Kansas City, MO
Shortly after load-in into Davey's Uptown, Versailles's guitar player Tyler started having everyone sign his white Coffin Case around the three band stickers and the title "SWINE FLU TOUR 2009". It's important to stress right now how applicable this is. Fayetteville's show was a still-sick Andy and Steve, a newly-sick Dianna.
Kansas City, I could probably get to like. No established "scene" as it were but since when has that mattered to me recently.
Mike and I got a chance to wander through some of the 39th street area, or "Kansas City's Ghent" as it were. Hit a used bookstore on our way to some place called Javanaut, talking to one or two random strangers on the way and seeing if they didn't want to come out to a kickawesome rock show.
Davey's Uptown was definitely the most "rock" venue we'd yet hit; Outback Lodge without smoking allowed indoors. And it's funny how the least attended show can oft be the most fun for the bands themselves. We totally got into each others's sets moreso than we would have with a huge number in attendance.
And then we had to go and ruin the whole vibe by running two songs and calling it done before Andy's voice box would have to crawl out of his throat to escape the violence. Which did afford him the chance to respond to a drunk heckler with "Hey buddy why don't you do me a favor and shut the fuck up" which was cool. But we tried, and that's what's important.
Especially considering that come Fayetteville, it'd be a bit worse.