I've played some bizarre gigs in my day, but Saturday's show that I played with In The Pocket on the beach in New Jersey may be one of the weirdest. Allow me to explain.
We were having power issues all day. Our power sources weren't strong enough to support all our equipment, and as a result our PA would occasionally cut in and out when we pushed it too hard. Our guitar player, Jared, was also having issues with his amp, presumably for the same reason. Now picture this scene:
It's about 8:45PM on a day that saw 3 of us drive from NY to NJ, we all had spent time in the sun and the water, and we're moving toward the end of our 3rd set. We're set up on the beach, playing for a bunch of vacationers who had been drinking all afternoon and evening, and some of us had been drinking a little as well. And that's when Jared's guitar decided it wasn't going to work properly without more power...that we didn't have.
So what does Jared do? He puts down his guitar, picks up his microphone, and starts singing his parts. Yes, he started to sing his parts. His guitar parts. Through "Wild Nights," "Summer of '69," "You Can Call Me Al," and "Tiny Dancer," Jared did his best to make his mouth sound like a guitar, and it was hilarious. And priceless. There were a number of times when I lost it and could do nothing but laugh into the mic, and thankfully the crowd was having as much fun as we were. Eventually we got to a point where we just couldn't go any further, so we had called it a night. But it is with almost 100% percent certainty that there will never be another ITP show like that again. One-of-a-kind. Out of control.
Earlier in the day we were having a discussion about who was the funniest member of the band. I think Jared made a pretty damn good argument.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Fenway
In an unusual turn of events, I've seen games at 3 different MLB stadiums this season: Citi Field, Camden Yards, and now Fenway Park. The first time I visited Fenway was in 2006 when I saw Dave Matthew Band for the first time (with opening act Sheryl Crow). I got a chance to see the park, touch the green monster, hear the ubiquitous Boston chants of "Yankees Suck," and experience "Sweet Caroline." On Sunday I actually got to see a game, and a Yankees vs. Red Sox game, at that.
I have to assume that every game at Fenway isn't as intense as Sunday's game, but I sure wish it was. Sunday's game was old school, helped in no small way by the old school venue. The fans were intense, and oddly enough I only saw one argument involving security. When they showed a replay of a terribly blown call by the first base umpire, the Boston fans seriously showed their displeasure. Those "boos" may be the loudest thing I heard all day. I also had one of the best Sam Adams Summer Ales I've ever had. I mean it should be damn good considering I'm drinking a draft Boston beer in Boston...and it cost $8.50. But at only a $.25 difference between Bud Light and Sam Summer, how can you not? In the end, though, as great a ballpark as Fenway is, it didn't feel like home.
After the game we made our way to the North End, stopped at the Old North Church, had a great dinner at Al Dente, and got a dynamite chocolate chip cannoli at Mike's Pastries. Luckily I'm going to be back in Boston in just two months, this time for a wedding. I love traveling and being places I've never been before.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
MD, DE, MD
Baltimore, MD
I have a friend who lives in Baltimore, so on my way to Delaware I decided to stop and spend some time. First stop, the Inner Harbor. Walked around, enjoyed the sun (but not the heat and humidity), didn't rent a dragon paddle-boat, and had dinner at Cheesecake Factory. Why Cheesecake Factory? Because when you are trying to make it to the Orioles game you just go with it.
Camden Yards was great. It was warm, it was welcoming, it was everything that a great ballpark should be. If you've never been there for a game, I highly recommend it. And its always interesting to visit another ballpark. Citi Field is surrounded by chop shops. But Camden Yards is in an area of Baltimore where people are just around, I imagine even on off nights. A great neighborhood field (and I kept the above can).
After the game, we walked to a place called Howl at the Moon, a dueling piano bar. And it was awesome. Awesome! I had a blast, and I wish that there was a location much closer to me so I could go on a more frequently. Basically how it works is there are two pianos, drums, keyboards, guitars, and a bass, and about 5 or 6 musicians. If you want to hear a song, you write it down and put it on one of the pianos with a tip. Then they play it. And they can play pretty much anything. I requested "You Can Call Me Al" by Paul Simon. No problem. You can also join them onstage with a fee, so my friend sent me up there. I got onstage and was informed that I would be performing "New York State of Mind." Of course! Haha. I had had a few drinks, but I did OK, and everyone in the bar dug it.
Rehoboth Beach, DE
The main reason for the trip was to attend the wedding of a college friend of mine in Rehoboth Beach. On my way there I stopped at the Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, took the tour, and had some samples. What was the coolest part of the tour? Honestly it was when the tour guide told us that every two weeks they get a case of beer as part of their pay. Um, where are the applications, please?
Rehoboth itself was good, but hot. We checked out the boardwalk, went to Funland, played mini-golf on a roof, and got frozen custard. I'm not a huge beach guy, but I enjoyed myself. And the wedding was a lot of fun. Great food (a mashed potato bar), very tasty pinot grigio, and a shuttle to and from the reception. Sold.
Annapolis/Laurel, MD
Sunday I drove to Laurel, MD, to spend some time with another friend. But what do you do in Laurel? Well, you go to Annapolis! I had been there before, but my friend had not. It was a gorgeous day, and the Washington/Annapolis area is one of my favorite areas in the country, so I had a good time. We walked around the harbor for a while and ate at the Acme Bar & Grill (dynamite wings and onion rings). One of the guys working there said that it extremely busy due tot he power outages from the massive storm that came through Friday night, and the fact that they only had one server working didn't speed things up any. But you know what? "Think globally, drink locally."
When we drove back to Laurel, we checked out some of the damage from the storm (technically called a "derecho"). The picture below is just one section of damage, but says so much.
Camden Yards was great. It was warm, it was welcoming, it was everything that a great ballpark should be. If you've never been there for a game, I highly recommend it. And its always interesting to visit another ballpark. Citi Field is surrounded by chop shops. But Camden Yards is in an area of Baltimore where people are just around, I imagine even on off nights. A great neighborhood field (and I kept the above can).
After the game, we walked to a place called Howl at the Moon, a dueling piano bar. And it was awesome. Awesome! I had a blast, and I wish that there was a location much closer to me so I could go on a more frequently. Basically how it works is there are two pianos, drums, keyboards, guitars, and a bass, and about 5 or 6 musicians. If you want to hear a song, you write it down and put it on one of the pianos with a tip. Then they play it. And they can play pretty much anything. I requested "You Can Call Me Al" by Paul Simon. No problem. You can also join them onstage with a fee, so my friend sent me up there. I got onstage and was informed that I would be performing "New York State of Mind." Of course! Haha. I had had a few drinks, but I did OK, and everyone in the bar dug it.
Rehoboth Beach, DE
The main reason for the trip was to attend the wedding of a college friend of mine in Rehoboth Beach. On my way there I stopped at the Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, took the tour, and had some samples. What was the coolest part of the tour? Honestly it was when the tour guide told us that every two weeks they get a case of beer as part of their pay. Um, where are the applications, please?
Rehoboth itself was good, but hot. We checked out the boardwalk, went to Funland, played mini-golf on a roof, and got frozen custard. I'm not a huge beach guy, but I enjoyed myself. And the wedding was a lot of fun. Great food (a mashed potato bar), very tasty pinot grigio, and a shuttle to and from the reception. Sold.
Annapolis/Laurel, MD
Sunday I drove to Laurel, MD, to spend some time with another friend. But what do you do in Laurel? Well, you go to Annapolis! I had been there before, but my friend had not. It was a gorgeous day, and the Washington/Annapolis area is one of my favorite areas in the country, so I had a good time. We walked around the harbor for a while and ate at the Acme Bar & Grill (dynamite wings and onion rings). One of the guys working there said that it extremely busy due tot he power outages from the massive storm that came through Friday night, and the fact that they only had one server working didn't speed things up any. But you know what? "Think globally, drink locally."
When we drove back to Laurel, we checked out some of the damage from the storm (technically called a "derecho"). The picture below is just one section of damage, but says so much.
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