Sunday February 4 2024

The tour bus arrives at the warehouse in Virginia Beach earlier than expected – the quickest trip to Myrtle Beach and back ever.

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Unloading the trailer and getting Rebecca and I back to Chanticleer with the bus.

 

Unpacking back in the house. I’m able to catch some good sleep till noon.

 

Oatmeal. Tea.

 

Coaching MMLIVE band rehearsals all afternoon with Rebecca and Jake’s help.

Coffee and a PB&J somewhere in between there.

 

They go by pretty painless and not too stressful. To keep the tempo slow for this one song I describe an analogy where the band is slogging through the desert while the drums blast the beats down.

 

Afterwards, cleaning up the spaces – meanwhile chatting with Rebecca for along while – reflecting on the weekend and all.

 

Back home. Warming up leftover dinner from the show (Chicken Bog).

Watching True Detective.

 

Catching up on work at the computer.

 

Ice Cream.

Saturday February 3 2024

 

Attempting sleep in the back of the bus on the soft mattress topper all wrapped up in the thickest blankets. Bump after bump I manage to dream a little between gas stops.

 

Breakfast Bar. Tea. Banana.

 

We arrive at The Alabama Theatre in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We played here not too long ago. Loading in and setting up the stage. Everyone is in a good mood and there’s plenty of time to spare.

 

PB&J Bagel.

 

Having a thorough sound check. Ed is assisting Sophie on sound engineer. Of course we do run into a few problems dealing with the drum mics but we sort it out.

 

 

They serve us a fully nutritious dinner of this dish called Chicken Bog, a South Carolinian mainstay with Chicken, Sausage, and Rice. The lady hosting made it from scratch at home. I love these kind of meals.

 

 

Putting on our show to a packed house – more people in the audience compared to last time actually. Letting the muscle memory kick in considering it’s been so long since we played these songs but we’re surprisingly tight.

 

 

Packing up and loading out.

 

Aaron drives the tour bus onward to Virginia Beach. Meanwhile, I connect my phone to the TV as we watch all the footage analyzing the sets. Laughing at all the funny moments.

 

Sleeping in the back of the bus for a couple hours.

 

Friday February 2 2024

Waking up a little before noon.

 

Cereal. Tea.

 

Catching up on business and chores.

 

Changing sheets on the bus and doing various things.

 

Running errands.

 

Eggs. Spinach. English Muffins. Tempeh Bacon. Coffee.

 

Driving the bus to the warehouse – Nigel and Carson help me load the trailer. I also work on inflating more air into the bus tires – had to get a different chuck attachment to reach the inner rear tires.

 

I arrive home – work is still not done. I can’t believe how much time passed today.

 

Making homemade Ramen with Veggies and Garlic Bread.

 

Packing up things for the trip – playing with Elvis.

 

Driving the bus / trailer to the warehouse and linking up with the ELO crew. We are fortunate to have a driver again, Aaron, so we can attempt to sleep in this bumpy moving building, Onward to Myrtle Beach!

Thursday February 1 2025

Waking up around 11:45 a.m.

 

Oatmeal. Tea.

 

Catching up on business – running errands – cleaning some things up on the bus.

 

Eggs. Spinach. Avocado. Tempeh Bacon. Coffee.

 

Teaching lessons at Music Makers.

 

Later on, at the warehouse for an ELO tech rehearsal – this is mainly to dial in gains and test our monitors and such. Then, packing up all our gear to load into the trailer tomorrow. Sometimes Nigel really stresses me out. I try to organize and simplify things and it’s like he’s incapable of accepting any kind of change whatsoever. In the end we just get things done and move on.

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Meanwhile, Rebecca is looping Addy in on all the drama.

 

Back home. My head is killing me. Enjoying Ice Cream and trying to relax.