Road trips rock
We went to Madison, WI. last night to see the D&E. Despite it being a 3 hour drive there and a 2 hour drive back, it was so worth it.
We got there at about 7:20 and were welcomed into the Dog van for drinks and to view their red "pimp lights" haha. Jim and Augie forewarned us about the ghetto venue and the prick of a doorman (he made ABJ's tour manager pay). They said that there were literally 14 people inside. At that point, I didn't believe them, but they were dead on. I should have counted, but there couldn't have more than 15 people inside. Jim played Aaron and I a few demos that they had just recorded as well as the UPN clip that Dan recorded (he was the voice of UPN for a while - during the breaks he would sing 'Get it on, get it on, UPN...' That clip might be an exclusive for the team soon). The demos were great. A different sound than Bandshell, and even different from the new songs they're playing at the show, but they still have that unique D&E sound.
They were playing a teen center because everything else in Madison was booked. There was a sign near the door that proclaimed the center was only for 14-18 year olds and valid ID was to be presented. Oh boy. Apparently that didn't count for the concert, because they didn't ask for our IDs. (And anyways, what 14 year old would have an ID?).
We headed to the hall, checked out the new merch, set out streetteam stuff, and then walked right back out. The place was a little depressing, the band that was setting up looked to be rock-ska, which drives me nuts (pick a style!), and there was a capitol building about 1/2 a mile away that was beautifully lit. So Aaron and I went on a bit of a stroll to photograph the building. By the time we came back, the Dog was getting ready to set up... perfect timing.
It has been such a long time that the D&E has played a such a small show that it was a almost a new experiance. The guys cracked me up because throughout the whole show they were laughing at the line-dancing, skanking crowd. They were so entertained by the audience that Dan even told me to take pictures of them. Haha. I didn't take as many pictures as I normally do, partly because I didn't like the lighting, and partly because I was being silly and yelling for them. I figured they needed the support =O)
The setlist (for those of you that care):
Wannabe
Early On
Book
Know It All
Leave
Losing You
Hey Luv
Time Bomb (which originally was supposed to be Video *sniffle*)
After the show, we hung around until the van was packed up, then decided to head back to Chicago instead of going out to the 'tree bar' (apparently there was a tree inside the bar. Jimmy was very excited), since it was already past 11, and we had been up since 7am.
Local shows are great, but for some reason, road trips are much more exciting, even if they are exhausting. Next weekend's trip: Greenwheel in St. Louis. I just wish we were going to spend more than a night there, I'd love to explore St. Louis. Then the weekend after that (the 29th) we're seeing SR in Baltimore. However, I don't think that counts as a road trip since we'll be there anyway for Thanksgiving. Still, in 3 weekends we'll be seeing 4 shows in 4 states.
We got there at about 7:20 and were welcomed into the Dog van for drinks and to view their red "pimp lights" haha. Jim and Augie forewarned us about the ghetto venue and the prick of a doorman (he made ABJ's tour manager pay). They said that there were literally 14 people inside. At that point, I didn't believe them, but they were dead on. I should have counted, but there couldn't have more than 15 people inside. Jim played Aaron and I a few demos that they had just recorded as well as the UPN clip that Dan recorded (he was the voice of UPN for a while - during the breaks he would sing 'Get it on, get it on, UPN...' That clip might be an exclusive for the team soon). The demos were great. A different sound than Bandshell, and even different from the new songs they're playing at the show, but they still have that unique D&E sound.
They were playing a teen center because everything else in Madison was booked. There was a sign near the door that proclaimed the center was only for 14-18 year olds and valid ID was to be presented. Oh boy. Apparently that didn't count for the concert, because they didn't ask for our IDs. (And anyways, what 14 year old would have an ID?).
We headed to the hall, checked out the new merch, set out streetteam stuff, and then walked right back out. The place was a little depressing, the band that was setting up looked to be rock-ska, which drives me nuts (pick a style!), and there was a capitol building about 1/2 a mile away that was beautifully lit. So Aaron and I went on a bit of a stroll to photograph the building. By the time we came back, the Dog was getting ready to set up... perfect timing.
It has been such a long time that the D&E has played a such a small show that it was a almost a new experiance. The guys cracked me up because throughout the whole show they were laughing at the line-dancing, skanking crowd. They were so entertained by the audience that Dan even told me to take pictures of them. Haha. I didn't take as many pictures as I normally do, partly because I didn't like the lighting, and partly because I was being silly and yelling for them. I figured they needed the support =O)
The setlist (for those of you that care):
Wannabe
Early On
Book
Know It All
Leave
Losing You
Hey Luv
Time Bomb (which originally was supposed to be Video *sniffle*)
After the show, we hung around until the van was packed up, then decided to head back to Chicago instead of going out to the 'tree bar' (apparently there was a tree inside the bar. Jimmy was very excited), since it was already past 11, and we had been up since 7am.
Local shows are great, but for some reason, road trips are much more exciting, even if they are exhausting. Next weekend's trip: Greenwheel in St. Louis. I just wish we were going to spend more than a night there, I'd love to explore St. Louis. Then the weekend after that (the 29th) we're seeing SR in Baltimore. However, I don't think that counts as a road trip since we'll be there anyway for Thanksgiving. Still, in 3 weekends we'll be seeing 4 shows in 4 states.