![SEPTEMBER 11 – UPTOWN THEATER, KANSAS CITY, MO [SHOW #80]
Day 94. 22,222 miles. Was this all a dream?
Everything seamlessly fell into place for this one unforgettable night in Kansas City. We had the time of our lives and were treated like kings. The Uptown Theater staff were very hospitable to us from the moment we arrived. All the guys in Pavement were super nice to us and fun to hang around. Their road crew was great to work with, and everyone was so helpful and friendly. And if that weren’t thrilling enough, we got to perform at the most beautiful theater, and were surrounded by so many of our friends and families who were all excited and having a blast. I’m lacking on good adjectives, but it was all so magical.
We have so many people to thank for making this happen for us. First to Bob & the band for inviting us to play, to Shawn for always fighting in our corner, to Justin and Phil for running the house and stage speaker systems with such professionalism and aplomb (it sounded great, and we couldn’t have done it without you!), to each and every one of our friends, families, wives and girlfriends for being so patient and supportive of us as we’ve been away from home.
We arrived at the Uptown mid-afternoon and unloaded our gear from the van past the huge semi trailers that carry Pavement’s entire sound system. When we finished unloading, I stopped a moment to size up their trailer to our cramped 5x5x3 box in the back of our van where we stow all our instruments, amps and merchandise. “This is all we need to bring the rock,” I half-joked to Shawn. Inside, the band was on stage sound-checking. Everything was running a bit behind schedule, but no one was in a hurry. We watched the band for awhile and explored the theater. We had our own small green room with a shower, sink, and toilet. Upstairs was a buffet spread of steak, fried fish, cooked vegetables, salads, all sorts of sides, rolls, coffee and desserts. In a dark adjacent room was a massage therapist who offered her services to us. Backstage I chatted with a friendly security guard named Ron Harris who was at first surprised that we had never played a venue of this size before. “We’re just a small-town band from Iowa,” I said, “and we never play places like this.” Later on, closer to show time, I stopped next to Ron to catch a breath and peek out into the filling auditorium. “You got the butterflies yet?” he asked. “From head to toe,” I said, “I’m just trying to keep my dinner down!”
Being on stage was a thrill, but we really weren’t too fazed. We played a compact set of some of our strongest songs on this tour, and everything went off without a hitch. Most of the auditorium was blackness to us, save for the first few rows of people up front, which included so many familiar faces that made it seem to us not all too different than a typical hometown show. It wasn’t until after our set, when the house lights came up so show the sold-out theater that I nearly swallowed my tongue.
Watching Pavement perform was great. I had only seen them one time – back on their last tour in 1999 – and I thought they were much better tonight. They played a wide range of selections from their catalog, and seemed to be enjoying themselves a whole lot. Seeing Devin on stage singing Range Life was surreal, and the song really soared with his backup harmonies! “You gotta be in the band!” Bob told him after the show. “Shit Devin, you jumped in the wrong tourvan at the end of the night,” I told him later. It was a fun evening to say the least, and now “back to reality” as Patrick put it, as we continue down the road surfing the highs and lows of our scrappy no-budget tour.
The jam in the van: The Canadian Wheat Lords Johnny Appleseed and The Broken Time Machine, R.E.M. Fables Of The Reconstruction, Devin’s Uptown mix
The word we heard: “Thanks to the Poison … the PTC … P to tha T to tha C” –Stephen Malkmus
Sound Techs we respect: Justin Ripley / Phil Young / Ken
The pet we met: CC
The pad was rad: Jill & Greg
Sticks, strings, and broken things: David – 1 snare bottom head
The fill of the bill: PAVEMENT
David wowee zowee, you’re driving us home down shady lane in KC
Monument / Being Gone / Pacific Sunrise / Give It A Try / Cognac Dreams / Magic Circle Symphony / Don’t Go / When The World Sleeps](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8qx4xTTfJ1qahyhxo1_500.jpg)
SEPTEMBER 11 – UPTOWN THEATER, KANSAS CITY, MO [SHOW #80]
Day 94. 22,222 miles. Was this all a dream?
Everything seamlessly fell into place for this one unforgettable night in Kansas City. We had the time of our lives and were treated like kings. The Uptown Theater staff were very hospitable to us from the moment we arrived. All the guys in Pavement were super nice to us and fun to hang around. Their road crew was great to work with, and everyone was so helpful and friendly. And if that weren’t thrilling enough, we got to perform at the most beautiful theater, and were surrounded by so many of our friends and families who were all excited and having a blast. I’m lacking on good adjectives, but it was all so magical.
We have so many people to thank for making this happen for us. First to Bob & the band for inviting us to play, to Shawn for always fighting in our corner, to Justin and Phil for running the house and stage speaker systems with such professionalism and aplomb (it sounded great, and we couldn’t have done it without you!), to each and every one of our friends, families, wives and girlfriends for being so patient and supportive of us as we’ve been away from home.
We arrived at the Uptown mid-afternoon and unloaded our gear from the van past the huge semi trailers that carry Pavement’s entire sound system. When we finished unloading, I stopped a moment to size up their trailer to our cramped 5x5x3 box in the back of our van where we stow all our instruments, amps and merchandise. “This is all we need to bring the rock,” I half-joked to Shawn. Inside, the band was on stage sound-checking. Everything was running a bit behind schedule, but no one was in a hurry. We watched the band for awhile and explored the theater. We had our own small green room with a shower, sink, and toilet. Upstairs was a buffet spread of steak, fried fish, cooked vegetables, salads, all sorts of sides, rolls, coffee and desserts. In a dark adjacent room was a massage therapist who offered her services to us. Backstage I chatted with a friendly security guard named Ron Harris who was at first surprised that we had never played a venue of this size before. “We’re just a small-town band from Iowa,” I said, “and we never play places like this.” Later on, closer to show time, I stopped next to Ron to catch a breath and peek out into the filling auditorium. “You got the butterflies yet?” he asked. “From head to toe,” I said, “I’m just trying to keep my dinner down!”
Being on stage was a thrill, but we really weren’t too fazed. We played a compact set of some of our strongest songs on this tour, and everything went off without a hitch. Most of the auditorium was blackness to us, save for the first few rows of people up front, which included so many familiar faces that made it seem to us not all too different than a typical hometown show. It wasn’t until after our set, when the house lights came up so show the sold-out theater that I nearly swallowed my tongue.
Watching Pavement perform was great. I had only seen them one time – back on their last tour in 1999 – and I thought they were much better tonight. They played a wide range of selections from their catalog, and seemed to be enjoying themselves a whole lot. Seeing Devin on stage singing Range Life was surreal, and the song really soared with his backup harmonies! “You gotta be in the band!” Bob told him after the show. “Shit Devin, you jumped in the wrong tourvan at the end of the night,” I told him later. It was a fun evening to say the least, and now “back to reality” as Patrick put it, as we continue down the road surfing the highs and lows of our scrappy no-budget tour.
The jam in the van: The Canadian Wheat Lords Johnny Appleseed and The Broken Time Machine, R.E.M. Fables Of The Reconstruction, Devin’s Uptown mix
The word we heard: “Thanks to the Poison … the PTC … P to tha T to tha C” –Stephen Malkmus
Sound Techs we respect: Justin Ripley / Phil Young / Ken
The pet we met: CC
The pad was rad: Jill & Greg
Sticks, strings, and broken things: David – 1 snare bottom head
The fill of the bill: PAVEMENT
David wowee zowee, you’re driving us home down shady lane in KC
Monument / Being Gone / Pacific Sunrise / Give It A Try / Cognac Dreams / Magic Circle Symphony / Don’t Go / When The World Sleeps
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