The Tale of The Boat Parade, After Show In-N-Out, and The End of 2011...

Boat Parade Night.

I got on a plane out to California about a week before our last gig of the year… I figured since it was nearing Christmas, I should spend a little extra time out there visiting some friends and family- and also doing some of my Christmas shopping! But after a trip to Temecula for a day to visit some family, and trying desperately to search the malls for the right presents for people- oh, and a hair cut by my awesome hairdresser Todd… It was time for the gig.

December 15, 2011

I got up at a semi-reasonable hour- the night before we had a little get together at my parent’s house for the Newport Beach Boat Parade, and that was a blast! Lots of great friends and family came down to hang for the night. But once I got up, I started to get myself showered and ready for the day. I also had to start packing and organizing to leave town the next morning.

Inside the Bill Medley Auditorium. 

By around 4pm, Dad and I got in the car and drove up to Santa Ana High School. (Which is the high school my Dad attended.) I got to hear all the stories- once again, of all the places him and his friends would hang out back in the day. (But it is always fun to hear those stories!) When we got to the high school, we had a little trouble finding the parking, and so we were driving in circles trying to find the right place- and bare in mind, this is not a safe neighborhood anymore! Eventually we found a place to park- which wasn’t the right place, so we had to walk a bit to get to the auditorium… The Bill Medley Auditorium I might add!

Dad and his diploma.

When we got there we started to sound check and get ready for the show. That went pretty quickly- even though the room had a lot of verb going on, we knew the audience would help to absorb some of that, and the rest would just be the best we could make it. As soon as we finished up, we were ushered out front for a meet and greet at 6pm. There were a lot of people there- and a lot of people Dad went to school with and stuff, so I mostly hung in the back and did my best to stay out of the way!

That lasted a while, but when they finished up there was a little unveiling ceremony for the new Bill Medley Auditorium sign. I even got to be one of the people to help pull the sheet down from it! And it looked great! After that, we went back stage for a few minutes until the show was getting ready to begin.

Dad and I in front of the new Bill Medley
Auditorium sign!

The show started with a few announcements. My Dad’s brother and sister were doing most of them, and they actually presented my Dad with an honorary diploma from Santa Ana High. (My Dad attended Santa Ana High, but no, he did not graduate! He left a couple years early…) It was really a fun deal!

Then the band started up and the show got going. Bob did three of his songs first. (Bob and Larry are both Santa Ana High Alumni too, so it was a big night for those fellas as well! In fact, it was Larry’s first time on the big stage there, so he was pretty stoked!) When they finished up, they started the intro video, and then soon Dad was up there rockin’ his high school. And then after a few songs, so was I! The show was a lot of fun, especially because there were a lot of friends and family in the crowd! We had a blast joking around on stage and playing our music.

After the show, Dad and I went out front to sign, and it was a mad house! People coming at us from every angle! But it was great to see some people that I hadn’t seen in a long time! Signing took a bit longer than usual, but when we finished up we went backstage to gather our stuff and leave. We said goodbye and we were on our way to a glorious after show treat… In-N-Out.

I had convinced Dad to stop there on our way home after the show, it was a must! Best decision ever! We took our food home and then stuffed our faces! Nothing better than In-N-Out after a show! But then it was time for me to finish getting organized to leave in the morning, because it was a pretty early flight! So I did what I could, and then tried to get a few hours of sleep!

Denver Airport.

December 16, 2011

I woke up at 4:15am, and had to start getting ready to leave! Bright and early! Dad graciously offered to take me to the airport- even though it meant leaving at 5am! But I got there right on time, and checked in right before the line started to get bad. Once I made it through security I got almost right on the plane, and honestly, the rest of the day was kind of a blur! I slept on most of the flights, and didn’t have a bad stopover in Denver- in fact the same plane that took me from Orange County to Denver took me from Denver to Branson! So I didn’t even need to find a new gate!

All and all it was pretty painless! My Mom picked me up at the airport in Branson, and we stopped to pick up my Dog from the Pet Resort on the way home. Aside from that, I spent the rest of my day working on my Christmas cards- which I was way late on this year; and just preparing what I needed to get organized for Christmas!

And I have to say that I think this was a good gig to have as our last show of 2011. I think it closed things out quite nice! It was on home turf for everyone, and was a great night with friends and family!

One of my Christmas gifts. An amazing
handmade holster. Thank you to all those
that helped make it! Love it!

As for the holidays…

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, I know I did! I got to celebrate in Branson and have some wonderful time with my friends and family. And I hope everyone has a great new years as well! This is the first New Years Eve that I have had off with no show in quite a few years, so I am excited! Not sure what adventures that will bring yet, but I am looking forward to welcoming 2012! It will be nice to have a little downtime in January, but I am looking forward to all the crazy tour adventures this new year is sure to bring!

And I must add... Thank you all for following me on the road this year through this blog! This was my first year every doing it, and I can’t believe it has been a year already since I started! Amazing! But seriously, thank you so much for following me on this journey! It’s been a fun and crazy year!