Day the Second, Saturday April 24th, Dewey Beach, Delaware

After a good first day I was starting to slip into my tour groove. Getting into the tour groove is difficult to explain, but it’s kind of like starting to move in a standard car. At first, you have the clutch in, which in this poorly drawn metaphor will symbolize ordinary life. With the clutch in the car stands still and everything is kosher. But, as you let the clutch out, the transmission, which will symbolize the unpredictability of touring, engages and starts to pull you forward. As you let the clutch out even more the gears of the motor take over and you start to move. Now, moving is fun and exciting. but it can also result in you swerving to avoid a deer and plowing into a telephone pole. That, my friends, is tour.

Anywho, the clutch was feeling about half out as I woke up next to Gordon that morning. (Damn, did that sound weird or what??) We got up, gulped some coffee and slogged our way through the crowded street of New York to the van.

Everything was running smoothly for the next few hours; we were telling jokes, I was offering ample evidence that my body can process pastrami and the sun was shining. I think it was about halfway through New Jersey that we realized a pretty crucial component of our touring rig was gone. Somehow, somebody had either stolen or accidentally taken a bag full of guitar cables and effects pedals. This was the first deer we hit.

Anyway, after furious amounts of calling (to the bands we had played with the night before, the club, our pastors) we arrived at the conclusion that we had no idea what happened. So it was off to the music store.

Somewhat re-equipped we continued on to Dewey Beach or, as the tourists and Gordon call it “Do me beach”. Dag. We arrived, got a hotel room and I hit the sack. It had been about an eight hour drive with many stops and I was beat. This is a lesson to all you who are about to tour – sleep and poop whenever you can! Seriously. If you don’t follow this edict you will find yourself in many unpleasant situations.

After my nap we hit the venue, which was beautiful. It was right on the ocean and had a sort of “ahoy, matey” vibe. We played a good show despite trying to get used to a lot of new equipment and we got the people dancing. A cool ocean breeze, a good sound system, an enthusiastic crowd - what more can you ask?

After the show I walked back to the hotel because I am antisocial. However, the entire band soon returned and said they were going out and I was going with them. After much argument I got dressed again and we went out to paint the town.

I painted about three strokes before I again split for the hotel. I knew that I hadn’t gotten a lot of rest the week before this tour and that if I wanted any chance of not getting sick I needed to take it easy on these early days. And so I did. I ended up watching a show on the Discovery Channel about oil drilling.

I am, of course, really really really boring.