Tour Diary #2: Go Radio

Tallahassee, Florida-based Go Radio (Fearless Records) are currently out headlining the Lucky Street tour with This Providence and Tyler Carter. They'll be sending us diaries from the road throughout the run. Check out the second entry from guitarist Alex Reed below–the first entry can be read here.

Wow, another week for the books on the Lucky Street Tour!  Things are going better than any of us could have imagined: being on the road with the This Providence and Tyler Carter dudes has already proven to be some of the best times I've had on tour to date. Let's recap!

Cambridge, MA was the first stop of week two and it just so happens that it was also my birthday. The big “2-1!”….  just kidding, I am now officially in my mid-twenties. I know a lot of people would probably assume that having a birthday on tour might suck considering you're away from your loved ones. The reality is that I can't really remember the last time I wasn't on tour during my birthday… so I've definitely come to embrace it. Being in Cambridge was pretty exciting because we always have great shows there and have a handful of awesome Boston friends who like to have a good time. When we first arrived at the venue it was pretty apparent that it was going to be a fun show: the room was small, the stage was beat, and it smelled like your favorite dive bar. I actually love playing rooms like this… they have character and with a packed out room the night can be more fun and memorable than any big club show. After, we did our meet & greet with some very enthusiastic fans we went in search for a few birthday beers.

After a little bit of celebratory drinks we got back to the venue and heard two words that make just about any touring musicians birthday show a success: sold out. This marked the second sold out show on this tour prior to doors opening! As soon as we started playing the kids were filled with energy and singing louder than we were. As if that wasn't enough to make the show memorable… towards the end of our set where we usually pause to play a few slower songs everybody stopped, dimmed the lights and started singing happy birthday. To my surprise my lovely girlfriend had coordinated with our merch guy Derek to bring out gourmet cupcakes in the middle of the set! Surprises are the best and this one did not disappoint.

Once we got to Poughkeepsie the next day we found out we were playing the upstairs part of the venue. The last thing anyone wants to hear when they are loading in a ton of heavy equipment is that you have to go up a few flights of stairs….  they just do not design any road cases for this kind of labor. After sound check we walked over to the little bar & grill that was attached to the venue for a quick lunch…. or not. It was the bartenders' first day and apparently no one trained her how to ring in orders on their system.  After about ten minutes of her trying to figure it out on her own Matt says, “Do you want me to show you how to do that?” Before touring full-time we all worked in bars/restaurants and the program most of them use is the same. It was pretty amusing to go to lunch and end up having to do most of the work yourself, but hey–what a good guy! Next stop New York City!

New York City is always the busiest day on tour–this time was no different. We started our day off doing a morning photoshoot with our good friend Brook Phifer. After countless wardrobe changes, three coffees and two locations we headed off to the venue for sound check.  When we got to the venue our tour manager informed us that the show was sold out again! This was pretty epic because it was also Matt's birthday: two birthdays and two sold out shows in one week, pretty awesome! The show was incredible and definitely a monumental moment for the band. Time to celebrate! For Matt's birthday we walked down the road to what could possibly have been the smallest bar on the planet. The floor was covered in sawdust at some attempt for character, the drinks were pricey but the company was unbeatable and we had an amazing time…NYC never disappoints.

We woke up the next morning in what is probably my least favorite state to travel through… New Jersey. Don't get me wrong I love playing in New Jersey but I'm not a fan of someone else pumping my gas… why would somebody get paid to do something that I can so easily do myself? We ended up playing in what may have been the least populated city in New Jersey. Nothing was open except for a tiny little Chinese restaurant down the road… which ended up being surprisingly good. I wasn't really sure what to expect from this show seeing as we had never played at the venue but I was completely shocked. Doors opened and to my surprise kids filled the room, by the end of the night it sold out. Hate to say it NYC…. but New Jersey may have been even louder and more energetic.  Load out was super rushed and hectic due to a hard curfew at the venue… why you ask? Answer: Grateful Dead cover band show! Of course we stayed to see renditions of nobody's favorite Grateful Dead songs. The amount of bad sixties-inspired dance moves were enough to encourage bed time for this guy.

The Note in West Chester, PA was the last show of the week before a much anticipated day off. As soon as I walked into the place I was greeted with all sorts of memories from the last time we had played there on tour with The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. The bar is actually owned by Bam Margera and is really cool. During our preshow chant it was reiterated that the stage was extremely high and with the added height of our “ego-risers” the drop was one you wouldn't want to fall off.   I've never fallen off a stage before so I really wasn't too worried about it. But there's a first time for everything… sure enough in our first song I went to jump on the ego riser and the heal of my foot got caught on the ledge, everything went in slow motion. There was a moment where I thought I could regain my balance but before I knew it I went head first into the crowd.  This could have had a pretty ugly outcome but the crowd caught me and lowered me to the ground gently where I continued to play until Matt pulled me back on stage. There are probably videos floating around on the internet–I highly suggest finding one cause it's pretty hilarious.

On our (much needed) day off I was lucky enough to ride back with my girlfriend Kristina to our home in Philadelphia. I got to sleep in my own bed, take a shower in my own bathroom, do laundry in my own laundry room and eat dinner at my favorite restaurant with my favorite lady. What a great way to wrap up a great second week of tour. 'Till next time, Cheers!! alt