The Longest day EVER!!!

Two days ago we were in Champaign, IL. We were slotted for 2 shows, one aquired on Tuesday, the other was our original slot. Seeing that the sets wouldn't conflict we each other we agreed to do both and hopefully double our exposure. It really wasn't the longest day ever, but the first time I have ever played four very long sets, 2 shows in one day. For our particular slot times and set requirements this meant 42 songs, and 5 hours on stage. In college towns this could also mean twice as many shots are brought to you on stage.

After a long but rewarding night in Springfield we awoke and made our way to Champaign. Our first show was at the Phoenix, a local pool hall that usually features metal acts. The owner is a kind man with a hell of a grip. A visit to the Phoenix the next time you are in Champaign would be worth your while, if you like kind people. The crowd was really open minded and took in our original music with ease. We did pretty well in merch and hustled our way out of the door.

We had loaded in and performed two 1 hour sets and had to promptly load out in order to make our load in time at Joe's. Now this seems simple in theory. 1.5 hours from our set end to load in at our next show. But when you are meeting your new fans, coordinating a van pack, and trying to corral all band member and managers in a timely manner it is always a challenge. Also, packing the van has become a science, just recently we found the correct way to do it efficiently every time, but as of Thursday we were not so consistent at it. In addition, Curtis, the forementioned bar manager, was kind enough to lend us another main so the crowd at Joes would be able to hear me during our set. This main happened to be the biggest speaker I have ever used in my life. I rode from the Phoenix to Joes with my knees at my chest, wondering if we would be able to get the speaker back after our set at Joes before the Phoenix closed.

Upon arriving at Joes we had to have a drink and eat some food before we set up. Our first show was hot, and I personally was pretty drained. Knowing that I had to sing another two hours, I kept my water bottle close and my mouth shut. An old friend, who happens to be a general manager at Joes took care of us by giving us free reign on the menu. We stuffed our faces with the first hot meal we have had in days and got back to work. We set up and proceeded to follow through with our first set quickly and with no difficulty. Now on our 6th show of the tour I found that as a cohesive unit we were firing like a machine. Usually when we do 1 off shows in the city or the surrounding suburbs of Chicago you have to prep mentally to get into "machine mode". Playing every night makes this neccesity disappear, therefore leaving you with more energy to perform.

Playing college towns is always tricky. The crowd is usually too drunk to stand and very hard to please. At Joes in particular, the crowd is kind, but are passing time until all of the other students show up... which is usually about 1 half hour after we finish. The music has to stop (it is outside in the beer garden) at 11 o clock, and a lot of college kids don't go out until 11:30. Therefore you usually get the early drinker crowd, whom are usally shit hammered by 7 o clock. Naturally, groups of "day drinkers" will chant or clap their hands in unison if you get them at the right time. About the 5th time someone calls out "Free Bird!", you know it is time to really start turning it on... Just never actually play "Free Bird". I was in a band once that covered that song every show (I was 14 don't judge). I have found that regardless of how well you do that song, you will attract the drunkest guy in the room, who will insist that is the best version of "Free Bird" he has ever heard, the whole time knowing that he most likely won't remember seeing you at all. Instead you should continue playing original music and get that same guy to buy a record. At least this way he knows who he saw the night before.


During our 4th set of the day we were welcomed with a lot of new faces walking through the door. I was running on empty, but the crowd was starting to get it. We finished strong and prompted to leave our equipment set up so we could socialize with some of the college folk, and get some more free drinks.
After we finished loading up we got paid and pulled across the street so we could rest our weary heads. I decided to try and sleep across the two seats in the back and let Kevin try the floor. This was a bad idea, for when I awoke, not only was the van 105 degrees, but my spine was all out of whack and felt like a sideways "U".

Attached is a picture of an edited set, with last minute adjustments and new covers added. If you do the math, the opportunities are really mind boggling. With the amount of songs you know, the amount of songs you can play, and in which order... Sometimes adjusting the set spot of one song can totally alter the ebb and flow of a performance. This may be obvious to most people, but for those of you who have never considered what it is like coordinating the order of songs for a 3 hour show, you should not take for granted that bands like Pearl Jam and Metallica, whom sometimes play for these lengths, and somehow it never gets boring. Then you walk into another show and the set is so terribly arranged a half hour seems like an eternity. There are keys, tempos, dynamics, and endurance to take into consideration. There is quite a science to it... From the picture you can see that we are still learning.

Stephen Francis