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Up and at 'em. Susan and I get some
breakfast at the hotel breakfast bar. It is so convenient
when hotels offer this service. We don't have to carry
a lot of breakfast food or make any stops on our way out
of town. Of course maybe Denny's or IHOP do not think
of them as so convenient. We load up at about 8 am and take
off for Columbus. Got to drive through Illinois, Indiana,
and end up in Ohio. Tom takes the first leg, I get the second,
and Susan finishes us off into Columbus. It was a pretty
uneventful drive although the weather, like yesterday and
many days before that, is hot and muggy.
We get into Columbus and go to our hotel to check in and
get dressed for the night's show. We get something
to eat at a Chipotle Mexican Grill. Everyone in the band
has not been to a Chipotle except for Susan and I. Everyone
is pleased with the wholesome food they serve with such
fast service. During our dinner I notice a young man also
eating who later turns out to be, Dante, one of the soundmen
at the club. After we eat we have about 45 minutes to change.
The club is only a couple of blocks from the hotel.
We get to Vonn's Jazz and Blues Club. There is a group
playing from 6 to 8 called 'Long Tall Deb and the
Drifter Kings'. They are already in full swing when
we arrive and they sound good. Also, there is a single guitar
player/singer on the patio. He has a great voice. I think
his name is Jimmy McGee. I wish I would have had time to
sit down and listen to a song or two. When Deb and the Drifter
Kings finish we start setting up while they tear down. Donto,
our drummer, is pleased because he gets to use some of the
house kit making his load in easier. He is still good about
helping everyone else get their stuff in. You got to like
that when everyone pitches in. I've been with some
musicians whose attitude is 'I'm not a bass
player so I don't haul bass equipment'. Not
this band. We get set up and do a rough sound check and
start out the first of 3 one hour sets.
The crowd is subdued as Vonn's is a supper club where audiences
tend to be more mellow while they dine and drink, but I
can see that they are enjoying the band. Maureen, Laurie's
sister, has come up from Cincinnati and she is helping by
cheering, whistling, and dancing. Thanks, Maureen. It is
good to see you. We take a break and the audience shares
with us that they are enjoying the music and most everyone
sticks around through the second set and some stay on through
the last set which ends at 1 am. Ugh. These are long hours
considering the long drive and early start to the day. On
top of this, we have to be on the road by 6 am to make an
11 hour drive to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware for an 8 pm show.
Yikes. Can you say, "Sleep Deprivation".
This is one of the toughest drives coming up during the
LMB summer tour but in Delaware we only play one 75 minute
show and then we have two days off with a drive. Good night,
albeit short lived.
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