4 Months In - Musings on the road

It's been a long time since I've last posted something on this blog about the show, and there are plenty of reasons as to why I stopped. The main reason is frankly because I got tired of writing the blog. It's interesting how redundant things get out on the road. The same people, the same show, the same bus, and the hours go by quickly and slowly at the same time, a monotony that never quite lifts itself from whatever new experience you encounter. Yet, at the same time, there is a wonderful freedom to it all, and a family atmosphere that rears its wonderful head at times when you least expect it. The friendships that are made are bound by the frustrations of the road at first, then by the subtleties of the individual personalities. Tempers flare and the smiles become a bit more wry and ironic, but for me it feels almost fulfilling to see those emotions. We all feel tired, lonely at times, pained by the lack of the familiarities of "home." It's a strange comfort to know that you aren't alone in those feelings, though. They come and go, good and bad, which I guess isn't that abnormal. Every night, though, the show is still there, and so are the audience, waiting to be entertained, to experience a story that will lift themselves up, make them cry, laugh, just emote right back at the action in front of them. And that, for me, is what keeps things moving. Whether it's a roar for the ensemble or for anyone else on that stage, it's the fuel that keeps the fire burning. I've met a few fans personally over the last few months, and the stories they have are always interesting, and the reaction that they have to us is often daunting to me. "Why," I ask myself? "I'm just a dude from NY who sings." And like Ted has always said, "I'm just a rock drummer from Texas." I guess it's just a so-be-it kind of thing. We traveling folk have our own little world, filled with drama just like the rest of the world. It'll be nice for us to have our little break coming up here.

Arcata, CA

After a stop-over in San Jose coming from San Diego, we made our way to Arcata, CA on Tuesday and performed our first of two shows that night. The theater was comparitively tiny to all the other theaters we have been in so far, but I found it to be very quaint and personal with the audience to be perfectly honest. The shows took place at Humbolt University, but since it's winter break, there weren't very many students around. The shows were great, and this morning we took off at 6am to head down to Bakersfield. The drive took 12 hours through the mountains in the beginning and down a long stretch of highway afterwards. Tomorrow, we role out for Costa Mesa and spend the weekend there for 5 shows in three days. Looking forward to a little taste of Orange County!

San Diego - The Sequel

A long weekend to finish out the San Diego leg of our tour. We had a show on Friday, two on Saturday, and two on Sunday followed by a 5am departure this morning to begin our trek up to Arcata, CA. We're all very tired, and all very thankful that we have a day of rest today after our long drive.
The shows were received extraordinarily well in San Diego. I had the pleasure of meeting a few fans and faithful readers as well, which I always enjoy. The city was wonderful, and despite the rough patch of weather this weekend, the city still allowed for an overall good time.
We are in San Jose for the rest of the day until a 6am departure tomorrow to get us the rest of the way to Arcata, another 350 miles if I remember correctly. We have 2 shows there and then we head back down south to the outskirts of Los Angeles in Orange County for a weekend. More to come once we experience Arcata!

San Diego, CA - Half Way

We're pretty much half way through our stint here in San Diego, and so far it's been a ball. A great city with an awesome night life, we got to ring in the New Year in the Gas Lamp district at a pretty crazy bar. It was raucous and fun-filled like any party should be. In fact, only one fight broke out at the bar! We, of course, were all safe....The following day, most of the cast went on over to the San Diego Zoo. We spent most of the day there and took in all the animals, including the baby panda in the morning. I have to say that it was surprising to see no giraffes there. What's a zoo without a giraffe?!
Anyways, after three shows, the audiences have been great and everyone is healthy and happy. The weather has been 70 and sunny for the most part, although it's supposed to rain this weekend. Tomorrow and Sunday, we have two shows each day. The theater is throwing the cast a little barbecue between shows tomorrow. They do it for every tour that comes through. It's pretty neat to look backstage and see all the plaques they have hanging on the walls of all the shows that have been through the house since 1995.
Also, on a more personal note (and I know my brother will appreciate this), I got to stand backstage with Ted before the second act singing "Renegade" from Styx and talked about how Ted knows Dennis DeYoung and Tommy Shaw. I'm a nerd, I know, but that was a pretty fun moment for me. Alright, more to come of San Diego on Monday next week. Until then, come see the show if you're in the area! We'll be rolling out on Monday to Arcata, CA.

San Jose, CA

This past weekend in San Jose was quite eventful. Right by the theater we were playing at, there was a Christmas fair going on. Lots of rides and games and whatnot. Plus a lot of places to eat, which is always a good thing for travelers. It was a long weekend with double show days on both Saturday and Sunday. Sunday was our first day of call outs. Corey called in sick for Sunday, so our fantastic Matthew Myers took on the role of Judas. Matt did an outstanding job, receiving some of the biggest applause our cast has heard so far. Since Matt usually plays Simon, Phillip Armstrong (one of the magnificient apostles) stepped up to play Simon and sang his face off for his big solo number. It was an interesting experience having new blood in some of the major roles for the day, but definitely broke the routine down a little bit and gave some new life to the cast. After a 7 hour drive down the coast, we are now in San Diego and will be here until the 6th of January. Time for a long sit-down in a place where it's almost always 70 and sunny. Things could be worse :-) I'll try and do a few postings during our stay here just to stay current with you, my constant reader!

Redding, CA - Xmas Posting

After our drive on Christmas Eve from Seattle to Redding, CA (599 miles), everyone was pretty zonked. After a visit to Applebee's and Chevy's, we were pretty much ready to turn in for the night. Christmas Day was pretty uneventful for the most part since everything was closed for the day. That evening though, our Company Manager, Ray, was kind enough to organize a little party for our cast. A few of our illustrious cast members spent the day putting together a feast with the use of a microwave and pure ingenuity. I have to say it was quite well-accomplished. The cast rang in Xmas in proper style.
This evening, we hopped over to the convention center for a little performance time and the show was as well-received as one could hope for. The few days of rest did everyone a bit of good, and San Jose lies ahead of us, followed by San Diego. This will be a nice sit-down for the cast, and a good time to experience a little bit of the west coast without running around very much. Looking forward to warmer weather!!!

Seattle!

First off, this town is awesome. I think I would move here if I ever moved west permanently. Great city, and so far the crowds have been ridiculous (in a good way, of course). Teddy was feeling a bit under the weather yesterday, and almost had to call out for the matinee, but being the consumate performer, Ted made his best efforts and at the last minute, came to the theater in rockstar fashion and blew the show out of the water. Corey has received a lot of love from the audiences here as well, and well-deserved might I add. The theater here has the best sound we've experienced so far, adding to my personal enjoyment of our current stint.
The cast also closed out our Secret Santa extravaganza last night at our hotel, giving out the last of our gifts and revealing who we all were. The gifts ranged from liqour to magazine subscriptions and all were in good fun. One of our priests in the show (Thomas), et al., put together a journal of everyone's musings about Ted, for Ted, and it really came out quite well. It was a blast last night, so spirits are high, and the tour goes on!