amazing. I can hardly put into words how beautiful it was. The pictures don't even do it justice because they only show a small part of what it was like.
Check my Flickr page for pictures I took as well as pictures from the rafting trip!
The next morning I got up and met a couple of the guys to go on an ATV tour. That was really cool. We went to a state park and rode all around the trails. We had all kinds of trails, too. Through puddles, over big rocks, over roots, through trees... it was fun. And we stopped a few times to get pictures of the awesome views.
Later that day I had a spa appointment, which I had never done before. I got a 60 minute massage and a manicure which were both very nice. And of course the next day a pen exploded on my hand, so the nice nails looked all blue and spotty. Me and a couple other guys went to the Japanese restaurant for dinner again, and I had some good sushi again :)
The next morning we had to meet in the lobby at 5:30 to go to the airport. Everything went well flight wise. It was about a 5 hour flight from Anchorage to Minneapolis, but I just slept as much as I could.
Like I said, the whole experience was amazing. I can hardly put into words how beautiful it was. The pictures don't even do it justice because they only show a small part of what it was like.
Check my Flickr page for pictures I took as well as pictures from the rafting trip!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
More Alaska
I'm back in Columbus right now, but I have to write about the rest of the Alaska adventure! The first night some of us took the tram back up to the mountain to the "casual fine dining" restaurant up there called Seven Glaciers. Jeff, Robin, Marnell and Brian were just getting seated when we got there too, but the were sitting in a more private area. The food and the view were excellent! We all got the beef tenderloin and a few drinks. Everyone except me also got king crab. The bill came to $630 for 6 of us :P Jeff and everyone came over to our table one by one throughout the evening to say hi. There were these really cool salt and pepper grinders at the table, and Jeff said "anyone who can steal me one of these gets a bonus!" Turns out he actually found some on the interent and ordered them. After dinner we took the tram back down to the hotel and the guys went to the bar, but I decided I really didn't want to be hungover during the rafting trip so went to my room.
Then the rafting day came. Pretty much from the moment I decided to go on the trip I have been nervous about it. Class V rapids are the highest level of difficulty there is. There were 14 in our group, and another couple. We got to the building where they gave us shoes, dry suits, helmets and life jackets. They had to give lessons on how to put the dry suit on because there are quite a few steps. Then we drove down to the drop off area and got some more lessons about rafting and swimming techniques. Then we had to get in the water and swim. I think one of the guides said the water was about 38 degrees that day. Needless to say it was really really cold! Everything was covered except our face and hands, and I really dont know why they didn't give us gloves. Then we all got into 3 rafts and started the adventure!
Remember how much I said I liked Montana? Well this is so much better. That Montana rafting trip was nothing compared to the Alaska one! Even the scenery couldn't compare to where we were. The water was a beautiful clear blue, there were mountains, rocks, and green plants and trees everywhere. It was a six mile trip going through 3 canyons. The first two canyons had about 4 rapids that were class IV and lower. The third canyon had 7 rapids all class IV and V. There was a guide in each raft who would steer and tell us what kind of strokes to use and how many. As long as you listened to him and stayed in the raft you'd be ok.
The whole trip was so much fun! I'm definitely glad I did it. It was quite an adrenilne rush! After we got through the first two canyons, we all had the "bring it on!" attitude for the third one.
We all survived and had an amazing time. I guess Robin wants to find more rafting trips for us :)
I'll write about the rest of the Alaska trip in the next entry!
Then the rafting day came. Pretty much from the moment I decided to go on the trip I have been nervous about it. Class V rapids are the highest level of difficulty there is. There were 14 in our group, and another couple. We got to the building where they gave us shoes, dry suits, helmets and life jackets. They had to give lessons on how to put the dry suit on because there are quite a few steps. Then we drove down to the drop off area and got some more lessons about rafting and swimming techniques. Then we had to get in the water and swim. I think one of the guides said the water was about 38 degrees that day. Needless to say it was really really cold! Everything was covered except our face and hands, and I really dont know why they didn't give us gloves. Then we all got into 3 rafts and started the adventure!
Remember how much I said I liked Montana? Well this is so much better. That Montana rafting trip was nothing compared to the Alaska one! Even the scenery couldn't compare to where we were. The water was a beautiful clear blue, there were mountains, rocks, and green plants and trees everywhere. It was a six mile trip going through 3 canyons. The first two canyons had about 4 rapids that were class IV and lower. The third canyon had 7 rapids all class IV and V. There was a guide in each raft who would steer and tell us what kind of strokes to use and how many. As long as you listened to him and stayed in the raft you'd be ok.
The whole trip was so much fun! I'm definitely glad I did it. It was quite an adrenilne rush! After we got through the first two canyons, we all had the "bring it on!" attitude for the third one.
We all survived and had an amazing time. I guess Robin wants to find more rafting trips for us :)
I'll write about the rest of the Alaska trip in the next entry!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Alaska
I think this has been my favorite place so far! We did a show Thursday in Fairbanks and one last night in Anchorage. Yesterday was rough. We don't have the bus with us, so we flew from Fairbanks to Anchorage yesterday morning. On a 6am flight. Which meant getting up at 4. After going to bed around 1. We went to a Denny's for breakfast after we landed, then headed to the venue. We all really missed having the bus. It would have been nice to take a nice nap in there! A few of the guys fell asleep in our little backstage lounge we make every night. I closed my eyes for a while, but didn't fall completely asleep. I think we were all doing the falling asleep head bob during the show.
Now we're all staying at a resort about a half hour outside of Anchorage for a few days. It is so incredibly beautiful up here. Robin, Marnell, Jeff, Brian and his family are all staying here too. This all is basically Robin's big "thank you, job well done, enjoy yourself" gift. We saw all of them around earlier which was kinda cool. They talked to us outside for a while after they came back from a helicopter trip. I don't know if a lot of people will recognize who Jeff is or not. Probably kind of hard to place who he is when there's no puppet with him :P
We got in around 2:30 this morning. I've been in disbelief almost the whole time I've been here! The resort is surrounded by mountains. We took a sky tram thing today up to the top of one of the mountains, and that is probably the most amazing place I've ever seen. I really mean that. Tomorrow we're doing whitewater rafting again, but this time on class 5 rapids. I'm kind of anxious about that, but I don't think I should turn down the opportunity! Hopefully I'll be back to write some more about the trip here!
Now we're all staying at a resort about a half hour outside of Anchorage for a few days. It is so incredibly beautiful up here. Robin, Marnell, Jeff, Brian and his family are all staying here too. This all is basically Robin's big "thank you, job well done, enjoy yourself" gift. We saw all of them around earlier which was kinda cool. They talked to us outside for a while after they came back from a helicopter trip. I don't know if a lot of people will recognize who Jeff is or not. Probably kind of hard to place who he is when there's no puppet with him :P
We got in around 2:30 this morning. I've been in disbelief almost the whole time I've been here! The resort is surrounded by mountains. We took a sky tram thing today up to the top of one of the mountains, and that is probably the most amazing place I've ever seen. I really mean that. Tomorrow we're doing whitewater rafting again, but this time on class 5 rapids. I'm kind of anxious about that, but I don't think I should turn down the opportunity! Hopefully I'll be back to write some more about the trip here!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Columbus, OH
So we're back again, and with another crazy airport story!
We got home about 24 hours later than we were supposed to.
Yesterday we were to fly out of Billings, MT to Chicago, then from Chicago to Columbus. Our first flight was at 8:30am so we got to the airport about 7:30. Around 8 they told us we can't board until around 9 because Chicago was getting hit with some storms. Then around 9 they told us everything is Chicago had been ground stopped and they'll get another update at 10:16. Another plane had to come to our gate around that time to leave for Denver, then after that flight left they told us we missed our window to take off because the other plane was there. So they said they'd get another update in an hour. An hour later they said it'll be another half hour until they get an update. At 11:45 they told us we'd be taking off at 2:06. Then when 1:45 rolled around they told us t got pushed back again to 3:30. Oh yeah, I think it was around noon we went to the ticket desk to see if we could get another flight, but there wasn't anything else we could take. Our flight from Chicago to Columbus was supposed to leave at 1, but we figured since everything there was stopped we'd still have a chance of making that flight. But just to be sure, Marnell called about renting a van for all of us to just drive from Chicago to Columbus. After a while he found out there were no rental cars available in Chicago.
But Finally around 3pm we boarded the plane.
But there's more!
The pilot said it would be a few minutes before we were able to take off. The weather was still icky in Chicago, so after sitting on the plane for about 20 minutes, we took off. After a while the pilot came on saying we were above Rapid City, SD holding for a while. Then after that we were above Sioux Falls, SD holding again, and he came on again saying "Well I've got some bad news. They've stopped all flights to Chicago, so we're going to have to land in Sioux Falls." So we landed at the small airport of Sioux Falls and sat in the plane while the pilots figured out what was next. Finally one of the gate officers came on and said we'll be getting off the plane, but "don't go too far because if you get left behind you'll be here for days." It was a really small airport.
Dana (bus driver) was driving to Pennsylvania from Montana after he dropped us off at the airport, so Marnell called him to see where he was. And wouldn't you know he was just 50 miles away from where we were! So after about an hour or so he showed up at the airport, and that's how we got home :)
We got so lucky yet again! It turned out that we wouldn't have been able to make it to Chicago until around midnight, and the flight to Columbus wouldn't have been until 5pm today. So I could be on a plane right now if things didn't work out the way they did. And we would have been sleeping on the floor somewhere in the crowded and messy O'Hare airport instead of our bunks.
Dana said "I don't know if you guys are the unluckiest or the luckiest group of people!" I said, "I think we're pretty lucky."
We got home about 24 hours later than we were supposed to.
Yesterday we were to fly out of Billings, MT to Chicago, then from Chicago to Columbus. Our first flight was at 8:30am so we got to the airport about 7:30. Around 8 they told us we can't board until around 9 because Chicago was getting hit with some storms. Then around 9 they told us everything is Chicago had been ground stopped and they'll get another update at 10:16. Another plane had to come to our gate around that time to leave for Denver, then after that flight left they told us we missed our window to take off because the other plane was there. So they said they'd get another update in an hour. An hour later they said it'll be another half hour until they get an update. At 11:45 they told us we'd be taking off at 2:06. Then when 1:45 rolled around they told us t got pushed back again to 3:30. Oh yeah, I think it was around noon we went to the ticket desk to see if we could get another flight, but there wasn't anything else we could take. Our flight from Chicago to Columbus was supposed to leave at 1, but we figured since everything there was stopped we'd still have a chance of making that flight. But just to be sure, Marnell called about renting a van for all of us to just drive from Chicago to Columbus. After a while he found out there were no rental cars available in Chicago.
But Finally around 3pm we boarded the plane.
But there's more!
The pilot said it would be a few minutes before we were able to take off. The weather was still icky in Chicago, so after sitting on the plane for about 20 minutes, we took off. After a while the pilot came on saying we were above Rapid City, SD holding for a while. Then after that we were above Sioux Falls, SD holding again, and he came on again saying "Well I've got some bad news. They've stopped all flights to Chicago, so we're going to have to land in Sioux Falls." So we landed at the small airport of Sioux Falls and sat in the plane while the pilots figured out what was next. Finally one of the gate officers came on and said we'll be getting off the plane, but "don't go too far because if you get left behind you'll be here for days." It was a really small airport.
Dana (bus driver) was driving to Pennsylvania from Montana after he dropped us off at the airport, so Marnell called him to see where he was. And wouldn't you know he was just 50 miles away from where we were! So after about an hour or so he showed up at the airport, and that's how we got home :)
We got so lucky yet again! It turned out that we wouldn't have been able to make it to Chicago until around midnight, and the flight to Columbus wouldn't have been until 5pm today. So I could be on a plane right now if things didn't work out the way they did. And we would have been sleeping on the floor somewhere in the crowded and messy O'Hare airport instead of our bunks.
Dana said "I don't know if you guys are the unluckiest or the luckiest group of people!" I said, "I think we're pretty lucky."
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Great Falls, MT
Our little Canada trip was interesting. I guess Jeff said there were 3 shows in a row where there were audio problems, so people started worrying and this and that, but eventually things got worked out I guess. Sorry I can't provide more detail, but I wasn't involved in any of that. He also mentioned something about wanting to add a screen on either side of the stage as soon as possible, so we'll see what happens with that. I posted some more pictures from Canada on my Flickr page. They're really pretty :)
Speaking of pretty, Montana is also very pretty. I've decided mountains are some of the coolest things on the planet. Today we went rafting down the Missouri river, and let me tell you, it was probably one of the most beautiful places I have seen. At one point we got out of the rafts and took a little hike to see the sulfur spring. I haven't posted those pictures yet, but I probably will pretty soon. It's just one of those things that I can't describe with words really. You'll just have to see it.
Speaking of pretty, Montana is also very pretty. I've decided mountains are some of the coolest things on the planet. Today we went rafting down the Missouri river, and let me tell you, it was probably one of the most beautiful places I have seen. At one point we got out of the rafts and took a little hike to see the sulfur spring. I haven't posted those pictures yet, but I probably will pretty soon. It's just one of those things that I can't describe with words really. You'll just have to see it.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Victoria is beeeeautiful! We got here by ferry around 6:30 this evening and we're staying at a hotel tonight (this is where our show is tomorrow). We left Columbus way early this morning (5:50am flight) so that meant waking up at 3am. And I went to sleep probably around 1am. We flew to Chicago first, then got on another plane to Seattle, then drove to Vancouver on the bus and got on the ferry (the bus did too). The ferry ride was beautiful, and downtown where our hotel is also very beautiful. I took some pictures I'll post in a while.
Speaking of pictures, I'm going to try an online tour picture album to kind of go along with the blog. I'm not all caught up yet, but I'll give you the link so you can check back every now and then if you'd like: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kellatron5/ The individual categories are over on the right to keep things a bit organized. Enjoy!
Speaking of pictures, I'm going to try an online tour picture album to kind of go along with the blog. I'm not all caught up yet, but I'll give you the link so you can check back every now and then if you'd like: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kellatron5/ The individual categories are over on the right to keep things a bit organized. Enjoy!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Columbus, OH
This month I'll be home for about 10 days, and today is one of them. We flew in from St. Louis this morning after a show in Cape Girardeu, MO last night.
One of Jeff's hobbies is building and flying remote control helicopters (he also has a real helicoper pilot's license). A while back he started flying the remote controlled helicopters in the arena. He got Brian into it recently, so they'll both have their little planes and copters flying around. I'm not sure who's idea it was, but someone came up with the idea to get some Nerf guns to shoot Brian's plane. Robin and Marnell liked the idea, so yesterday Marnell had the runner get three Nerf guns. Most of the crew was sitting out at front of house (where the camera, lighting and audio control is) just watching them with the guns hidden. Then Robin gave a signal and three of the guys started firing at Brian's plane. I don't think any of them hit it, but after another try they did. Everyone got a pretty big kick out of it. Boys will be boys!
Jeff also recorded some more e-card greetings for Father's Day last night. He had Achmed with him and they're pretty funny. Go to jeffdunham.com in a couple of days to check them out!
We didn't have to leave the venue right away after the show last night since we were flying out this morning, so we had a little cookout outside of the bus. We tried doing that before, but it got colder than expected so they just cooked outside and we ate inside. Last night was nice enough for us to sit outside for most of the time. Not everyone sat outside, but I did. It was nice getting to hang out outside with a hot dog and a beer.
Next up is a run of 5 shows in Canada. I may not have phone and internet access up there because of all the extra charges. After that we're staying a couple of days in Montana. One of the days we're doing some white water rafting! Then we have two shows in Montana, then back to Columbus, then to Alaska, and we're done for a while! I think there are about 4 shows we'll go do in July, one in August, and none in September. Then October it goes into full swing again!
One of Jeff's hobbies is building and flying remote control helicopters (he also has a real helicoper pilot's license). A while back he started flying the remote controlled helicopters in the arena. He got Brian into it recently, so they'll both have their little planes and copters flying around. I'm not sure who's idea it was, but someone came up with the idea to get some Nerf guns to shoot Brian's plane. Robin and Marnell liked the idea, so yesterday Marnell had the runner get three Nerf guns. Most of the crew was sitting out at front of house (where the camera, lighting and audio control is) just watching them with the guns hidden. Then Robin gave a signal and three of the guys started firing at Brian's plane. I don't think any of them hit it, but after another try they did. Everyone got a pretty big kick out of it. Boys will be boys!
Jeff also recorded some more e-card greetings for Father's Day last night. He had Achmed with him and they're pretty funny. Go to jeffdunham.com in a couple of days to check them out!
We didn't have to leave the venue right away after the show last night since we were flying out this morning, so we had a little cookout outside of the bus. We tried doing that before, but it got colder than expected so they just cooked outside and we ate inside. Last night was nice enough for us to sit outside for most of the time. Not everyone sat outside, but I did. It was nice getting to hang out outside with a hot dog and a beer.
Next up is a run of 5 shows in Canada. I may not have phone and internet access up there because of all the extra charges. After that we're staying a couple of days in Montana. One of the days we're doing some white water rafting! Then we have two shows in Montana, then back to Columbus, then to Alaska, and we're done for a while! I think there are about 4 shows we'll go do in July, one in August, and none in September. Then October it goes into full swing again!
Monday, June 1, 2009
St. Louis, MO
I guess I have quite a bit of catching up to do! Sorry it's been a while. Part of it is laziness, and another part is slow internet on the bus. But anyway, right now I'm at the Chase Park Plaza hotel in St. Louis, MO. We got here around 12:30 last night from Evansville, IN. It's another very nice hotel that I can't believe I'm in! I walk in to these places and just get so filled with excitement and disbelief. I know I'm very lucky. Tonight Robin (tour promoter) want to take us to a wings place. He lived here for about 20 years, so he knows what's good! After I'm done on the computer here I'm gonna go out and see what there is to see around here. There's a really nice park across the street and some stores I'll probably check out. There are movie theaters in the hotel too, and some of us were talking about going to see "Up" tomorrow.
Jeff is in this month's issue of Time magazine. It's a full one page article I read a couple of days ago that, again, made me realize just how big a deal he is! If you get the opportunity you should check it out. It was also the official announcement of his upcoming new Comedy Central series that starts this fall. Yesterday afternoon I was backstage doing some organizing and he was walking from the stage to catering with Brian and his girlfriend. Brian said hi, then Jeff said "Hey Kelly." It kinda took me by surprise because that was the first time I've heard him use my name. He's said hi and talked to me a bit before, but it was just one of those "Holy crap he knows my name" star struck moments :) Everyone asks me what he's like in person. All I can really say is he's a good guy, but he tends to keep to himself and a few other people. A couple of days ago in passing he said "another day, another ten bucks!" Then I said, "something like that" and he laughed.
May 15th was the show in Dayton, and I got tickets for quite a few people. First Lauren and Trevor got there, so I met them up in the concourse area. We talked for a bit then walked to their seats which were in the center floor about 13 rows from the stage. I don't know where people's tickets are, so I was happy to see they got really good ones! Then I got a call from someone I work with at Live and he said "I can see you!" His seats were up a little higher, so I went to talk to him and his family for a bit. Then Aunt Nora called me so I met up with her and Uncle Don. They got me a cute little gift bag with snacks and cool toys :) I talked with them for a bit while they waited in the long concession line, then headed back down to the floor. I went back down to see Lauren again, then just as I was about to head backstage, my friend Chelsea and her boyfriend sat down. Almost everyone I got tickets for were sitting in the same row, so that was cool. I got to come back to talk to Chels at intermission, so that was good.
Then the 28th was the show in Cleveland where a lot of other family came. Every show we do, the four front center seats don't get sold. If we don't have anyone special we want to put up there, we'll go out (well, a couple of guys go) into the house and pick people in far away seats. Typically it's "hot chicks." It gives Brian someone to jokingly hit on, and also they typically are not hecklers. So for this show I claimed the 4 tickets to give to my parents, Aunt Deb and Uncle Rick because it was Deb's 50th birthday. Unfortunately they got there late, so Brian couldn't hit on her. He was ready too, because I told him about her. He actually ended up picking on my mom, but for something different. After he sings his first song he looks down and says, "Are you okay ma'am? She's going, 'What kind of a show did you bring me to? You said there were going to be puppets!'" Mom got a kick out of that. I told him the next day that he was talking to my mom and he said he wished he would have known! (probably so he could pick on her more).
I also got to see Aunt Regina, Uncle Rob, cousin Jessica and her boyfiend, all of the Moores and their significant others, Grandma Walsh (who gave me a box of very tasty Rice Crispy treats!), Ben and a friend, and some family friends the Yetzers. It was kinda crazy before the show trying to get to see everybody, but it was fun. Everyone said they enjoyed it, and I enjoyed seeing everyone, even if it was brief! I'm glad everyone had a good time!
Well that should about do it for now. This entry is pretty long, and I should get go so I have time to do something before dinner. I'll try to keep updating!
Jeff is in this month's issue of Time magazine. It's a full one page article I read a couple of days ago that, again, made me realize just how big a deal he is! If you get the opportunity you should check it out. It was also the official announcement of his upcoming new Comedy Central series that starts this fall. Yesterday afternoon I was backstage doing some organizing and he was walking from the stage to catering with Brian and his girlfriend. Brian said hi, then Jeff said "Hey Kelly." It kinda took me by surprise because that was the first time I've heard him use my name. He's said hi and talked to me a bit before, but it was just one of those "Holy crap he knows my name" star struck moments :) Everyone asks me what he's like in person. All I can really say is he's a good guy, but he tends to keep to himself and a few other people. A couple of days ago in passing he said "another day, another ten bucks!" Then I said, "something like that" and he laughed.
May 15th was the show in Dayton, and I got tickets for quite a few people. First Lauren and Trevor got there, so I met them up in the concourse area. We talked for a bit then walked to their seats which were in the center floor about 13 rows from the stage. I don't know where people's tickets are, so I was happy to see they got really good ones! Then I got a call from someone I work with at Live and he said "I can see you!" His seats were up a little higher, so I went to talk to him and his family for a bit. Then Aunt Nora called me so I met up with her and Uncle Don. They got me a cute little gift bag with snacks and cool toys :) I talked with them for a bit while they waited in the long concession line, then headed back down to the floor. I went back down to see Lauren again, then just as I was about to head backstage, my friend Chelsea and her boyfriend sat down. Almost everyone I got tickets for were sitting in the same row, so that was cool. I got to come back to talk to Chels at intermission, so that was good.
Then the 28th was the show in Cleveland where a lot of other family came. Every show we do, the four front center seats don't get sold. If we don't have anyone special we want to put up there, we'll go out (well, a couple of guys go) into the house and pick people in far away seats. Typically it's "hot chicks." It gives Brian someone to jokingly hit on, and also they typically are not hecklers. So for this show I claimed the 4 tickets to give to my parents, Aunt Deb and Uncle Rick because it was Deb's 50th birthday. Unfortunately they got there late, so Brian couldn't hit on her. He was ready too, because I told him about her. He actually ended up picking on my mom, but for something different. After he sings his first song he looks down and says, "Are you okay ma'am? She's going, 'What kind of a show did you bring me to? You said there were going to be puppets!'" Mom got a kick out of that. I told him the next day that he was talking to my mom and he said he wished he would have known! (probably so he could pick on her more).
I also got to see Aunt Regina, Uncle Rob, cousin Jessica and her boyfiend, all of the Moores and their significant others, Grandma Walsh (who gave me a box of very tasty Rice Crispy treats!), Ben and a friend, and some family friends the Yetzers. It was kinda crazy before the show trying to get to see everybody, but it was fun. Everyone said they enjoyed it, and I enjoyed seeing everyone, even if it was brief! I'm glad everyone had a good time!
Well that should about do it for now. This entry is pretty long, and I should get go so I have time to do something before dinner. I'll try to keep updating!
Friday, May 8, 2009
Somewhere between Tennessee and Texas
Today we left Columbus around 2:30pm on the bus. We're on our way to Dallas for a show tomorrow. It's nice being on the bus all day instead of in airports and airplanes. We can relax and watch movies, we can go to the bathroom, eat something, and get up any time we like, and it's more comfortable to sleep in a bunk than in a seat. We're just doing one show tomorrow, then we drive back to Columbus. A while back Jeff wanted to do a show in Dallas near Mother's day because that's his home town. I guess he has over 150 guests coming. Originally it was scheduled for Saturday, but then last week we found out an NBA playoff game got scheduled for that same day. Eventually the solution that worked best was to just move the show to Friday. It didn't really bother me. In fact it works out better this way because now I can come home for Mother's day. Love you mom! :)
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Colorado Springs, CO
Yesterday we were in Rapid City, SD which I thought was a cool little town. Very frontier-like with pretty hills and trees. We left Columbus the day before and had to take three flights on two different airlines to get to Rapid City. It's annoying, but I'd rather do that than be on a plane for hours. We've been flying quite a bit recently, but that was the last time for a little over a month.
We stayed at a hotel that was pretty close to Mt. Rushmore, so yesterday we went to see it before we headed to the gig. The dive was beautiful, and so was the whole area around Mt. Rushmore. I had never been there before. We snapped some pictures, visited the gift shop and headed to the venue.
Robin the tour promoter isn't out with us for the next few days because he lives in Mexico and Jeff is a germ-a-phobe. He made Robin stay out in LA for a few days "just to be sure." I thought that was kinda funny. Jeff was actually a little sick last week. He told a story in his monologue one night about his most recent appearance on Letterman (that was a couple of weeks ago when we were staying in San Fransisco). Before he went through the rehearsal he accidently took nighttime cold medicine and it made him a bit incoherent. Then he said he slammed some Redbulls before the taping and things went okay. During the shows last week you couldn't even tell he was sick. Marnell brought out a couple of trash cans off stage for one show which we assumed was for if he needed to throw up. But that didn't happen so that's not a crazy story I could tell.
Last night was our 50th show! Steve said the rest of the tour in indefinite, and I think we're all okay with that. Jeff wants to keep on performing, and it sounds like we'll be sticking with it too.
We stayed at a hotel that was pretty close to Mt. Rushmore, so yesterday we went to see it before we headed to the gig. The dive was beautiful, and so was the whole area around Mt. Rushmore. I had never been there before. We snapped some pictures, visited the gift shop and headed to the venue.
Robin the tour promoter isn't out with us for the next few days because he lives in Mexico and Jeff is a germ-a-phobe. He made Robin stay out in LA for a few days "just to be sure." I thought that was kinda funny. Jeff was actually a little sick last week. He told a story in his monologue one night about his most recent appearance on Letterman (that was a couple of weeks ago when we were staying in San Fransisco). Before he went through the rehearsal he accidently took nighttime cold medicine and it made him a bit incoherent. Then he said he slammed some Redbulls before the taping and things went okay. During the shows last week you couldn't even tell he was sick. Marnell brought out a couple of trash cans off stage for one show which we assumed was for if he needed to throw up. But that didn't happen so that's not a crazy story I could tell.
Last night was our 50th show! Steve said the rest of the tour in indefinite, and I think we're all okay with that. Jeff wants to keep on performing, and it sounds like we'll be sticking with it too.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Nampa, ID
The first day in San Fransisco I met up with three of the guys a little after noon and we walked down to Fisherman's Wharf (it was an all downhill walk). We did the typical shopping, getting something to eat and taking pictures. Then we took a cab back to the hotel to drop off some stuff, then took another cab to Haight-Ashbury and did some more shopping. After about an hour my cousin Natalie and her boyfriend met up with us there and we headed to a restaurant right on the coast called Beach Chalet. It was really nice, but pretty crowded. Half of the guys didn't want to wait so they took off for another place. It was an open air type restaurant with a lawn that had open seating, so that's where we sat. After that we dropped off the guys and Natalie and I went out for some drinks. That was fun. It was just the two of us talking for a while, then a couple of guys sat down by us and we talked to them which provided some good entertainment.
The next day I went to Union Square with some of the guys for some more shopping, then went back to the hotel for a bit. Grace Cathedral was one block from our hotel so I walked around that for a bit and took some pictures. Then I went back to get packed up and checked out of the hotel. Natalie and Trevor came to pick me up and we went to get some sushi. As we were finishing up our food, an employee came around and handed out bingo cards to everyone and said we were playing for a $20 gift card. After the first game they said not to clear our cards because we'll play again for some hot sake. Trevor and I both needed the same number to win, and they ended up calling it! They brought us two bottles and three little glasses. We were plannning on getting some gelato after our meal, but we decided we shouldn't let free sake go to waste. I had to be on the bus before 8pm, so that's why we didn't have time for anything else after that.
But it was a very nice couple of days. It's kinda weird having just a couple of days in big cities because you want to do as much as you can, but also get some rest because they are days off.
Now we have two shows in Idaho, then back home for three days, and back out again.
The next day I went to Union Square with some of the guys for some more shopping, then went back to the hotel for a bit. Grace Cathedral was one block from our hotel so I walked around that for a bit and took some pictures. Then I went back to get packed up and checked out of the hotel. Natalie and Trevor came to pick me up and we went to get some sushi. As we were finishing up our food, an employee came around and handed out bingo cards to everyone and said we were playing for a $20 gift card. After the first game they said not to clear our cards because we'll play again for some hot sake. Trevor and I both needed the same number to win, and they ended up calling it! They brought us two bottles and three little glasses. We were plannning on getting some gelato after our meal, but we decided we shouldn't let free sake go to waste. I had to be on the bus before 8pm, so that's why we didn't have time for anything else after that.
But it was a very nice couple of days. It's kinda weird having just a couple of days in big cities because you want to do as much as you can, but also get some rest because they are days off.
Now we have two shows in Idaho, then back home for three days, and back out again.
Monday, April 20, 2009
San Fransisco
Two days off in San Fransico! We're at a super nice hotel in the Nob Hill area called the Farimont. We got here a little after 2am. It took me quite a while to fall asleep. I don't know if I'm so used to the bus now or what, but I woke up a lot earlier than I expected too as well. But anyway, I'll probably meet up with some of the guys for lunch, explore a bit, then meet up with my cousin Natalie when she gets off work this evening. I'm excited! I've been here before and I love it.
Two days ago we were in San Jose and it was Jeff's birthday. At the end of the show Marnell and Robin surprised him by bringing up a cake while Brian played and everyone sang Happy Birthday. I head the cake cost about $1,500. It was Achmed, Walter and Peanut sitting on a suitcase.
When we got back on the bus after load out the remainder of the cake was on our table. Achmed was the only part that go eaten. I didn't eat any, but Chovie the merch guy said he had some and it almost make him sick.
Two days ago we were in San Jose and it was Jeff's birthday. At the end of the show Marnell and Robin surprised him by bringing up a cake while Brian played and everyone sang Happy Birthday. I head the cake cost about $1,500. It was Achmed, Walter and Peanut sitting on a suitcase.
When we got back on the bus after load out the remainder of the cake was on our table. Achmed was the only part that go eaten. I didn't eat any, but Chovie the merch guy said he had some and it almost make him sick.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Sacramento, CA
Back on the road after about 2 weeks away. I may have mentioned that even though it was time off of the tour it wasn't really time off. We still had some work to do back in Columbus including a big show for the annual YWCA Women of Achievement awards lunch and a Youth Evangelical Celebration in Dayton. The Dayton show I like doing because we're there for a couple of days for a fairly easy show, but Women of Achievement is a big pain. Three days of set up for a one hour show. We had lots of problems, too. But I won't go into all of that.
During some actual time off I was able to see some friends and family which I was happy about :) I always love seeing all of you!
Also, I found this press release on our company's website that you might enjoy.
During some actual time off I was able to see some friends and family which I was happy about :) I always love seeing all of you!
Also, I found this press release on our company's website that you might enjoy.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Columbus, OH
Now I'm back home for two weeks! It's not really time off though because we have other shows to do around here. But it was an awesome month.
Here are the links to my latest photo albums!
St. Petersburg
New Orleans and Savannah
Just to let you know, I may not be writing for a while since I won't be on the road for a couple of weeks.
Here are the links to my latest photo albums!
St. Petersburg
New Orleans and Savannah
Just to let you know, I may not be writing for a while since I won't be on the road for a couple of weeks.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Chatenooga, TN
This is the second day of a four show stretch before I finally go back home! It will have been gone for about three weeks. The time off in different cities definitely helps make it doable. Monday we were in Columbus, GA for the Avenged Sevenfold concert. We checked in to the hotel around 9:30 am. I went back to sleep for a while, relaxed in the room and went to the bus around 5. Then we all had dinner at a Logan's then headed to the arena. The bus pulled into the docks where all the other artist trucks and docks were and we walked in through the backstage. Some the stagehands were hanging around and recognized us from being there a few days before. We got there right before the band Buckcherry went on, then Avenged Sevenfold was after that. I knew a few songs by each band. The stage production was pretty cool. Lots of lights and some LED panels that moved around on the stage.
After that we went back to the hotel, and left for Charlotte, NC the next day after check out. It was about a 6 hour drive, I pretty much stayed in my bunk to sleep off some of the beer :)
We were in a really nice hotel right in the heart of downtown. It was the Omni. We met up for dinner and walked to an Irish pub/restaurant which was really good. I had to get corned beef and cabbage. Especially since I didn't have any on St. Patrick's day. Then a few of us went walking around to find another bar to hang out in. There weren't too many exciting options since it was a Monday night. Brandon told me about this place called The Breakfast Club which is an 80s themed club. We tried to go there, but it wasn't open early in the week. I was disappointed.
We ended up stopping at just your regular downtown sports bar/restaurant. A couple of the guys watched sports and the rest of us played pool.
The next day I met up with a couple of the guys for lunch, walked around a bit more, found a movie theatre and decided to come back later for a movie. Four of us saw "I Love You Man" later that afternoon in the coolest movie place. It was really new and trendy, had some bars and a really nice restaurant. The theatre seats were soft red vevlety love-seat type things. Then we met up with two more guys, had dinner, and split off different ways. I went to Howl at the Moon with one of the guys, and two more showed up later. There was hardly anybody there, but it was still a lot of fun. One song we requested was "Dance Magic Dance" from the movie Labyrinth. As soon as the piano player read it he started laughing. He played it very well, and later told us that he had never done that before, he just knew it from seeing the movie so many times.
The next morning we had to be on the bus by 7:30 to drive to the next venue. Shows are still going well. It sounds like sometime this fall it will get bigger.
After that we went back to the hotel, and left for Charlotte, NC the next day after check out. It was about a 6 hour drive, I pretty much stayed in my bunk to sleep off some of the beer :)
We were in a really nice hotel right in the heart of downtown. It was the Omni. We met up for dinner and walked to an Irish pub/restaurant which was really good. I had to get corned beef and cabbage. Especially since I didn't have any on St. Patrick's day. Then a few of us went walking around to find another bar to hang out in. There weren't too many exciting options since it was a Monday night. Brandon told me about this place called The Breakfast Club which is an 80s themed club. We tried to go there, but it wasn't open early in the week. I was disappointed.
We ended up stopping at just your regular downtown sports bar/restaurant. A couple of the guys watched sports and the rest of us played pool.
The next day I met up with a couple of the guys for lunch, walked around a bit more, found a movie theatre and decided to come back later for a movie. Four of us saw "I Love You Man" later that afternoon in the coolest movie place. It was really new and trendy, had some bars and a really nice restaurant. The theatre seats were soft red vevlety love-seat type things. Then we met up with two more guys, had dinner, and split off different ways. I went to Howl at the Moon with one of the guys, and two more showed up later. There was hardly anybody there, but it was still a lot of fun. One song we requested was "Dance Magic Dance" from the movie Labyrinth. As soon as the piano player read it he started laughing. He played it very well, and later told us that he had never done that before, he just knew it from seeing the movie so many times.
The next morning we had to be on the bus by 7:30 to drive to the next venue. Shows are still going well. It sounds like sometime this fall it will get bigger.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Columbus, GA
Our show tonight was the most seats this venue has ever sold. They had to rent more chairs for the floor because they sold more tickets than they had seats!
Jeff's parents have been at the last three shows. We set up a little lounge for them backstage with couches and a monitor. The first night they watched the show from the crowd, but last night and tonight they sat in the little lounge. They're a cute old couple. His mom said she was amazed at how much goes on for the show. She said she never bothered to ask him about it and just kind of took it all for granted, but she loved seeing how it was all done.
Tonight at dinner Jeff asked us if we had ever had boiled peanuts. None of us had, and he went on about how great they were and how we had to try some, so he had someone get 10 bags of them. A lot of the local people working the venue couldn't believe we never had them either. After they got the arena we tried them, and most of the crew didn't care for them, but I thought they were pretty good. Kind of like beans.
Right now we're on our way to Tampa for tomorrow's show, then after that we come right back to where we were today. Same town, same venue. But, its not for our show. Brian, Jeff's opening act, is the father of the lead guitarist of Avenged Sevenfold who is also currently on tour. A while ago Brian said if we were interested in going to a show he'd get us tickets. He was originally planning on going too, but just last week he got booked for the Bob and Tom show so he won't be able to make the concert. Brandon took a picture from backstage looking out at the crowd during the show. Marnell is going to print it out, have Brian sign it and give it to his son with a message like "some day you'll make it big." I guess that show sold about half has many seats as Jeff did.
Jeff's parents have been at the last three shows. We set up a little lounge for them backstage with couches and a monitor. The first night they watched the show from the crowd, but last night and tonight they sat in the little lounge. They're a cute old couple. His mom said she was amazed at how much goes on for the show. She said she never bothered to ask him about it and just kind of took it all for granted, but she loved seeing how it was all done.
Tonight at dinner Jeff asked us if we had ever had boiled peanuts. None of us had, and he went on about how great they were and how we had to try some, so he had someone get 10 bags of them. A lot of the local people working the venue couldn't believe we never had them either. After they got the arena we tried them, and most of the crew didn't care for them, but I thought they were pretty good. Kind of like beans.
Right now we're on our way to Tampa for tomorrow's show, then after that we come right back to where we were today. Same town, same venue. But, its not for our show. Brian, Jeff's opening act, is the father of the lead guitarist of Avenged Sevenfold who is also currently on tour. A while ago Brian said if we were interested in going to a show he'd get us tickets. He was originally planning on going too, but just last week he got booked for the Bob and Tom show so he won't be able to make the concert. Brandon took a picture from backstage looking out at the crowd during the show. Marnell is going to print it out, have Brian sign it and give it to his son with a message like "some day you'll make it big." I guess that show sold about half has many seats as Jeff did.
Monday, March 16, 2009
More Florida
Yes, I am on this trip by myself, but I'm having a great time! I've always been ok being on my own for the most part. It occurred to me today that my head is always in it's own little world anyway, so I guess that's part of the reason why it doesn't bother me so much. And it's nice to be able to do what I'd like to do, when I'd like to do it without worrying about anyone else.
Saturday I went to a beach at Treasure Island, which is a little beach community with stores, restuarants, hotels, etc. It was pretty crowded and it took a little while to find somewhere to park, but I pretty much expected that. But it was of course nice and relaxing just sitting and walking on the beach. After that I went to The Pier which is downtown St. Petersburg, and I watched the sun set over the city.
Yesterday I went to another beach at Fort DeSoto park. It was crowded there too, but I found a spot with the softest sand I may have ever felt. It was a little late in the day when I went to the Treasure Island beach so I didn't get any sun, but I did at this beach. Then I stopped at the historic fort, came back to the hotel for a bit, then went to find somewhere to watch the sunset. I entered St. Pete beach into the GPS navigator, and it took me to another little beach community area where I happened to find a place called Sunset Park. I didn't quite get the view I wanted because there was a little peninsula right in front of the view of the horizon, but it was still pretty nice. Today I think I found a good place to go.
I noticed a restaurant with live music by where I parked, so after the sun went down I walked in that direction to check it out. Going to a restaurant by myself isn't something I've had the guts to do yet, so I just walked around it and headed back to my car. As I was walking I noticed something in the sky...
I figured it had to be some kind of space launch, but didn't know what. This morning I heard a DJ mention it, and I looked it up. It was the Discovery carrying a crew of 7 with the final piece of a solar power generator for the International Space Station. I can't believe I got to see that! Especially not knowing anything about it! I was just walking down the street and I just happened to be at the right place at the right time! That was about as long as the smoke trail got, and after that it was just a tiny white light in the sky.
I've got a lot of other really cool pictures I'll share soon. I just wanted to post this one because it's so amazing.
Today I went to the Sunshine Skyway bridge, and also found a little park on the way. One of the coolest things about going across the bridge was driving right along side the birds as they were flying. Then I went downtown again to the Baywalk shopping area, walked around and saw a movie. I've also been enjoying just driving around. There are still a couple more things I want to do in these last couple of days, but so far I've really enjoyed myself :D
Saturday I went to a beach at Treasure Island, which is a little beach community with stores, restuarants, hotels, etc. It was pretty crowded and it took a little while to find somewhere to park, but I pretty much expected that. But it was of course nice and relaxing just sitting and walking on the beach. After that I went to The Pier which is downtown St. Petersburg, and I watched the sun set over the city.
Yesterday I went to another beach at Fort DeSoto park. It was crowded there too, but I found a spot with the softest sand I may have ever felt. It was a little late in the day when I went to the Treasure Island beach so I didn't get any sun, but I did at this beach. Then I stopped at the historic fort, came back to the hotel for a bit, then went to find somewhere to watch the sunset. I entered St. Pete beach into the GPS navigator, and it took me to another little beach community area where I happened to find a place called Sunset Park. I didn't quite get the view I wanted because there was a little peninsula right in front of the view of the horizon, but it was still pretty nice. Today I think I found a good place to go.
I noticed a restaurant with live music by where I parked, so after the sun went down I walked in that direction to check it out. Going to a restaurant by myself isn't something I've had the guts to do yet, so I just walked around it and headed back to my car. As I was walking I noticed something in the sky...
I figured it had to be some kind of space launch, but didn't know what. This morning I heard a DJ mention it, and I looked it up. It was the Discovery carrying a crew of 7 with the final piece of a solar power generator for the International Space Station. I can't believe I got to see that! Especially not knowing anything about it! I was just walking down the street and I just happened to be at the right place at the right time! That was about as long as the smoke trail got, and after that it was just a tiny white light in the sky.
I've got a lot of other really cool pictures I'll share soon. I just wanted to post this one because it's so amazing.
Today I went to the Sunshine Skyway bridge, and also found a little park on the way. One of the coolest things about going across the bridge was driving right along side the birds as they were flying. Then I went downtown again to the Baywalk shopping area, walked around and saw a movie. I've also been enjoying just driving around. There are still a couple more things I want to do in these last couple of days, but so far I've really enjoyed myself :D
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Florida!
Before I get into talking about Florida, I wanted to mention something. After the show in Savannah I was out by the camera gathering up some cables. A man from the audience told me the show was very well done, and that he thought it was important for people to have some laughs in times like these. I've always thought that too. With the poor economy I didn't know how well this tour or any of the entertainment industy would do. But I belive that people will always want some form of entertainment and reason to laugh. It was really nice to hear someone say that.
We arrived at the Tampa International airport close to 5:30am yesterday morning. Most of the guys were flying back to Columbus at 7. I had scheduled to pick up my car at the airport at 8am, and Matt reserved one from a place a few miles outside of the airport to pick up at 9. Steve was getting dropped off at a friend's house in Venice and they didn't want to wait around the airport so we got dropped off with the people flying home. I went to the car rental place to see if I could pick it up any earlier, and Matt went to see if he could rent one there instead. The two other guys who were going with Matt went for some coffee. I wasn't able to get the car any earlier, but Matt was able to get a car from the airport. We met up with the other two guys and we waited around for a while until they left and I got my car. It's a Hyundai Accent and it's pretty nice. It's definitely a lot more responsive than the '93 Taurus I'm used to :) I also got GPS navigator which has been awesome. I called the hotel to find out the earliest time I could check-in and they told me twelve, so I had about 4 hours to kill. While I was waiting for my car I looked up some things to do in the area and one place I found was called Fort DeSoto park which was on the beach. It was such a great feeling to get out there. I felt that the money I spent on this trip was worth it just for that moment.
After that I drove around a bit and found a mall. I walked around, bought a few things and got something to eat. Then I headed to the hotel. The room still wouldn't be ready for another hour, so I went back out for a few things like sunscreen and snacks. Then I drove around some more and went back to the hotel. I was really tired all day, and all I wanted to do was sleep. I got the keys to my room, brought in all of my stuff, turned on the tv and went to sleep. It was about 3pm. I woke up around 8pm, and thought there wasn't really anything else I wanted to do that night, so I just kept on sleeping. I needed it though. I never got caught up from our early flight out of Columbus on Tuesday.
I don't really have any plans while I'm here. I know I want to go see the Dali museum and spend time outside, but that's about it. I'll check out the pamplets down in the lobby and see what looks good :)
We arrived at the Tampa International airport close to 5:30am yesterday morning. Most of the guys were flying back to Columbus at 7. I had scheduled to pick up my car at the airport at 8am, and Matt reserved one from a place a few miles outside of the airport to pick up at 9. Steve was getting dropped off at a friend's house in Venice and they didn't want to wait around the airport so we got dropped off with the people flying home. I went to the car rental place to see if I could pick it up any earlier, and Matt went to see if he could rent one there instead. The two other guys who were going with Matt went for some coffee. I wasn't able to get the car any earlier, but Matt was able to get a car from the airport. We met up with the other two guys and we waited around for a while until they left and I got my car. It's a Hyundai Accent and it's pretty nice. It's definitely a lot more responsive than the '93 Taurus I'm used to :) I also got GPS navigator which has been awesome. I called the hotel to find out the earliest time I could check-in and they told me twelve, so I had about 4 hours to kill. While I was waiting for my car I looked up some things to do in the area and one place I found was called Fort DeSoto park which was on the beach. It was such a great feeling to get out there. I felt that the money I spent on this trip was worth it just for that moment.
After that I drove around a bit and found a mall. I walked around, bought a few things and got something to eat. Then I headed to the hotel. The room still wouldn't be ready for another hour, so I went back out for a few things like sunscreen and snacks. Then I drove around some more and went back to the hotel. I was really tired all day, and all I wanted to do was sleep. I got the keys to my room, brought in all of my stuff, turned on the tv and went to sleep. It was about 3pm. I woke up around 8pm, and thought there wasn't really anything else I wanted to do that night, so I just kept on sleeping. I needed it though. I never got caught up from our early flight out of Columbus on Tuesday.
I don't really have any plans while I'm here. I know I want to go see the Dali museum and spend time outside, but that's about it. I'll check out the pamplets down in the lobby and see what looks good :)
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
3/10/09
Savannah, GA
We flew out of Columbus today to the Atlanta airport, then drove from there to Savannah. It was about a 5 hour drive. Some people napped, some (including myself) watched TV. Although I think we all nodded off at some point. We left Columbus around 9:45am and got into Savannah around 6:30. Again, we have a nice hotel right on the river. Marnell made reservations at Lady and Sons restaurant which is owned by Paula Deen whom you may have seen on TV. The reservations were for 8pm, so after I checked in I came up to my room and returned a call from my cousin Erin (today was my birthday so she called and sang me a lovely version of Happy Birhtday). We talked for a while which was nice. Then I went down to the lobby to meet everyone for dinner. The restaurant was just a few blocks away, so we walked there. We got there a bit early so a couple of us walked into a couple of nearby shops. There was a little store with a lot of really cool jewelry. I was in there with one of the guys, and the stuff was just so cool I had to get something, so I got a couple neclaces. He payed for them as a birhtday gift. Then we went into the restaurant and ate lots of really good food. Most people got the buffet, but I got filet mignon. The waitress sang to me for my birthday. It was awesome because she was a jazz singer and sang me a jazzy song that had German in it that meant things like “you’re wonderful.” It was really cool and a unique little way to get a birthday song.
After dinner we came back to the hotel, I dropped off my neclaces and went back outside to explore some more of the city. I think Savannah is one of the coolest cities I’ve been to. It’s got the old streets and buildings, lots of artsy shops, beautiful trees with moss, cobblestone streets, bridges, the river, lots of pubs and taverns, and nice weather (at least this time of year). I love it. Too bad I could only experience it for a few hours.
We flew out of Columbus today to the Atlanta airport, then drove from there to Savannah. It was about a 5 hour drive. Some people napped, some (including myself) watched TV. Although I think we all nodded off at some point. We left Columbus around 9:45am and got into Savannah around 6:30. Again, we have a nice hotel right on the river. Marnell made reservations at Lady and Sons restaurant which is owned by Paula Deen whom you may have seen on TV. The reservations were for 8pm, so after I checked in I came up to my room and returned a call from my cousin Erin (today was my birthday so she called and sang me a lovely version of Happy Birhtday). We talked for a while which was nice. Then I went down to the lobby to meet everyone for dinner. The restaurant was just a few blocks away, so we walked there. We got there a bit early so a couple of us walked into a couple of nearby shops. There was a little store with a lot of really cool jewelry. I was in there with one of the guys, and the stuff was just so cool I had to get something, so I got a couple neclaces. He payed for them as a birhtday gift. Then we went into the restaurant and ate lots of really good food. Most people got the buffet, but I got filet mignon. The waitress sang to me for my birthday. It was awesome because she was a jazz singer and sang me a jazzy song that had German in it that meant things like “you’re wonderful.” It was really cool and a unique little way to get a birthday song.
After dinner we came back to the hotel, I dropped off my neclaces and went back outside to explore some more of the city. I think Savannah is one of the coolest cities I’ve been to. It’s got the old streets and buildings, lots of artsy shops, beautiful trees with moss, cobblestone streets, bridges, the river, lots of pubs and taverns, and nice weather (at least this time of year). I love it. Too bad I could only experience it for a few hours.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
New Orleans was really cool. I haven't been there since I was about 2 years old, so it was pretty much all new to me. Our hotel was on the end of Canal street right by the river. The first day (after sleeping in) I walked over to the Riverwalk place but didn't find any food places. I found out later that I just missed the enterance door while I was walking looking at the river. I went back the next day and walked inside. It was basically a mall type place with all different kinds of stores and a food court.
Then I walked down Canal street for a while until I found some food. Then I followed signs to the French Quarter which of course was one of the coolest things about New Orleans. I took some pictures, went into a few shops, then Brandon called me to let me know where most of them were, so I walked over to meet them. They all had already had a few drinks somewhere and it was about 4:30 at that time. So then we all walked to Bourbon Street and stopped at a couple more bars and stores. Then we all went back to the hotel to drop off souveniers and stuff, and some of us took a cab to a small restaurant way down Canal street called Mandina's. It was a cute little place. Then we took a cab back to Bourbon and went to a few more bars. I'll post some more pictures on Facebook here pretty soon and give you the link.
The second night we were there was also the same night of Britney Spears' first show for her new world tour. Our merch guy, Anthony's company was working that show so he went to help out. I guess he needed a couple more people to help so he asked Doug and Matt from our crew. None of us saw them, but I guess they had to wear red vests and top hats to go along with her "Circus" theme. They both said it was a lot worse of an experience then they had hoped. They were basically rolling up and selling posters all night. It's a funny story that they'll be getting crap for for a while I'm sure.
After New Orleans we had two shows in Texas. The first one was a pain because we had some incompetent stage hands, but the second one was a lot better. Then we flew out of Dallas on Friday morning and got back to Columbus around 12:30. This weekend was the big Arnold Sports Festival, and Live Tech does pretty much all of the production for that. We have the big stage for the body building competition at Vets Memorial and a bunch of other stuff in the Convention Center. There was a big after party last night at the LC Pavillion (a local concert venue) which is what I had to work. It was a loooong day. We got there at 9 to start loading in and didn't leave until after 2am (although it was technically 3am because of the time change). Arnold showed up for a while. I was there to do camera for all of the entertainment.
So I have today off, tomorrow we have to go into the shop for a "drug free workplace" meeting, and we leave for Georgia on Tuesday morning (also my birthday). I'm reeeallly looking forward to the time off I'll have in Florida :) I don't know if I mentioned that yet, but we have a gap of 5 days between shows in Florida so we had the option of flying back home, or anywhere else for the cost of flying back. We'd be flying out of Tampa, so I decided to just get a rental car and hang out in St. Petersburg. Steve said I could get the company to pay for a couple days of the car since I'm not flying anywhere. I can't wait! It'll just be me. I've never had a little private vacation by myself. But why not? Having those 2 days off in New Orleans restored a bit of sanity for me, so hopefully this will be even better!
Then I walked down Canal street for a while until I found some food. Then I followed signs to the French Quarter which of course was one of the coolest things about New Orleans. I took some pictures, went into a few shops, then Brandon called me to let me know where most of them were, so I walked over to meet them. They all had already had a few drinks somewhere and it was about 4:30 at that time. So then we all walked to Bourbon Street and stopped at a couple more bars and stores. Then we all went back to the hotel to drop off souveniers and stuff, and some of us took a cab to a small restaurant way down Canal street called Mandina's. It was a cute little place. Then we took a cab back to Bourbon and went to a few more bars. I'll post some more pictures on Facebook here pretty soon and give you the link.
The second night we were there was also the same night of Britney Spears' first show for her new world tour. Our merch guy, Anthony's company was working that show so he went to help out. I guess he needed a couple more people to help so he asked Doug and Matt from our crew. None of us saw them, but I guess they had to wear red vests and top hats to go along with her "Circus" theme. They both said it was a lot worse of an experience then they had hoped. They were basically rolling up and selling posters all night. It's a funny story that they'll be getting crap for for a while I'm sure.
After New Orleans we had two shows in Texas. The first one was a pain because we had some incompetent stage hands, but the second one was a lot better. Then we flew out of Dallas on Friday morning and got back to Columbus around 12:30. This weekend was the big Arnold Sports Festival, and Live Tech does pretty much all of the production for that. We have the big stage for the body building competition at Vets Memorial and a bunch of other stuff in the Convention Center. There was a big after party last night at the LC Pavillion (a local concert venue) which is what I had to work. It was a loooong day. We got there at 9 to start loading in and didn't leave until after 2am (although it was technically 3am because of the time change). Arnold showed up for a while. I was there to do camera for all of the entertainment.
So I have today off, tomorrow we have to go into the shop for a "drug free workplace" meeting, and we leave for Georgia on Tuesday morning (also my birthday). I'm reeeallly looking forward to the time off I'll have in Florida :) I don't know if I mentioned that yet, but we have a gap of 5 days between shows in Florida so we had the option of flying back home, or anywhere else for the cost of flying back. We'd be flying out of Tampa, so I decided to just get a rental car and hang out in St. Petersburg. Steve said I could get the company to pay for a couple days of the car since I'm not flying anywhere. I can't wait! It'll just be me. I've never had a little private vacation by myself. But why not? Having those 2 days off in New Orleans restored a bit of sanity for me, so hopefully this will be even better!
Monday, March 2, 2009
New Orleans, LA
Two days off in New Orleans! We got to the hotel here last night at about 12:30 after a 5:00 show in LaFayette. On the bus on the way here Marnell gathered us all in the front lounge and handed all of us an envelope. We opened them up to find $150 cash! He said he and Robin wanted to thank us all for all our hard work and job well done and "have fun in New Orleans!" It was very unexpected and very nice of them!
Last night Jeff filmed some more e-card greetings during the show. This time they were with Bubba J for St. Patrick's day, so watch his website for those in the next few days!
A few days ago we were in Southhaven Mississippi and it was pretty nice becauase we had a lot of the same stagehands as we did in Tupelo. That makes things go a little bit smoother because most of them know what's going on. I guess that will be happening again in couple of days when we get the same crew in Texas as we had last night.
The night before last night was an interesting one. We were in Biloxi. The floor was all wet because there was ice underneath and one of the house guys said he thinks the engineers didn't keep it cool enough in there over night so it got soaked in condensation. It was annoying building the screen, because we're always kneeling and scooting around the floor to build it. They had people with mops and fans, but it didn't really go away until right before the show started.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do exactly here in New Orleans. Our hotel is right next to the river. The Riverwalk Marketplace (I think that's what it's called) is right across the street, so I may head over there pretty soon and look for some food or something. I'll write again in a couple days to let you know how it went!
Two days off in New Orleans! We got to the hotel here last night at about 12:30 after a 5:00 show in LaFayette. On the bus on the way here Marnell gathered us all in the front lounge and handed all of us an envelope. We opened them up to find $150 cash! He said he and Robin wanted to thank us all for all our hard work and job well done and "have fun in New Orleans!" It was very unexpected and very nice of them!
Last night Jeff filmed some more e-card greetings during the show. This time they were with Bubba J for St. Patrick's day, so watch his website for those in the next few days!
A few days ago we were in Southhaven Mississippi and it was pretty nice becauase we had a lot of the same stagehands as we did in Tupelo. That makes things go a little bit smoother because most of them know what's going on. I guess that will be happening again in couple of days when we get the same crew in Texas as we had last night.
The night before last night was an interesting one. We were in Biloxi. The floor was all wet because there was ice underneath and one of the house guys said he thinks the engineers didn't keep it cool enough in there over night so it got soaked in condensation. It was annoying building the screen, because we're always kneeling and scooting around the floor to build it. They had people with mops and fans, but it didn't really go away until right before the show started.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do exactly here in New Orleans. Our hotel is right next to the river. The Riverwalk Marketplace (I think that's what it's called) is right across the street, so I may head over there pretty soon and look for some food or something. I'll write again in a couple days to let you know how it went!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
I added a few more pictures to an album on Facebook
I also forgot to mention that when we were in Michigan we had a photographer come out to take some pictures of us and our whole set up. They took pictures of the individual departments and one of the entire crew with Jeff and Brian. Live Tech wants to send out press releases for this tour because it's very unusual for one company to handle every aspect of the production. Usually the lighting, video, sound and set companies will all be separate. They want to get our story and pictures into some industry magazines or other media. I'll keep you updated on all of that as I find out more :)
Other than that, not too much more to report. I'm home for a few days right now. I'll leave on Tuesday for about a week and half, come home for 4 days and then leave again!
I also forgot to mention that when we were in Michigan we had a photographer come out to take some pictures of us and our whole set up. They took pictures of the individual departments and one of the entire crew with Jeff and Brian. Live Tech wants to send out press releases for this tour because it's very unusual for one company to handle every aspect of the production. Usually the lighting, video, sound and set companies will all be separate. They want to get our story and pictures into some industry magazines or other media. I'll keep you updated on all of that as I find out more :)
Other than that, not too much more to report. I'm home for a few days right now. I'll leave on Tuesday for about a week and half, come home for 4 days and then leave again!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
2/10-2/15
Sorry I haven't been quite up to date with this. I just got a laptop yesterday, so that will make it a bit easier :)
Let's see... after we got back from Canada we had about 4 days off. The day we came back we worked on some more things in the shop. On the 10th we met at the shop around 9:30pm and left for E. Lansing, Michigan. We were at the Breslin Event Center which was on the Michigan State campus. Quite a few of the shows we've done have been on college campuses.
This was the first show with our new screen. Our original screen had a seam running across the surface, so they ordered a whole new screen that was a different material and frame. I joked with Steve that we finally got our video stuff figured out and running smooth, and they had to thow something else at us to slow us down again. The frame of the old screen collaped and fit into two cases that were probably no more than 5-6 feet long. Only the top and bottom pieces of this new frame come apart. It's a 19x25ft screen, so the side pieces are about 19ft, so the wood shop had to build a case that's 20ft long. Tim, our video department manager, came up for that show so he was there to help us out. It's a pain because there are a lot of steps and there's a certain order in which it goes together, but after this stretch of a few shows we're getting better at it. I'm usually the one in charge of it while Brandon is working with the projectors.
From there we went to Moline, Illinois, then Cedear Falls, Iowa. That was an interesting day. First of all it was at a college campus again in their indoor sports dome. We didn't have the normal stage hands who do stuff like this everyday, we had students. We were supposed to have 14, but only 7 showed up. Also, we couldn't hang our truss structure since the ceiling was a dome. There was a truss roof-like structure over the stage, so that's how we hung the screen. We didn't hang any lights, either. Spotlights were the only light on the stage. Here are some pictures:
We stacked the projectors on scaffolding back by the camera.
We put them on a forklift one at a time to get them up there.
You can also see in the picture our new camera riser system. It's the projector boxes flipped on their sides. The back one has a wood board on a hinge that swings up and over to make a platform for Timmy (the camera operator). That's what we call a "Quinn-o-vation." One of the many things Steve Quinn designed.
The house set up some drape running from the side of the stage to the wall and during the show it all fell down. I thought it was pretty funny. It was right beside video control, and all of a sudden I hear a noise, so I turned around and saw a bunch of people rushing over. They tried to catch it, but it was like a domino effect and it all fell to the ground. Marnell told them to just leave it down because it would have been even more distracting if they tried to put it all back up. Brandon said it felt like the Wizard of Oz since our control area was exposed to the crowd :P
The next morning we had an 8am call instead of the usual 10 because we had a show to do at 3. There was also another show at 8pm that day. It was in Bloomington, Illinois, and I guess the 8pm show sold out pretty quick, so that's why they added the earlier show. The next day we were in Lexington, Kentucky for a 5pm show. We had another 8am load in, and we got there at about 10 after. We were all pretty tired that day. I got a little nap in before the first show, and that helped.
It was a long week. 6 shows in a row with 2 in one day. I think that's about the most we've done.
There are a lot of nice things about this tour, but there's definitely a lot of hard work that goes into it. You have to work fast but work well at the same time. Sometimes we get good stagehands who know exactly what you're asking them to do, and sometimes it can be like working with little kids.
We have 25 shows under our belts now, and many more to go!
Let's see... after we got back from Canada we had about 4 days off. The day we came back we worked on some more things in the shop. On the 10th we met at the shop around 9:30pm and left for E. Lansing, Michigan. We were at the Breslin Event Center which was on the Michigan State campus. Quite a few of the shows we've done have been on college campuses.
This was the first show with our new screen. Our original screen had a seam running across the surface, so they ordered a whole new screen that was a different material and frame. I joked with Steve that we finally got our video stuff figured out and running smooth, and they had to thow something else at us to slow us down again. The frame of the old screen collaped and fit into two cases that were probably no more than 5-6 feet long. Only the top and bottom pieces of this new frame come apart. It's a 19x25ft screen, so the side pieces are about 19ft, so the wood shop had to build a case that's 20ft long. Tim, our video department manager, came up for that show so he was there to help us out. It's a pain because there are a lot of steps and there's a certain order in which it goes together, but after this stretch of a few shows we're getting better at it. I'm usually the one in charge of it while Brandon is working with the projectors.
From there we went to Moline, Illinois, then Cedear Falls, Iowa. That was an interesting day. First of all it was at a college campus again in their indoor sports dome. We didn't have the normal stage hands who do stuff like this everyday, we had students. We were supposed to have 14, but only 7 showed up. Also, we couldn't hang our truss structure since the ceiling was a dome. There was a truss roof-like structure over the stage, so that's how we hung the screen. We didn't hang any lights, either. Spotlights were the only light on the stage. Here are some pictures:
We stacked the projectors on scaffolding back by the camera.
We put them on a forklift one at a time to get them up there.
You can also see in the picture our new camera riser system. It's the projector boxes flipped on their sides. The back one has a wood board on a hinge that swings up and over to make a platform for Timmy (the camera operator). That's what we call a "Quinn-o-vation." One of the many things Steve Quinn designed.
The house set up some drape running from the side of the stage to the wall and during the show it all fell down. I thought it was pretty funny. It was right beside video control, and all of a sudden I hear a noise, so I turned around and saw a bunch of people rushing over. They tried to catch it, but it was like a domino effect and it all fell to the ground. Marnell told them to just leave it down because it would have been even more distracting if they tried to put it all back up. Brandon said it felt like the Wizard of Oz since our control area was exposed to the crowd :P
The next morning we had an 8am call instead of the usual 10 because we had a show to do at 3. There was also another show at 8pm that day. It was in Bloomington, Illinois, and I guess the 8pm show sold out pretty quick, so that's why they added the earlier show. The next day we were in Lexington, Kentucky for a 5pm show. We had another 8am load in, and we got there at about 10 after. We were all pretty tired that day. I got a little nap in before the first show, and that helped.
It was a long week. 6 shows in a row with 2 in one day. I think that's about the most we've done.
There are a lot of nice things about this tour, but there's definitely a lot of hard work that goes into it. You have to work fast but work well at the same time. Sometimes we get good stagehands who know exactly what you're asking them to do, and sometimes it can be like working with little kids.
We have 25 shows under our belts now, and many more to go!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
2/3/09
Columbus, OH
I have another crazy airport story! So the plan was to fly out of Canada to Minneapolis again, and from there fly to Columbus. We were supposed to leave Winnepeg at 4:35pm and arrive in Columbus around 10pm. The plane was a few minutes late getting to the gate, and then they had some maintenence to do. It wouldn't have been so bad if the gate attendant wasn't so annoying about it. He'd say things like "My guess is we'll be boarding in the next 15 minutes." Then later come back and say "I'm sorry, I guessed wrong. They're still working on it but we should be able to board here soon anyway." "Well they just informed me they don't want anyone to board until all the repairs are done just in case it takes a long time." We finally boarded around 5:30. Then we had to get de-iced again. Our flight out of Minneapolis was scheduled to leave at 7:05 and we landed right at about 7:00. While we were still on the plane Marnell called to see if it was delayed or anything, and it actually left 5 minutes early. Of course!
So Steve and Marnell again tried coming up with different solutions on how to get use home. Marnell called Dana the bus driver to see where he was because he was driving from Winnepeg to Columbus to drop some stuff off for us. He was around Chicago, so we caught a flight to O'Hare and hitched a ride from there. Again, we got lucky and everything worked out. Dana said he's never going to let us fly again, which most of us would be fine with after all of that!
We made it back to the shop at 5am yesterday morning. Since then I've slept, did some laundry, bought a few groceries, paid some bills, re-packed, and I have to be back on the bus in an hour or two to head back to Canada!
I have another crazy airport story! So the plan was to fly out of Canada to Minneapolis again, and from there fly to Columbus. We were supposed to leave Winnepeg at 4:35pm and arrive in Columbus around 10pm. The plane was a few minutes late getting to the gate, and then they had some maintenence to do. It wouldn't have been so bad if the gate attendant wasn't so annoying about it. He'd say things like "My guess is we'll be boarding in the next 15 minutes." Then later come back and say "I'm sorry, I guessed wrong. They're still working on it but we should be able to board here soon anyway." "Well they just informed me they don't want anyone to board until all the repairs are done just in case it takes a long time." We finally boarded around 5:30. Then we had to get de-iced again. Our flight out of Minneapolis was scheduled to leave at 7:05 and we landed right at about 7:00. While we were still on the plane Marnell called to see if it was delayed or anything, and it actually left 5 minutes early. Of course!
So Steve and Marnell again tried coming up with different solutions on how to get use home. Marnell called Dana the bus driver to see where he was because he was driving from Winnepeg to Columbus to drop some stuff off for us. He was around Chicago, so we caught a flight to O'Hare and hitched a ride from there. Again, we got lucky and everything worked out. Dana said he's never going to let us fly again, which most of us would be fine with after all of that!
We made it back to the shop at 5am yesterday morning. Since then I've slept, did some laundry, bought a few groceries, paid some bills, re-packed, and I have to be back on the bus in an hour or two to head back to Canada!
2/1/09
Winnepeg, SK
Well here I am in another hotel. It's nice being the only girl because I get my own room :) We fly back to Columbus tomorrow afternoon for a couple of days, then we drive back up for 2 more shows in Canada. On the way here Steve told us that Robin pulled him aside earlier that night to tell him this has been the longest time the show has gone with out anything going wrong. They're all still very happy with us.
Last night during the show Brandon took Jeff's HD camera to tape a few Valentine's Day greeting with Walter. They should be up on his website to send as E-cards soon. You should check 'em out! He taped in on stage right in the middle of the show.
I think I've been outside for no more than a few minutes since we've been in Canada. Today and the first day the bus parked inside the arena. Yesterday we were parked right outside a door so I was outside walking to and from the bus a couple of times, then today I walked from the bus to the hotel. It's definitely cold and of course there's snow everywhere, but that's about all I can tell you about the weather!
We were done with almost the whole set-up by lunch today. The arena had back and side curtains that we usually have to put up, so that saved us a lot of time. We were also all back on the bus by midnight tonight. We still have a few more things in video to get smoothed out, but we've definitely come a long way.
Sorry I don't really have any crazy or funny stories from the road.
I got a haircut last time I was home which I'm happy about. It's a lot easier to deal with in this touring situation, plus I've always like having my hair shorter. I also bought a new iPod. It's nice to have for airports and flights (especially when you're in one for 12 hours).
Well here I am in another hotel. It's nice being the only girl because I get my own room :) We fly back to Columbus tomorrow afternoon for a couple of days, then we drive back up for 2 more shows in Canada. On the way here Steve told us that Robin pulled him aside earlier that night to tell him this has been the longest time the show has gone with out anything going wrong. They're all still very happy with us.
Last night during the show Brandon took Jeff's HD camera to tape a few Valentine's Day greeting with Walter. They should be up on his website to send as E-cards soon. You should check 'em out! He taped in on stage right in the middle of the show.
I think I've been outside for no more than a few minutes since we've been in Canada. Today and the first day the bus parked inside the arena. Yesterday we were parked right outside a door so I was outside walking to and from the bus a couple of times, then today I walked from the bus to the hotel. It's definitely cold and of course there's snow everywhere, but that's about all I can tell you about the weather!
We were done with almost the whole set-up by lunch today. The arena had back and side curtains that we usually have to put up, so that saved us a lot of time. We were also all back on the bus by midnight tonight. We still have a few more things in video to get smoothed out, but we've definitely come a long way.
Sorry I don't really have any crazy or funny stories from the road.
I got a haircut last time I was home which I'm happy about. It's a lot easier to deal with in this touring situation, plus I've always like having my hair shorter. I also bought a new iPod. It's nice to have for airports and flights (especially when you're in one for 12 hours).
1/28/09
Minneapolis/St. Paul airport
Today's been one of those crazy airport days. It's 5pm and I've been at this airport since 9:30am. And I'm not leaving (or scheduled to leave) until 9:20pm. Here's why: This morning we were supposed to fly out of Columbus to Regina, SK Canada with a layover in Minneapolis. Columbus got hit with wintery weather last night and today, so yesterday evening Steve called everyone to let us know we may be leaving that night instead of risking a cancelled or delayed flight out of Columbus this morning. We all met at the shop around 7pm and went to the airport to rent a couple of cars. Then we drove to Detroit so we could catch a flight out of there the next morning. We made it to Detroit through all the snow and stayed at a hotel for about 2 hours. We arrived around 1am and had to drive to the airport at 4am. We were going to catch our original flight out of Minneapolis to Canada at 6:40.
So we get to the airport, drop off the cars and check in. A few people had already checked in for the original flight out of Columbus, and that caused some problems. We were there for close to an hour before they got everything straightened out. We had just enough time to walk to our gate and use the restroom before the plane started boarding. Then we were waiting and waiting to leave the gate when the pilot said they had to fix some computer problem for the flight attendants and there was also some discrepancy between how much fuel they were told was in the plane and how much was actually there. They had "enough to get us where we were going," but there was just some paper work they had to get done for all of that. Then after all that was done we were waiting in line to get de-iced. I don't know exactly how long we sat there because I was drifting in and out of sleep, but it was at least an hour.
Because of all of that we missed our next flight out of Minnesota. A lot of people missed their flights, so when we got off the plane they had new iteneraries printed. Only our new flight was scheduled for tomorrow. We neeeded to be in Canada tonight because we start working tomorrow morning. So finally Steve got it worked out to where 5 people flew to Winnepeg at 11, then to Regina, and the remaining 4 flew straight to Regina at 9:20 tonight. So after all of that was straigtened out we all got some lunch (it was the first we had eaten all day). The group of 5 went to wait for their flight which got delayed an hour. The rest of us went looking for a place to "set up camp" for the next 9 hours.
We found a little lounge on the second floor of the main concourse and that's where we've been all day. Marnell has been working on e-mails and phone calls. Brian, Brandon and I slept a little, walked around, I watched/listened to my iPod, and they read.
The four of us got first class seats, so that will be nice. That will be first for me. The situation has been annoying, but considering all the circumstances things have worked out pretty well. Our original flight out of Columbus did end up getting cancelled, so we did the rigth thing by driving to Detroit. I just hope this last one to Canada goes ok. I need sleep!
Today's been one of those crazy airport days. It's 5pm and I've been at this airport since 9:30am. And I'm not leaving (or scheduled to leave) until 9:20pm. Here's why: This morning we were supposed to fly out of Columbus to Regina, SK Canada with a layover in Minneapolis. Columbus got hit with wintery weather last night and today, so yesterday evening Steve called everyone to let us know we may be leaving that night instead of risking a cancelled or delayed flight out of Columbus this morning. We all met at the shop around 7pm and went to the airport to rent a couple of cars. Then we drove to Detroit so we could catch a flight out of there the next morning. We made it to Detroit through all the snow and stayed at a hotel for about 2 hours. We arrived around 1am and had to drive to the airport at 4am. We were going to catch our original flight out of Minneapolis to Canada at 6:40.
So we get to the airport, drop off the cars and check in. A few people had already checked in for the original flight out of Columbus, and that caused some problems. We were there for close to an hour before they got everything straightened out. We had just enough time to walk to our gate and use the restroom before the plane started boarding. Then we were waiting and waiting to leave the gate when the pilot said they had to fix some computer problem for the flight attendants and there was also some discrepancy between how much fuel they were told was in the plane and how much was actually there. They had "enough to get us where we were going," but there was just some paper work they had to get done for all of that. Then after all that was done we were waiting in line to get de-iced. I don't know exactly how long we sat there because I was drifting in and out of sleep, but it was at least an hour.
Because of all of that we missed our next flight out of Minnesota. A lot of people missed their flights, so when we got off the plane they had new iteneraries printed. Only our new flight was scheduled for tomorrow. We neeeded to be in Canada tonight because we start working tomorrow morning. So finally Steve got it worked out to where 5 people flew to Winnepeg at 11, then to Regina, and the remaining 4 flew straight to Regina at 9:20 tonight. So after all of that was straigtened out we all got some lunch (it was the first we had eaten all day). The group of 5 went to wait for their flight which got delayed an hour. The rest of us went looking for a place to "set up camp" for the next 9 hours.
We found a little lounge on the second floor of the main concourse and that's where we've been all day. Marnell has been working on e-mails and phone calls. Brian, Brandon and I slept a little, walked around, I watched/listened to my iPod, and they read.
The four of us got first class seats, so that will be nice. That will be first for me. The situation has been annoying, but considering all the circumstances things have worked out pretty well. Our original flight out of Columbus did end up getting cancelled, so we did the rigth thing by driving to Detroit. I just hope this last one to Canada goes ok. I need sleep!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
1/25/09
Columbus, OH
You know this blog is also helpful for me so I can remember what happened. It's been about a month now, and I'm already having trouble remembering where I've been and what happened when.
We had dinner at a Red Lobster in Pocatello, then left for Salt Lake City where the next show was. The show in Montana was the first time we were able to hang and use both projectors, and this was the second. We finally have both turned on and merged to the screen in case one goes down during the show.
I got a really nice view of the city when I went to the top floor of the arena. I had to go up there to put head sets and belt packs at the spotlights. Here are a couple of the pictures:
Some of us had our laundry done to save money on checked baggage. We just put it in a bag on the bus and the runner took it. It cost $13 which was better that about $30 for checking it.
I still haven't been able to sleep on the bus very well. I'm a pretty light sleeper, so the movements and noises wake me up every now and then. I can't really get a full 8 hours anyway because of the schedule. Usually we're back on the bus by 1am and I get up between 9 and 9:30. The is the second time I got a cold in a month, probably because I'm not getting enough sleep. I'm home for 4 days now, so I'm going to try to catch up as much as I can. It's getting late, so I should probably work on that now.
You know this blog is also helpful for me so I can remember what happened. It's been about a month now, and I'm already having trouble remembering where I've been and what happened when.
We had dinner at a Red Lobster in Pocatello, then left for Salt Lake City where the next show was. The show in Montana was the first time we were able to hang and use both projectors, and this was the second. We finally have both turned on and merged to the screen in case one goes down during the show.
I got a really nice view of the city when I went to the top floor of the arena. I had to go up there to put head sets and belt packs at the spotlights. Here are a couple of the pictures:
Some of us had our laundry done to save money on checked baggage. We just put it in a bag on the bus and the runner took it. It cost $13 which was better that about $30 for checking it.
I still haven't been able to sleep on the bus very well. I'm a pretty light sleeper, so the movements and noises wake me up every now and then. I can't really get a full 8 hours anyway because of the schedule. Usually we're back on the bus by 1am and I get up between 9 and 9:30. The is the second time I got a cold in a month, probably because I'm not getting enough sleep. I'm home for 4 days now, so I'm going to try to catch up as much as I can. It's getting late, so I should probably work on that now.
1/20/09
Pocatello, ID
Yesterday Jacqueline picked me up at the hotel around 1 and we went to a little bakery/cafe called Toast for lunch. She was in Long Beach for the weekend which was about an hour away from where I was. She had never seen the Hollywood sign, so we drove over to see that. We found a little place to park and walk up a trail for a nice view of the sign and city. Then we just drove around the Hollywood hills for a while trying to get closer to the sign, but we didn't find a way to do that. Then we stopped at a little market for some drinks and a bathroom break, then drove to the Beverly Hills area. We just drove around enjoying the view and joking around. We were going to do some shopping at Melrose when I got a text from Brandon letting me know the crew was about ready to go to dinner. We headed back to the hotel to meet everybody and then we all walked to Barney's Beanery which is an old restaurant/bar. Jacqueline had to get back home and everyone else headed back to the hotel until about 11:30 when we had to get back on the bus.
We drove and drove and drove (Dana the bus driver is a machine) until a little after 1 today when we stopped in Pocatello for showers, food and sleep for Dana. Funny story: We had 4 rooms booked at a Holiday Inn, but when we tried to check in they couldn't find our reservation. Turns out the rooms were booked for yesterday. And being that we were in Idaho, every room was booked that day for a big potato convention. Imagine that! A potato convention in Idaho! The desk clerk called other nearby hotels and luckily we got rooms at a Ramada Inn. He said people from all over the world come to this convention to learn how to grow better potatos.
So we all showered, chilled on the bus, and Tim, Doug and I walked to a Game Stop and WalMart because there was a 360 game they wanted to get, and I didn't want to sit on the bus anymore. I also had to stock up on some toiletries. I guess we can get our laundry done which means we don't have to fly our big suitcases back and forth whenever we fly.
I also bought Harry and the Hendersons on DVD which I am about to watch in my bunk :)
Yesterday Jacqueline picked me up at the hotel around 1 and we went to a little bakery/cafe called Toast for lunch. She was in Long Beach for the weekend which was about an hour away from where I was. She had never seen the Hollywood sign, so we drove over to see that. We found a little place to park and walk up a trail for a nice view of the sign and city. Then we just drove around the Hollywood hills for a while trying to get closer to the sign, but we didn't find a way to do that. Then we stopped at a little market for some drinks and a bathroom break, then drove to the Beverly Hills area. We just drove around enjoying the view and joking around. We were going to do some shopping at Melrose when I got a text from Brandon letting me know the crew was about ready to go to dinner. We headed back to the hotel to meet everybody and then we all walked to Barney's Beanery which is an old restaurant/bar. Jacqueline had to get back home and everyone else headed back to the hotel until about 11:30 when we had to get back on the bus.
We drove and drove and drove (Dana the bus driver is a machine) until a little after 1 today when we stopped in Pocatello for showers, food and sleep for Dana. Funny story: We had 4 rooms booked at a Holiday Inn, but when we tried to check in they couldn't find our reservation. Turns out the rooms were booked for yesterday. And being that we were in Idaho, every room was booked that day for a big potato convention. Imagine that! A potato convention in Idaho! The desk clerk called other nearby hotels and luckily we got rooms at a Ramada Inn. He said people from all over the world come to this convention to learn how to grow better potatos.
So we all showered, chilled on the bus, and Tim, Doug and I walked to a Game Stop and WalMart because there was a 360 game they wanted to get, and I didn't want to sit on the bus anymore. I also had to stock up on some toiletries. I guess we can get our laundry done which means we don't have to fly our big suitcases back and forth whenever we fly.
I also bought Harry and the Hendersons on DVD which I am about to watch in my bunk :)
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
1/19/09
Los Angeles, CA
Yesterday was a fun day. I stayed in bed until about 11am. I could hear a lot of noise in the room which was annoying. A lot of footsteps and rolling carts or something. It's an old hotel, but it's very stylish. Last night I kept the air conditioner fan going to cover up some of the noises.
Some of us met downstairs around 1 and headed for the Ripley's Believe it or Not museum. One of the guys had friend me up with us and she wanted to go there. We stopped at a little Mexican food place for lunch. I'm not a huge fan of a lot of Mexican foods, but I got a quesedilla that was awesome. Very cheesey and came with good guacamole. Then we walked to the Chinese Theatre and stopped and did some shopping. Tim and his friend went to Ripley's and the rest of us walked around and did more shopping. The only thing I bought was some nail clippers from an Army surplus store. It's kinda funny because we're in LA, the guys bought clothes and I get nail clippers. I had just bought some clothes back home before this trip, so I didn't feel like getting more.
We did a lot of walking which was probably the worst part of the day. We walk around all day when we're working, so it was a bit much for a day off.
While we were on our way to Hollywood Blvd. two of the guys tried to make a bet with eachother not to say negative things or make fun of the other. It was pretty funny because I'm sure a lot of the "nice" things they said were pure sarcasm. It lasted maybe a couple of hours.
Then we came back to the hotel, got cleaned up, and the crew plus Marnell went to dinner at Saddle Ranch on Sunset. I'm sure you can imagine what kind of place it was. Very good food and plenty of it! We all had some drinks there as well. There were 2 guys who came around to tabels with accoustic guitars taking requests. Brandon requested Wanted Dead or Alive, then when they came back later they did Snoop Dog's Gin and Juice. Our waitor brought us what was probably the best dessert I have ever seen. On the house, too. It was a long tray with chocolate chip cookies, brownies, strawberries, bananas, whip cream, and a huuuuuge wad of cotton candy on a pedastal in the middle of the tray. It was amazing :)I took a picture with my other camera, I'll have to post those when I get back home.
After Saddle Ranch, some of us headed to the Rainbow bar further down on Sunset. There was too much of a gap between drinks for me, so I was feeling pretty tired when we got there. I just had a couple more beers and headed back around midnight. Right now it's almost noon and I'm in bed watching TV. I'm meeting Jacqueline this afternoon for lunch, sight-seeing and who knows what else!
Yesterday was a fun day. I stayed in bed until about 11am. I could hear a lot of noise in the room which was annoying. A lot of footsteps and rolling carts or something. It's an old hotel, but it's very stylish. Last night I kept the air conditioner fan going to cover up some of the noises.
Some of us met downstairs around 1 and headed for the Ripley's Believe it or Not museum. One of the guys had friend me up with us and she wanted to go there. We stopped at a little Mexican food place for lunch. I'm not a huge fan of a lot of Mexican foods, but I got a quesedilla that was awesome. Very cheesey and came with good guacamole. Then we walked to the Chinese Theatre and stopped and did some shopping. Tim and his friend went to Ripley's and the rest of us walked around and did more shopping. The only thing I bought was some nail clippers from an Army surplus store. It's kinda funny because we're in LA, the guys bought clothes and I get nail clippers. I had just bought some clothes back home before this trip, so I didn't feel like getting more.
We did a lot of walking which was probably the worst part of the day. We walk around all day when we're working, so it was a bit much for a day off.
While we were on our way to Hollywood Blvd. two of the guys tried to make a bet with eachother not to say negative things or make fun of the other. It was pretty funny because I'm sure a lot of the "nice" things they said were pure sarcasm. It lasted maybe a couple of hours.
Then we came back to the hotel, got cleaned up, and the crew plus Marnell went to dinner at Saddle Ranch on Sunset. I'm sure you can imagine what kind of place it was. Very good food and plenty of it! We all had some drinks there as well. There were 2 guys who came around to tabels with accoustic guitars taking requests. Brandon requested Wanted Dead or Alive, then when they came back later they did Snoop Dog's Gin and Juice. Our waitor brought us what was probably the best dessert I have ever seen. On the house, too. It was a long tray with chocolate chip cookies, brownies, strawberries, bananas, whip cream, and a huuuuuge wad of cotton candy on a pedastal in the middle of the tray. It was amazing :)I took a picture with my other camera, I'll have to post those when I get back home.
After Saddle Ranch, some of us headed to the Rainbow bar further down on Sunset. There was too much of a gap between drinks for me, so I was feeling pretty tired when we got there. I just had a couple more beers and headed back around midnight. Right now it's almost noon and I'm in bed watching TV. I'm meeting Jacqueline this afternoon for lunch, sight-seeing and who knows what else!
1/18/09
Los Angeles, CA
LA is a pretty cool place! The weather was sunny and close to 80. We were at the Gibson Ampitheatre at Universal Studios. It's a really cool venue. The back wall of the stage opens up and looks over a lot of the area and the mountians.
We only had one truck because we used their lights and speakers. We were pretty much done with load in after lunch. The show went really well too. A lot of important people were there because that's Jeff and Brian's hometown. Robin (who is not a manager like I mentioned before, but the promoter) said we did a good job all week. Steve said he had a lot of people telling him we did well.
I like working in the theaters. I don' t think we'll have many more though.
Jacqueline came to the show last night which was cool. I met her at the enterance and got to talk to her for about 10 minutes before the show. I came up to her at intermission, too. We went to the bathroom and had to wait a while of course and by the time we were done I had to go back. I actually made it back right at the last second before I had to play the video. It was close.
We tried to load out and leave in a hurry because Steve and Marnell decided we should go to In and Out Burger for our late dinner, but they closed at 1:30. We made it there at about 1:20. I didn't get anything because I'd feel like crap eating a burger so late at night.
Tonight and tomorrow night we're at the Grafton Hotel on Sunset Blvd. It's really cool. I can't wait to see LA tomorrow and the next day!
LA is a pretty cool place! The weather was sunny and close to 80. We were at the Gibson Ampitheatre at Universal Studios. It's a really cool venue. The back wall of the stage opens up and looks over a lot of the area and the mountians.
We only had one truck because we used their lights and speakers. We were pretty much done with load in after lunch. The show went really well too. A lot of important people were there because that's Jeff and Brian's hometown. Robin (who is not a manager like I mentioned before, but the promoter) said we did a good job all week. Steve said he had a lot of people telling him we did well.
I like working in the theaters. I don' t think we'll have many more though.
Jacqueline came to the show last night which was cool. I met her at the enterance and got to talk to her for about 10 minutes before the show. I came up to her at intermission, too. We went to the bathroom and had to wait a while of course and by the time we were done I had to go back. I actually made it back right at the last second before I had to play the video. It was close.
We tried to load out and leave in a hurry because Steve and Marnell decided we should go to In and Out Burger for our late dinner, but they closed at 1:30. We made it there at about 1:20. I didn't get anything because I'd feel like crap eating a burger so late at night.
Tonight and tomorrow night we're at the Grafton Hotel on Sunset Blvd. It's really cool. I can't wait to see LA tomorrow and the next day!
Gibson Ampitheater lobby
Friday, January 16, 2009
1/16/09
San Diego, CA
Last night we were in Tucson, AZ. The show itself went a lot better than NM. Load in and out took a long time because of the rigging stagehands. They were taking a looooong time hanging the points for the PA (large stacks of speakers). Riggers will go up into the catwalks of the arenas and hang the chain hoists that lift all of our speakers and truss.
One random funny thing was a stagehand who was a body-builder type and his name was Vitamin. He was pretty cool. I just thought that was a sweet name for someone like that.
Today's load in was our fastest yet. We started at 10 and most of us were done by 3:30. I'm chilling in the bus right now. Jacqueline is coming to the show tonight so that will be cool. I'll be able to see her before the show and probably briefly at intermission. Then when we go to LA we'll actually get to hang out because we'll be off for about 2 days! :)
The weather is beautiful here. Sunny and in the 70s. I've only been in the parking lot, but I'll take that! I got an e-mail from Dad with pictures of nearly a foot of snow in their back yard, and he said it was -15 degrees. I'll admit, I had to laugh a little. Sorry, Ohio... If it makes you feel better, we'll be in Montana in a few days.
Last night we were in Tucson, AZ. The show itself went a lot better than NM. Load in and out took a long time because of the rigging stagehands. They were taking a looooong time hanging the points for the PA (large stacks of speakers). Riggers will go up into the catwalks of the arenas and hang the chain hoists that lift all of our speakers and truss.
One random funny thing was a stagehand who was a body-builder type and his name was Vitamin. He was pretty cool. I just thought that was a sweet name for someone like that.
Today's load in was our fastest yet. We started at 10 and most of us were done by 3:30. I'm chilling in the bus right now. Jacqueline is coming to the show tonight so that will be cool. I'll be able to see her before the show and probably briefly at intermission. Then when we go to LA we'll actually get to hang out because we'll be off for about 2 days! :)
The weather is beautiful here. Sunny and in the 70s. I've only been in the parking lot, but I'll take that! I got an e-mail from Dad with pictures of nearly a foot of snow in their back yard, and he said it was -15 degrees. I'll admit, I had to laugh a little. Sorry, Ohio... If it makes you feel better, we'll be in Montana in a few days.
1/14/09
Rio Rancho, NM
This was probably the prettiest place (that we could see) we've been to, but also the worst show. Lots of problems in video. Not too much that the audience would notice, but still the most we've had yet. Could have been we're a bit rusty from the 10 day break, who knows. Today we were supposed to finally have both projectors up and running, but one decided to crap out in a way we couldn't fix. Tomorrow we're going to ship it to Barco in LA (that's the brand) and hopefully it will be fixed for us to pick up when we're there. Our camera riser is not very sturdy and that causes a shaky camera shot. Sometimes we use our riser instead of the house's because it takes up less room and that way they can sell a few more seats. There was also a roll in the screen that we've never had before. The projector and screen weren't originally hung right, so Brandon had to go up into the truss twice.
We got into town last night on a plane and stayed in a hotel. Then we met Robin (Jeff's manager) and Jeff's bus driver at a Mexican restaurant. I was able to see some of NM when we were driving to the venue from the hotel this morning. I think it's really pretty out here. I like the mountians and sand and Southwest-y feel. It was pretty cold though. In the 40s I think.. But it was a lot better than what was going on back home with at least 5 inches of snow and temperatures in the negatives!
Robin explained a bit more about how Jeff is and how it just takes him a while to come around. He said part of it was because "he's already got at least 6 voices in his head."
He also said the past few shows we've done have been the first in a while where he didn't have knots in his stomach worrying about what was going to go wrong. We obviously have our share of problems, but Steve and everyone are continuing to make them all better. Hopefully soon we'll get there.
Monday, January 12, 2009
A few more pictures
(from Brandon's camera)
View of the house from backstage ^
me at video control^
video control ^
audio and lighting control ^
the start of every day
bus chillin' ^
View of the house from backstage ^
me at video control^
video control ^
audio and lighting control ^the start of every day
bus chillin' ^1/3/09
Well the first stretch out on the road is over, and we're on our way back to Columbus from Philly. I don't think I mentioned this yet, but this tour is also nice because we're not on the road for 6 months solid. When there are large gaps between show dates we get to come back to Columbus. If we're home for more than 3 days we'll have to do our regular LiveTech work in town.
Anyway, tonight seemed to go well again. We were done with load in by about 4pm which gave us some time to relax on the bus before the show. Load out only took a little over 2 hours which I think was one of the fastest we've had so far. Brian ("Guitar Guy," Jeff's opening act) was talking to Brandon and I and he said we're doing a nice job and both he and Jeff have been happy with the production. That's definitely good to hear! After the show he came back to say "see you in 10 days" gave Brandon a handshake and me a hug.
I actually had a brief exchange with Jeff today for the first time. I was at the video control area which is backstage by their entrance, and when he was leaving the stage after sound check he saw me and said, "Hi, how are ya?" I just said, "Good!"
I think we really have an excellent crew out here. Everyone knows their equipment pretty well and knows how to troubleshoot things. Yeah, it's the same show every night, but new problems always arise. Like tonight, Brandon left the back cap on the projector lens, so he had to go up into the truss and take it off.
I keep thinking about how years ago I thought I could see myself being a roadie. It was just one of those things I thought I could do for a while. Now I'm pretty much doing it! Not a typical job for a girl my age, but that's what makes it even cooler :)
I don't know how long I'll be doing this or what I'll do when it's all over. I just keep living day to day. I am enjoying it so far!
Anyway, tonight seemed to go well again. We were done with load in by about 4pm which gave us some time to relax on the bus before the show. Load out only took a little over 2 hours which I think was one of the fastest we've had so far. Brian ("Guitar Guy," Jeff's opening act) was talking to Brandon and I and he said we're doing a nice job and both he and Jeff have been happy with the production. That's definitely good to hear! After the show he came back to say "see you in 10 days" gave Brandon a handshake and me a hug.
I actually had a brief exchange with Jeff today for the first time. I was at the video control area which is backstage by their entrance, and when he was leaving the stage after sound check he saw me and said, "Hi, how are ya?" I just said, "Good!"
I think we really have an excellent crew out here. Everyone knows their equipment pretty well and knows how to troubleshoot things. Yeah, it's the same show every night, but new problems always arise. Like tonight, Brandon left the back cap on the projector lens, so he had to go up into the truss and take it off.
I keep thinking about how years ago I thought I could see myself being a roadie. It was just one of those things I thought I could do for a while. Now I'm pretty much doing it! Not a typical job for a girl my age, but that's what makes it even cooler :)
I don't know how long I'll be doing this or what I'll do when it's all over. I just keep living day to day. I am enjoying it so far!
12/31/08
Minneapolis, MN
Yesterday was a nice day. I didn't end up going into the city because I thought it would be better to just relax, so that's what I did. I stayed in the nice hotel bed until 11:30, got a shower, a bagel from the bakery downstairs and basically watched TV until about 3. Then I went to the bus until dinner.
Today in Minneapolis was pretty good. Even though we're doing the same show there are always different variables such as the stagehands and the venues themselves. Things started slow today because the rigging hands were going slow, but we got everything up and running fine like we do.
We were getting the trucks loaded at the time of the year change since it was New Year's Eve. We were done around 1am. Then after we were all on the bus we had a little toast with some cheap and kinda nasty champagne.
We'll actually be stopping in Columbus tomorrow because there is no show and we're on our way to Virginia. I'll do some re-packing and laundry and stuff like that. But now I should sleep. Happy 2009!
Yesterday was a nice day. I didn't end up going into the city because I thought it would be better to just relax, so that's what I did. I stayed in the nice hotel bed until 11:30, got a shower, a bagel from the bakery downstairs and basically watched TV until about 3. Then I went to the bus until dinner.
Today in Minneapolis was pretty good. Even though we're doing the same show there are always different variables such as the stagehands and the venues themselves. Things started slow today because the rigging hands were going slow, but we got everything up and running fine like we do.
We were getting the trucks loaded at the time of the year change since it was New Year's Eve. We were done around 1am. Then after we were all on the bus we had a little toast with some cheap and kinda nasty champagne.
We'll actually be stopping in Columbus tomorrow because there is no show and we're on our way to Virginia. I'll do some re-packing and laundry and stuff like that. But now I should sleep. Happy 2009!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
12/29/08
Rosemont, ILToday we were in the Rosemont Theater outside of Chicago. It was nice because we didn't use as much of our gear since the theater had a lot of it. We used their lights and hung a smaller screen. It's also nice because we have two more shows here tomorrow so no load out tonight. We're staying in a hotel right across the street, so that's also very nice!
(view of the theater from my room)Sounds like everyone is still happy with the show. Something else that's pretty cool is we get per diem of $30 for every day we're out on the tour. We got $300 for this first stretch, and I haven't had to use any of it yet since our meals are catered and there is plenty of food on the bus. We were treated by Marnell tonight at the hotel restaurant/bar.
I've packed a ton of stuff which has been kind of annoying. That's part of being a girl I guess. I didn't know if we'd be going places outside of where we were working so I packed some "normal" clothes too. So far we haven't been able to though. That's where guys have it easier. They can wear t-shirts and jeans when they go out. I'll wear that for work, but girls like to look a bit nicer for other things, you know.
Tomorrow we don't have to be back at the theater until 6pm, so I don't know what I'll be doing during the day. I'd like to try to see downtown Chicago because I've never been there. We'll see. It's just nice to sleep and shower in a nicer place for a decent amount of time :)
(view of Chicago from my room)
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
more details
The last two entries were from the little notebook I wrote in before I'd got to sleep on the bus. As I was typing them out I realized I should probably give a little better explanation of what we actually do on a daily basis.
There are 8 people on our crew from Live Tech: Steve, 2 audio guys, 2 lighting guys, Brandon and I, and a set/camera guy. We all travel on the bus along with Marnell the tour manager, and Anthony the merchandise guy.
If you haven't already guessed, I'm the only girl. I've worked with these guys for a year and half now and we all get along well. We joke around and make fun of each other just like any group of friends or family. I would not have done this if I didn't think I would feel comfortable with anybody.
As I mentioned, the bus is driving to the next city while we're sleeping. Then we wake up and head into the arena. There are at least 10 local stagehands at each venue to help us with our set-up (which we call load in) and tear-down (load out). We have two semi-trucks full of equipment. The stagehands unload the trucks and we tell them where to push the cases. Then once everything is off the truck, the hands divide up between the different departments (audio, video, lighting, and set) and we put everything together. The video set up includes putting together a 19' x 25' screen and mounting it to truss that hangs above the stage, mounting two 225lb projectors to truss that hangs in front of the stage above the audience, setting up a camera, running cables from the camera and projector to the video control area backstage, setting up our control area.
We get catered lunch and dinner at the venues. Jeff and Brian and their people sometimes have dinner when we do. They don't sit at our table though of course, so I don't really have any stories about that, but it's been kinda cool eating in the same place at the same time.
For the show Brandon calls cues and switches what is going on the screen (camera shot, video playback, graphic, etc.). I play a video before Jeff walks on stage, control the iris on the camera, record the show to DVD so Jeff can go back and watch a performance, and keep track of how long each performer and character are on stage. Then about 2 1/2 hours later the show ends, we pack everything back up, and after about another 2 hours later we hit the showers and get back on the bus.
When we get back on the bus there is another meal waiting for us. I usually just have Vitamin Water for breakfast. We eat lunch around 12-1, dinner at 5-6, and late dinner at 1-2am. Then we chill on the bus watching movies, talking, playing scene it or whatever until we trickle off to bed. It usually takes me a while to wind down. One night I couldn't get to sleep until 4:45. Most of the time it's been close to 3. We start loading in at 10, so I get up around 9:30 and do it all again!
There are 8 people on our crew from Live Tech: Steve, 2 audio guys, 2 lighting guys, Brandon and I, and a set/camera guy. We all travel on the bus along with Marnell the tour manager, and Anthony the merchandise guy.
If you haven't already guessed, I'm the only girl. I've worked with these guys for a year and half now and we all get along well. We joke around and make fun of each other just like any group of friends or family. I would not have done this if I didn't think I would feel comfortable with anybody.
As I mentioned, the bus is driving to the next city while we're sleeping. Then we wake up and head into the arena. There are at least 10 local stagehands at each venue to help us with our set-up (which we call load in) and tear-down (load out). We have two semi-trucks full of equipment. The stagehands unload the trucks and we tell them where to push the cases. Then once everything is off the truck, the hands divide up between the different departments (audio, video, lighting, and set) and we put everything together. The video set up includes putting together a 19' x 25' screen and mounting it to truss that hangs above the stage, mounting two 225lb projectors to truss that hangs in front of the stage above the audience, setting up a camera, running cables from the camera and projector to the video control area backstage, setting up our control area.
We get catered lunch and dinner at the venues. Jeff and Brian and their people sometimes have dinner when we do. They don't sit at our table though of course, so I don't really have any stories about that, but it's been kinda cool eating in the same place at the same time.
For the show Brandon calls cues and switches what is going on the screen (camera shot, video playback, graphic, etc.). I play a video before Jeff walks on stage, control the iris on the camera, record the show to DVD so Jeff can go back and watch a performance, and keep track of how long each performer and character are on stage. Then about 2 1/2 hours later the show ends, we pack everything back up, and after about another 2 hours later we hit the showers and get back on the bus.
When we get back on the bus there is another meal waiting for us. I usually just have Vitamin Water for breakfast. We eat lunch around 12-1, dinner at 5-6, and late dinner at 1-2am. Then we chill on the bus watching movies, talking, playing scene it or whatever until we trickle off to bed. It usually takes me a while to wind down. One night I couldn't get to sleep until 4:45. Most of the time it's been close to 3. We start loading in at 10, so I get up around 9:30 and do it all again!
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