After a leisurely morning in Newport Beach, I got my bags packed and Mom went ahead and drove me to the airport around 1:30pm. I met Gabe at the gate, and we were both excited to get to Nashville! Our flight to Denver began to board pretty quickly, and I ran to the bathroom; Gabe went ahead and got on the plane, and then I did a few minutes later. However, he apparently never saw me get on the plane (our seats weren’t next to each other), he also text me and I didn’t respond (because I had already shut my phone off), so apparently he was starting to get a bit concerned that I didn’t make the flight! (And he didn’t find out that I did until we landed!)
But once we got to Denver, we had a pretty short layover; when we got to the gate they were about to start boarding. That flight went really easy as well. We got to Nashville around 10:30pm. After waiting for our bags to come up, we finally were able to go get the rental car and get on our way.
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| My new friend... |
We were staying at the Doubletree in downtown Nashville, and it was great! They had sent me an email when I made the reservation and it had a link to a website where I could order stuff ahead of time to be waiting in the room! And I knew we weren’t going to get to the hotel until about 11:30pm, so I figured ordering something to be waiting for us sounded like a genius idea! Indeed it was! Two cold beers- for Gabe, a bottle of wine- for me, and a fruit platter that was awesome! Plus, Doubletree hotels give you warm chocolate chip cookies at check in! So it was a killer combo! Perfect first night in Nashville!
July 26, 2011
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| Vince Gill and John Oats on stage together. |
We didn’t have any recording to do that day, but we did meet up with Larry and go through all the songs we were going to be recording the next day. We had to make sure all the layouts and chords were right. Then Gabe and I got some sushi real quick before we headed to the Mercy Lounge. There was a benefit for a guitar player going on there, and it was supposed to be a great concert! And it was! We had a wonderful time! Two of the more well known people that performed that night were John Oats of Hall and Oats, and Vince Gill. Vince was amazing! He did his new single, “Threaten Me With Heaven”, and it blew me away! Incredible! (Plus Vince is one of Gabe’s favorite artists ever, so he was loving every minute of it! He filmed most of it on his phone too!) You have just got to love Nashville, the music is always so amazing there!
July 27, 2011
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| Up in the studio... |
I decided to wake up early at 6:30am and hit the gym, which was rough! But I think it was a good thing in the long run! Then it was time to get into the studio and get some tracks done! We recorded five songs in one day- which was really good! The band was amazing, some of the best musicians around! And it was just so much fun! We all got some food from Mitchell’s Deli once we were done with three of the songs- we all needed some lunch in us so we could keep working! Then afterwards we went out with Larry’s family to a place it Eastside Nashville. Ended up eating sushi again- for the second night in a row! But it was perfect! Such a productive day!
July 28, 2011
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| Me and my Kombucha. |
We weren’t needed in the studio until about 1pm, so Gabe and I went to our favorite vegetarian place in town- which happens to be right next to the studio, and we grabbed some lunch. Gabe also introduced me to Kombucha, and I am hooked! Love those drinks! Once we got to the studio, a great singer was just coming in to sing some backgrounds and also some duets. Then after a quick break around 6pm, we got back into the studio and I laid down some vocals. That went pretty quickly and smoothly. We were done by about 8:30pm. Once we got back to our hotel, Gabe and I walked across the street to a sushi restaurant that Larry’s family had recommended. Yes, sushi three nights in a row! But it was so yummy! After a quick stop in the bar for a nightcap- and I believe I got a bit over-served, it was time to get ready for the next day in the studio.
July 29, 2011
Again we were not needed until about 12pm, so we took our time getting ready. When we got there, I ran to get a Kombucha, and the guys got to work mixing and comping the tracks. It was a long day of that kind of stuff! However, it was paying off, it was all starting to sound amazing! We all went over to Drifters for a snack at one point, but then it was straight back to work! We were there until about 9:30pm. The last couple hours Gabe and I were actually playing with the engineer- Chad’s little daughter. She was adorable, and really cute when playing hide and seek! It was a fun day! When we got back to the hotel, Gabe and I just decided to eat downstairs- they had great food! And we were starving! Plus, we had a lot to celebrate! Our music was sounding incredible- if I must say so myself!
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| Gabe singing! Had to capture that moment! Now he's a singer too! |
July 30, 2011
We got up, showered and dressed. We packed up our bags and checked out of the hotel. But we had time to kill. So we went to downtown and got some lunch on Broadway at the Big River Brewery. Then we decided to go stop by and get a Pinkberry! (Gabe found his new favorite flavor- salted caramel! I usually get fruity flavors there, but I have to admit, it was pretty awesome!)
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| Gabe and I at Hard Rock in Nashville. |
As we were sitting there enjoying our frozen yogurt, I got a call from Larry, and he informed us that he was already at the airport for his flight, and he noticed that the flight Gabe and I were on was listed as cancelled. So that started a long line of phone calls, and trying to figure out what to do! After a couple hours of trying to sort it out, we realized the best we could do was a 6am flight the next day. Which meant one more night in Nashville for us!
We stopped by the Hard Rock for a bit and had a drink; then we went and found a hotel by the airport. We ended up at the Radisson. After we checked in, we actually went down to the pool for a while. Someone had left an inflatable ball there, so we were playing volleyball and different games, it was a lot of fun! Good exercise! Then came time for a drink and some food. But I realized the room service menu was better than the restaurant menu, so we went back up to the room for dinner. We ended up having a picnic on the floor with our pizza and specialty chip things we ordered. It was awesome! After a while, we decided to get to sleep though. Very early morning!
July 31, 2011
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| Gabe and I at 4am. |
Alarms rang at 3:30am. I had to take a shower and then close my suitcases up and get moving. We managed to leave the hotel by 4am. But we missed the exit to the airport, so we had a bit of a drive around somewhere in Nashville; but eventually we got there! We returned the rental car and got checked in and through security. Starbucks was a must! Once we got to our gate, our plane was supposed to start boarding soon, but they got a bit of a late start, only a few minutes though.
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| Driving through the beautiful Oregon countryside. |
We weren’t in the air too much behind schedule- just a few minutes, but we had a short layover, so it was scary! Gabe and I were seated next to each other, and we did some drawing on his iPad to keep us entertained. (Gotta love iPads!) And he also introduced me to some awesome new music I must get! Once the plane landed in Houston, we knew we were in a hurry. Yet they wouldn’t let us off the plane until they had all the planeside checked bags out and ready for people; all the while we were sitting there waiting to get off the plane knowing that our other flight was already boarding!
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| Gabe driving us to the winery. |
When they finally let us off the plane, we literally ran! Literally! I was sprinting. And sadly I was wearing high-heel flip flops, and carrying a backpack that weighs about thirty pounds! Running was not an easy feat for me! Gabe got ahead of me, but I caught up to him when we got to the tram. We really went from one side of the airport to the other! When we both got to the gate, we realized we made it! But we were both completely out of breath and exhausted! (However, had we missed this flight, we would have missed the show that night too! So we were lucky we made it.)
We got on the plane and it was three and three seats. I was actually in a middle seat, but Gabe was in the aisle seat next to me, so that made it a million times better! Plus, it was a longer flight- over four hours! A middle seat with two strangers around me would not have been fun. I tried to sleep most of the flight- not sure I got much, but I at least got some rest!
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| Sound check. |
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| Sound check. |
By about 11:30am, we were on the ground in Portland, Oregon. After we grabbed our bags, we went to the rental car company, and the line was crazy long! It took about thirty minutes! Then they couldn’t find our reservation. It was all a mess! Finally they got us set up, and we went out to get a car, and there was a line for getting the keys to the car too! Just one of those days! (Side note- earlier this year we had gotten stranded at the Portland Airport and had to drive to Canyonville, so that rental car place was very familiar!)
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| The view from the stage at sound check. |
We got on the road just after 12:45pm, and we headed straight to the gig. We were working at a winery that night in Dayton, Oregon- which was about an hour away. There was a bit of traffic, but we eventually got there around 2pm. It was beautiful! We were working outside, and it was awesome! We had a very quick sound check, then they took us over to a guest house that is on the property as well. We hung out there for a few hours. But before too long, it was 4:30pm and time to get ready for the show. We went over to the stage and waited for the show to start by 4:45pm.
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| Bill, Larry, Bob and Gabe heading to work. |
The show was a private party, and so it was a lot of fun! Plus, we were on a winery, and aside from being incredibly beautiful; their wine was very tasty as well! I actually became the wine wench towards the end of the show, because they put some bottles of wine up on the stage for the band, so I got everyone a drink while we sang some rock and roll. Who knew cocktail waitress was in my job description! The crowd was great! But right after we finished, Bob, Gabe and I jumped into the rental car and began the drive back to Portland. (The three of us all had rough travel days that day, and we needed rest!) It was about an hour drive to get to the Sheraton at the airport. Bob went on up to his room to get some rest, while Gabe and I still had to check in! We hadn’t even been to the hotel yet! But once we got that sorted out- which seemed rather confusing to the girl running the desk, we were on our way to being able to rest for a little bit… But there wasn’t much sleeping in.
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| Stoller Vineyards. |
August 1, 2011
My alarm got me up at 5:30am, and I was not happy about it. But I got showered and packed up anyway. I met everyone in the lobby at 6:30am, and Gabe and I went to return the rental car- along with Tim and his rental car, and Larry and his rental car. The rest of the guys got on the airport shuttle thing. The airport was right next door, and returning the cars proved to be a lot easier than getting the car was.
We walked inside and checked in at US Airways. The line was not short! But it moved pretty quickly. Then on through security, and we met the rest of the guys at a restaurant inside the terminal. Once the guys got some food in them, we walked down to our gate.
The flight started boarded pretty soon, and I got into my comfy window seat, and tried to make myself feel cozy… We were flying to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and it was a five hour flight. So it was a long one! We took off a few minutes late, but not too bad- I was just a little concerned because we had a short layover in Philly, but I was keeping hopes high! I kept myself as entertained as possible on the flight, and then eventually we were landing in Philly at about 5pm.
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| Flying out of Portland. |
As the plane parked at the gate, the marathon run began… We had twenty minutes from when we landed until when our next flight was taking off. Dad, Tim and I were towards the front of the plane, so we took off first. Gabe, Larry and Bob were sadly in the very back, so they got off to a slow start. Dad, Tim and I figured out which way to go, and sped off- as I was also texting Gabe directions. (Figuring out which way to go was not the easiest thing!) But the other guys finally caught up to us at the tram stop. Those things slow you down every time! We had already run a pretty impressive distance, and then the tram took us even farther- I had no idea that airport was so massive! Once our tram stopped at our terminal, we sent Gabe out first since he is the youngest and runs the fastest. I was in line second, and then the rest behind me.
We finally reached the last gate in the terminal. (Of course it was the last gate in that terminal!) And the lady was not pleased about us showing up so late, they already had the door to the tarmac closed, but allowed us to board the plane anyway. We also met up with our sound guy Don there. (He had flown in from Las Vegas.) The good news was that we even saw some of our bags getting on the small prop plane we were boarding. We had thought there wasn’t much of a chance that our bags could make it- especially considering how far we traveled to get from one gate to the other!
The planes propellers started up and we got out on the runway. There was a bit of a line to take off though, so we were just chilling. Then, we got news of a storm in our travel path, and they needed to find a new route. However, while they were finding a new route, the storm started to touchdown where we were. And it was a pretty strong storm! Out of nowhere there was rain, very strong wind, and even hail! It was insane!
We ended up sitting there parked on the runway for over an hour, then they finally took us back to the gate and let us off the plane. This was not a good sign, but they were not saying the flight was canceled either; so we held on to some hope. What was funny was that our flight attendant had found out my Dad was on the plane, and she was so excited, she talked to him for a while during the storm. But as we were all getting off the plane, she told Bob and Gabe, “Did you know Bill Medley was on this flight?”
As we sat there in those not too comfortable airport chairs- surrounded by far too many people for that area, (there were a lot of flights that had to go back to the gate and let everyone off) Tim went into his super hero mode. He was waiting in line, talking to our travel agent on the phone, and doing a million other things all at once. We didn’t get a whole lot of information for a while. After about two hours, they canceled our original flight, but somehow they managed to get Dad, Tim, Don and I onto an 8:30pm flight. Which was good news and bad news- because when I was informed of this, I was told I needed to get to the gate as soon as possible, and I happened to be enjoying a very nice cocktail at the bar with Dad, Don, and Gabe. But we all rushed over any way; only to find out we needed to go to the other side of the terminal for that gate.
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| The bar in Philly. |
Once we got there, the plane should have started boarding within minutes… But it didn’t. I was waiting as patiently as possible, but they just weren’t even acknowledging the fact that they weren’t boarding yet. Didn’t say the plane was going to be late or anything. Just giving us absolutely no info. During this time, we were also trying to sort out what the rest of the guys needed to do. After a lot of confusion- and some of the airline people lying to us a few times, Larry was booked on the flight after ours, and Bob and Gabe were on standby for that flight. (If they didn’t make it on that one, they would be flying in the morning.) But all of us were feeling uneasy about the fact that any of the flights were even going to take off.
Dad, Tim, Don and I were still waiting for our flight two hours later when they finally announced a gate change for us. So we all proceeded to the new gate. But even there they didn’t let us right on the plane. It wasn’t until we were all standing there at least thirty minutes that they finally started boarding. So we got on the plane and left Larry, Gabe and Bob to fend for themselves. Our flight did not take off right away either. We were taxing around Philly and waiting in a long line. But we did eventually get in the air, and it was only a short forty five minute flight to State College.
Once we landed it was after midnight. I got a text from Gabe filling us in on their situation… Their plane was starting to board; then a few minutes later I got a text from him saying they all made it on the flight. (Which that is a strange story too. There was one guy on standby in front of them, and he had been waiting all day for a flight out too, and had a meeting the next morning to get to. The airline said that they could take the first three people on stand by- that guy, Gabe and Bob. The forth guy was out of luck, and I guess noticeably bummed. So out of nowhere, the first guy gave him his seat! He said he could just try the next day! Which amazed Bob and Gabe since they knew he had been waiting all day. But once they all got on the plane, they ended up pulling off the guy who the first gentleman gave his seat to because of weight restrictions. So basically, if that first guy hadn’t given his seat to the fourth guy, Bob would have been pulled off the plane! Amazing!)
However, we had other problems to deal with in State College. Our bags didn’t make it. Not one of them. So we had to fill out lost bag forms for seven bags. By the time we realized how long that was going to take, we decided to just wait for the other guys and then we could all ride to Clearfield together. (Or else we would have had to rent a car, and let the other guys take the van.) We didn’t have to wait too long, only about an hour- not even that by the time we were done filling out our baggage stuff. And the driver took Dad to McDonalds while we were waiting. That always keeps Pops happy!
By about fifteen minutes after 1am, the other guys finally arrived. And strangely enough, so did some of our bags. However, mine did not show up. (I really need to start putting some of my stage clothes in a few of the other guy’s suitcases, just in case of times like that!) We gathered ourselves as quickly as possible and all climbed into the big van. Our driver was awesome, his name was Farmer, and he had overalls on of course. He was great, so sweet! It was about an hour drive to Clearfield, and we got there around 3am. Could have been worse!
We checked into our Days Inn motel- which was not the best place we have stayed, I’ll say that. But I think we were all just looking forward to the fact that we had rooms with beds in them!
August 2, 2011
I tried to let myself sleep in, but I wasn’t too successful. I actually ended up doing a little song writing that morning. Which was a lot of fun! My bags finally made it to the hotel at 2pm- just in time for me to jump in the shower and get dressed and ready to go to sound check by 3:30pm. (However, one of my bags was not in great shape- they broke the handle and dented it in a few places.) We were working a fair that night, and so we drove over to the fairgrounds about ten or fifteen minutes away. Sound check was a bit confusing because the main soundboard had over heated, so we couldn’t use it until we were just about done sound checking! But we did manage to get everything set!
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| The stage at the fair. |
After a quick sandwich in our doublewide trailer, the guys and I headed back to the hotel to get ready for the show. Then we headed back to the fairgrounds by 7:15pm. The show started at 8pm, and we managed to start on time. But as we were all standing by the side of the stage right before the guys went on, I started to feel the slightest tiny raindrops. Not the best sign since it was an outdoor gig! But the guys hit the stage, and I got ready and then waited on the side of the stage.
During the song before I walk out, it started to downpour! Luckily there was a covering over us on stage, but most of the audience was without shelter. Surprisingly a lot of them stayed seated! (However some evacuated to the bleachers a bit further away because those had something over them.) I was starting to get hit a bit by the rain though, but I figured it was all good! I got out there, and I have to say, it is a lot of fun to sing in the rain! I had a great time! But the rain did stop not long after the end of “Time of My Life”. Aside from the rain, the show went off without a hitch! And I thought the rain was great! Keeps life interesting!
After Dad and I went out to sign, all of us went back to the Days Inn and we decided to hit up the bar there. It was a happening place! It was a downhome bar, with pool tables, a DJ (mixing an interesting assortment of songs), and it seemed like a rough kind of joint. We all ended up having a blast though! Everyone was buying us drinks and we were just loving every minute of it! There are some very funny videos from that night… I won’t share most of them, just maybe one or two of the dancing madness that was going on! Who knew the band loved to dance! They even played one of the songs we had just recorded in Nashville a couple days earlier. Sounded great! It was a really awesome night! And we definitely deserved it after the crazy travel day the day before.
August 3, 2011
My alarms were ringing by 9am. I gathered my things, and wandered out to meet the guys at 9:30am. We drove the hour back to the State College Airport, and then got ourselves all checked in at Delta for our flights. Don was leaving us there- we had a different soundman coming in for the next few gigs. Our first flight was right on time at 11:40am, and that took us into Detroit.
Once we landed there, we walked over to our new terminal and some of the guys went to check on something at the gate, and some went shopping, so Gabe and I used his American Express card to get into the Delta Lounge. I have to say it was a really nice one! Gabe was beside himself because there was no bartender there, they just have all the alcohol out and let you pour yourself. This was amazing to him! After about thirty minutes though, we all met back up at Chili’s for some lunch.
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| Detroit Airport. |
By the time we were done there, our two and a half hour layover was almost over, and it was getting close to boarding time. So we all headed towards the gate. The next flight was a bit longer, but still only about two hours. However, it was Dad’s first time in a middle seat. It was an experience. But he made it out of there alive! That flight was pretty painless, and right on time as well.
When we landed in Atlanta around 6pm, we all took the tram to our new terminal and then we all kind of split up a bit. But Gabe, Bob and I snuck into the Delta Lounge there. (They had amazing olives- I know that sounds random, but it is true!) This layover was only about an hour and a half, so we couldn’t hang there too long; we had to get to the gate.
Our next and final flight of the day was to Meridian, Mississippi. And it too was completely on time! (Amazing, a three flight day and everything was on time!) That was just a short flight- about an hour, or just a shade more. Then when we got there at 7:30pm, our bags even made it! Now that is a good day!
It was only a quick ten minute drive over to our hotel, the Drury Inn. And I have to say, I was really impressed with the Drury Inn! I mean, maybe it was just because we had just left the Days Inn, but the Drury Inn was surprisingly wonderful! We all dropped our bags off and headed next door to Logans Roadhouse for some dinner. Logans is kind of like an Outback or something, and it was really tasty! We were all very happy!
After dinner we all pretty much retired for the night. It had been a long few days, and we were all loving the plush beds in our rooms!
August 4, 2011
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| Dad trying on shoes at Walmart. |
We actually had a day off in Meridian! I woke up by a reasonable hour though and met Gabe down at the indoor pool. Larry was there trying to talk Gabe into going golfing. (Let me explain the weather there that day, about a hundred and five degrees and extreme humidity. Golfing sounded insane!) But somehow Larry managed to talk Gabe into it, but no one else jumped on board for that… After I took a swim, I just got some much needed work done in my room.
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| Gabe on the horse outside the hotel... |
Soon it was 5pm, and so Gabe and I headed over to Logans a bit early and got a drink as we waited on the other guys to get there. (Let’s just say yummy strawberry daiquiri!) We all had another great meal there! We were loving that place! Then came time for movie night. Larry had rented a car, so Larry, Dad, Gabe and I all hopped in and drove over to the movie theaters. We got there just in time for our movies. Dad and Larry went to see “Cowboys Vs. Aliens” and Gabe and I went to see “Friends With Benefits”. I have to say it was really nice to have a mellow movie night out on the road!
A crazy storm rolled through town while we were in the movies too; we even heard it in the theater. But by the time we got out, everything was pretty much settled down. So we headed over to Walmart to pick up a few things. Funny how Walmarts are really the same everywhere! After that we all got back to the hotel and crashed. It was a great day off while on the road!
August 5, 2011
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| The Riley Center. |
I woke up and went down to the gym for a bit. Thought that might be a good way to start the day! Then I got showered and ready. I stopped by my Dad’s room at 3pm to pick him up for sound check. We headed downstairs to a car that was already waiting for us. We had about a ten minute drive into downtown Meridian where the theater was. We were working the Riley Center at MSU. It was gorgeous! They had just redone the whole thing, and it is just breathtaking. One of those truly beautiful theaters; over a hundred years old and just amazing!
Sound check went pretty smooth, just a few little feedbacks and things. But we managed to finish that up pretty quickly. Dad went back to the hotel while the rest of us were escorted to the second floor for dinner. The food was incredible! We were all very happy campers! Once we finished, we got on our way back to the hotel to get changed and ready for the show.
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| Beautiful theater. These pictures do not do it justice! |
Then we all met back downstairs at 6:45pm, and drove back over to the theater. The show started on time, and that theater was a pleasure to work! It is always so nice to be working a place that looks like a work of art. After the show, signing went great! There were so many wonderful people to meet! I love the South, everyone is so sweet there! We finished up by 10:15pm, Dad, Tim and I were the only ones left at the venue. (The other guys had left by the time we were done signing.) So we got our stuff packed into the car and went back to the hotel.
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| Myself in the limo on the way to Biloxi. |
By the time we got there, I had just enough time to run up to my room and finish packing before I had to be back downstairs at 10:45pm. We all met in the lobby, and then when the limo and van arrived we all started packing them up. Dad, Gabe and I rode in the limo, and the rest of the guys were in the giant van. We had a three hour drive ahead of us. We were on our way to Biloxi! There were a couple of stops made along the journey- a food stop at the beginning, then right towards the end a bathroom stop, but the convenience store was closed there, so the guys just went out to the back… I figured I’d just hold it for the fifteen minutes that were left in the drive.
We pulled up to the Hard Rock in Biloxi right on time at 2am. Tim got us all checked in and soon we were all off to our rooms. I have to say I really love the Hard Rock Hotels though. They are just awesome!
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| Hard Rock |
August 6, 2011
I woke up by 10am. I had big plans of hitting the pool, but it was a bit overcast. However, I decided I’d give it a try anyway. Gabe met me down there, and after about thirty minutes, the sun actually came out! So that was great! Although you pretty much had to stay in the pool the whole time, it was crazy hot out there- especially once the sun broke through the clouds.
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| The theater at the Hard Rock. |
After an hour or so down there, I ran up to my room to get dressed and ready for sound check. I met my Dad down at the bottom of the elevators at 3:30pm. We walked over to the Hard Rock Live Theater, and yet again, it was a great venue! There were some technical difficulties that day, but it ended up getting sorted out eventually (thanks to our awesome monitor man that night), it just slowed us down a bit. By the time we were done, I was starving. So Larry, Bob, Gabe and I walked over to the buffet. Really nice buffet too! Totally hit the spot!
Once we finished up, I went back to my room and got ready for the show. I went to meet my Dad in his room just before 7:30pm, and then our security escort walked us down to the theater the back way- through the “inside” of the hotel. Always so interesting to see the behind closed doors part of a hotel and casino!
Dad had a meet and greet, and I just hung out with the guys for a bit until it was time to go on. I walked downstairs to the stage with the fellas when it was time for them to hit it. (Mostly because I wanted to make sure I knew how to get to the stage entrance from the dressing rooms!) But once they were on, I wandered back up to the dressing rooms for a bit to get myself ready. Then back to the side of the stage where I waited. They had a bunch of set lists plastered all over the wall there from the different acts that had worked that room, and some of them were pretty awesome. People that I am a big fan of! Like Gavin DeGraw! So incredible to work a place that people you are a fan of work too!
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| The whole group! Larry, Tim, myself, Dad, Gabe, Bob and Bill. |
The show was awesome! Great crowd! And we even had a friend or two in the audience, which made it a lot of fun! Dad and I went out to sign afterward, and that went smooth as well! Once we were done though, we hustled over to Ruth’s Chris- which was actually in the Hard Rock. (That is one of my Dad’s all time favorite places to eat!) Dad, Gabe, Tim, Larry, Bill and I all had an incredible meal, and we had a very entertaining waiter too! It was a perfect way to close out that little tour we had just done!
August 7, 2011
A welcomed relief was that we did not have an early flight! We got to relax a bit in the morning, and slowly get ready to leave. By 12:30pm, Dad, Larry, Tim, Gabe, and I were all gathering at the van and getting on our way to the airport. (Bob and Bill had taken a much earlier flight.) It wasn’t a long drive to the airport, and once we got there, we just checked into Continental and headed on up through security. I actually remembered the airport rather well. Dad, Tim and I flew out of there when we had worked in Biloxi about a year and a half earlier!
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| Flying into Orange County. |
We all went to the restaurant for a little lunch. However, I noticed something unfortunate when I finished eating- I had broken a tooth! Luckily it was one in the back, but it still was not a good thing! (But I’ll have more about that in the next blog…) Then when we finished up we went over to the gate to wait patiently. Our flight was running just about ten minutes late, but nothing too bad! Soon we were on our plane and in the air to Houston. We landed there around 4pm, it was only about an hour flight.
Then we all hopped on the tram to take us to our new terminal. Once we got there, we found a place to hang out and grab a snack right next to our gate. We had a two hour layover, so we were in no hurry. But the plane did start boarding right on time! Gabe, Larry and I were in the very back of the plane. I mean, I was a window seat in the last row- basically the last seat on the plane! But it was all good; the flight was about three hours, though it seemed to go quickly. We arrived into Orange County Airport right at 7:30pm.
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| Gabe's car was packed with all of our bags! |
When we finally got off the plane, we headed down to baggage claim and found some of our bags already circling the carousel. Gabe went to get his car that was parked there, while Dad and I were in charge of grabbing his bag. Larry and Tim grabbed their stuff and were on their way, while Dad and I walked out to the curb and waited for Gabe to drive around. Once he got there we fit all the bags into the car- just barely, and we were on our way to my parent’s house.
Mom was cooking tacos- which is my Dad’s favorite! So Gabe came in and joined us for taco night. I have to say a homemade meal is a nice thing after a while on the road! Eventually Gabe left though, and I was growing tired, so I got all comfy in my bed, and tried to get some rest. There was more work to come in a day or two…
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