We arrived at Colorado Springs' Sunshine Studios at around 5pm. Upon entering the building, we were greeted by extremely friendly people from some of the other bands. We eventually linked up with the promoter and he gave us a tour and run-down of the evening. Everything about that place was professional. Every single member of the staff knew EXACTLY what they were doing. No one was phased by any of our requirements. They had a small table with ass-loads of hotdogs set up for the bands along with ice-cold water and snacks. Within the first 10 minutes there, we could feel something awesome was about to happen.
Sunshine Studios is an all ages venue, so many of the band's family members came with their children in tow. Kids running around a dark venue with extremely loud music playing and adults throwing around the "f-bomb" like it was a requirement isn't something I'm used to seeing. One of the bands drew another kind of crowd we're not used to playing for: about 20 13 year-old emo girls screeching relentlessly for their friends on stage. We were all curious to see if they'd stick around for our set, too....
We set up all of our gear backstage and patiently waited for our turn to take the stage. After the first two bands (out of 6, I might add...) had finished their sets, we were up. We had everything figured out prior to taking the stage, so it didn't take us very long. After being informed that I am in charge of not only drums but of samples, synths, and visuals, the lighting technician commented on my gear and referred to me as "a swiss army knife". He and the other sound-tech were initially a little bit confused by the set-up, but understood everything pretty quickly after I explained it to them. After 15 minutes of setting up, we were ready to rumble. The show itself was pretty epic. They had two screens projecting our visuals and a massive light-rig which was pretty much on strobe and flood lights throughout the entirety of the performance. Anyway, the music was received EXTREMELY well (the young ladies in the front row were particularly supportive of us...and Joel's lip ring and tight pants.). The only person who didn't care for us all too much was the wife of a man who took offense in one of the lines out of "What Is In The Air" ("forget Jesus Christ, now you're organized). Marty did a good job at explaining that that line is by no means a slight against God as much as commentary on the many, many "Christians" doing a fantastic job at taking the Christian faith and turning into something not at all Christ-like. Anyway....we won't get into that just now. :)
We tore down our gear after and gathered backstage hugging and high-fiving each other. Good times had by all. Once again, Josef managed to sell a sizable amount of merch. In the meantime, Joel and Marty were being ambushed by parents and their kids begging them for autographs on their CDs, Shirts, and arms. Yes, their arms. After a few more pictures with the staff, we loaded out and set out for Lawrence, Kansas (where I'm currently sitting in a Starbucks).
The night drive was long and arduous for Joel and Marty. Fog blanketed the landscape throughout the entire trip. Not exactly ideal conditions for driving after a show, but they managed to get us here safely nonetheless. This place looks like something out of Silent Hill. If it weren't for some of the friendly people, I'd probably be sitting here waiting for sirens and for everything to go black.
Now we're just killing time before we play what may very well be another epic show. Elevator Action and Actors and Actresses are sure to kill it on stage with us. We're all pretty excited. So, my report on the first show of the long leg of this tour comes to an end. Being out on the road like this is interesting. I personally struggle with feelings of homesickness and missing friends and family, but this time around I'm really learning to enjoy the company of my close friends and the many, many people we're meeting along the way. We're not getting rich out here, that's for sure. Still- this feels right. Music feels right. I can feel the passion running through my veins and the veins of my band-mates, and that is something I wouldn't trade for all the money in the world. Thank you all for your support. We love you!
Stay tuned,
Matthew//LEHNEN
Keine Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen