Michigan

I have officially arrived in Michigan. The ride today was extremely long but was met with a much needed hotel bar at the end...the first of the tour. Last night's show was a great set though I believe the limiter was set a little too hot (not that the previous sentence will make much sense to most of you). I would highly recommend getting last night's show--especially those of you who are either Ratdog or Allman Bros. historians. The set list was killer and most of Ratdog sat in with the Brothers for a wonderful rendition of "All Along the Watchtower" (a cover of the Hendrix version). Sadly, it was the first thing I have seen Ratdog do that I actually enjoyed. They ended the show last night with yet another awful rendition of "Come Together."

Tomorrow, I will be hitching a ride with the crew on their bus to the venue largely because my compadres are lazy and don't want to wake up before noon. I'm not sure how big the venue is but hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised with the Detroit area crowd's appetite for CD's of the show.

On the road today I read one book and started another. I wish I had the foresight to bring more reading material as I have but 150 pages left of my last book. I'll either have to stretch it out with cat naps during my days off or make a stop at a bookstore. I would strongly prefer the latter. While I'm on the subject, I highly suggest those of you looking for some light reading (by light I mean easy to digest in a single sitting, not Dean Koontz crap. I recommend either IV or Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs) to pick up any number of Chuck Klosterman's books. They are broken up into many short essays that he has written over the years and, to be honest, I strive to write like he does.

My favorite part of the tour so far is not the shows (since I have to spend them on pins and needles listening intently to the mix through headphones) but spending time with either the light and sound crew or just shooting the breeze in the bus with my traveling partners Damon and Brad (both at least 12 years my senior). I can always anticipate a smiling face greeting me from the crew in the mornings because that is when I hand out complimentary CD's from the previous night's show.

The smiling faces usually accompany a genuine appreciation for the discs but most always come with some sort of generic nickname for the youngest person on tour. To my fellow MunckMix mates, I am most often Opie or Skippy. On stage, I am Tiger, Sport, Brother/Man or just "Hey you." One day I'll lose my baby face, gain some seniority, and have a real name. Either that or I'll have to start wearing a name tag. Perhaps some flair will help people to remember me.

Set List from last night (Holmdel, NJ)

Les Brers in A Minor
Can't Lose What You Never Had
Statesboro Blues
The Weight
Dreams
Done Somebody Wrong w/ Jr. Mack and Bruce Katz
All Along the Watchtower w/ Ratdog
Jessica
JaBuMa

Encore:
Melissa
Whipping Post