ROAD REPORT: Y&T/RK IN CHICAGO 7-20-06
Just got back to Vegas last night, wanted to let the smoke clear before posting my Road Report…
First of all: The show went great – packed house – excellent response – wonderful treatment from the venue, Y&T, and the fans – and Y&T got me
onstage to join them for “Summertime Girls”!
On the flipside: Southwest Airlines once AGAIN lost my guitar, my flights were all seriously delayed, and the stress levels were at the usual maximum.
Here’s the timeline:
6:00 am – Las Vegas – wake up call
6:30 am – depart for airport. Due to a serious fatality accident, the freeway is closed and traffic is insane.
7:10 am – arrive at McCarran airport. Security line is ½ mile long.
8:30 am – board plane – just before takeoff, we are informed that there will be a 3 hour delay before takeoff due to extreme bad weather in Chicago.
Most everyone deplanes, leaving plenty of room for me to stretch out and sleep.
4:15 pm – arrive in Chicago. I am informed that due to heavy traffic, my ride to the venue is still an hour away.
5:15 pm – I come to the conclusion that my guitar did not make it (this ain’t the first time) and proceed to file a lost luggage report. I call my rep
at the venue, Lloyd Freeze – Lloyd was a huge help on this trip by the way (he’s been there at the venue for hours waiting for me; we have the crew
from “Live Digital Recordings” set up to record my show…he and the venue owner, Arnie, get on the phone and arrange to have a guitar delivered for me.
5:45 pm – Arnie arrives and we depart from Midway Airport to Chicago City Limits, the club – which of course is all the way across town, and by the
way CHICAGO TRAFFIC SUCKS.
7:15 pm – finally arrive at venue, grab my first ****tail of the day. Then my second ****tail of the day. Things are getting better. Set
up merchandise table, check microphone, wait for guitar – Pat, from local music store Good Time Music, arrives with a guitar for me to use. I want to
thank Pat for coming through for me, he really saved my ass with this guitar. Unfortunately the guitar did not sound good, was very strange for me to
play, the weight and balance was alien to me…perfect for recording a live acoustic album.
8:00 pm – depart for hotel
8:15 pm – arrive at hotel – quick 20 minute transformation, and then back to the venue.
9:00 pm – arrive at venue – opening act is already done, and I am getting pressured to get on with it – of course I said hell no, I need a Long
Island, a Bud, and a double shot of Jack first while I tune up and smoke 3 cigarettes…
9:15 – showtime – finally I’m able to relax and have some fun, sing some tunes, and do what I love to do. The sound was great, audience was awesome –
again, as in the past, they didn’t know what to expect, and most were surprised to see me walk out with just an acoustic guitar and start playing, but
like always, it worked. There were a few clams thanks to the unfamiliar guitar I was playing, but overall it was allright.
The rest of the night was spent partying, meet n greeting, joining Y&T for “Summertime Girls”, and then at 11:30 I was on the radio with the
Reality Check crew promoting the effort to get KISS into the Rock N Roll Hal Of Fame.
It was great to see my friends in Chicago, big thanks to all of you – thanks to Arnie at Chicago City Limits, I’m looking forward to coming back soon
with my whole band and rocking the joint – big thanks to Lloyd – the crew, the fans, the people of Chicago – and especially the Y&T clan for
continuing to allow me to support them on tour dates. Special NO THANKS to Southwest Airlines.
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