I don’t think there’s any way this tour could have been more fun or have been improved in anyway. Not from my perspective. Admittedly though, by the time we got to Sunday, we were all seriously exhausted and slap happy. We split into two groups to drive to Dayton. JB and Jon took the band gear van and got an early start for Cincinnati where JB had found a great deal on a 2″ tape machine. (small aside: JB made my week - when they picked it up the guy he bought it from told JB that it was used to record the records of one of my favoritest bands ever: The Afghan Whigs!) Danny borrowed a car from his parents and he and Sam and I piled in an hour later and started the final drive for Dayton OH at the mercy of the 6 disc CD changer in the back of the car. At least we heard Sinead’s spectacular Prince cover “Nothing Compares 2 U”. That was the high point as we wandered between skippables like N-Sync, Backstreet Boys, and the truly curious disc “Menopause - The Musical.” The track “Stayin’ Awake” (Bee Gees re-written), was good for a laugh or twelve.  It was bitterly cold. Really the first inclement weather we’d encountered all tour (amazing, considering Milwaukee and Chicago were on the list in Dec). We were golden until we realized we’d accounted for seemingly everything but the time zone change. Whoops! Eh, The JSB were still the first ones at the venue, so what are you gonna do? Since we got there early, we had time to order a band pizza. We’re all spoiled by NY pizza, but this was something to blog about: Cheeseburger pizza. Instead of tomato sauce, ketchup and mustard were mixed, and it was topped with tomato, onion, bacon and pickles. Delicious!

We performed at the Canal Street Tavern, a venue I hadn’t been to since high school, when I saw Peter Mulvey perform there. It hadn’t changed a bit. Perfect place to close down the tour. The Umbrella Men had curated the bill and it was a great turnout for a couple of groups of hometown heros. The place was mobbed! My dad got up and gave a us a kind introduction, and then we tore through a final hoarse set, energy restored by the attentive crowd. When it was time to leave, I was the lucky one. Jon, Danny and Sam were driving back to St. Louis where they would find Monday’s transportation to the arms of their family. JB was taking the gear and the van back to NEW JERSEY(?!), driving as long as he could Sunday night, and finishing up the rest of the travel on Christmas Eve. I got off easy - my ‘rents took me home 45 minutes away and gave me clam-chowder and salad and bread and pie and a bed. Yes, a bed. Exhausted as we were, Danny’s father shared a a great story of how to stay awake when driving with an empty energy tank. He and his brother were driving late night to Arizona and falling asleep at the wheel, but apparently were unable to stop and rest. They developed this ingenious plan instead: whoever was driving rolled down their window and held a $100 bill out the window. Ya! No sleep till Brooklyn, indeed.

See ya in the new year, lovelies!!!

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