New Tour Diary Hershey & Cleveland

[Cour]

Hershey & Cleveland 12/31/1969

June 15, 2004
Hershey & Cleveland

As we pulled in to the venue in Hershey early in the morning on show day, I could see roller coasters. How is it that no one mentioned to me that the gig was right next to an amusement park? I ask our promoter about it, he says that if you walk over to the employee entrance of the park and show them your laminate, you can get in for free, as many times as we want...So we all spent the day hurrying to get our work done so that we could go play. Whenever we had twenty minutes of down time we would run over, ride a roller coaster and run back. (Or in my case, run over, buy three funnel cakes and run back.)

Our radios worked over at the park, so we played radio games. Every time we went down a big drop on one of the roller coasters we’d cue our radios so that everyone back at the gig working heard all the screaming people and the loud, familiar noises of the roller coaster. It was fun, I think we should only play venues that have amusement parks next to them from now on. I’m going to start a petition.

Before the show I went out to the sound board and on my way back to the stage, a guy caught up with me and asked me to sign his Rumors album. Me? I told him I can’t do that, I said I’ve never signed an autograph in my life, and I’m not going to start now. He said his wife loved me. Me? Are you sure? It was totally embarrassing, but I just did it and ran away. He didn’t want me to take it back to the band, he didn’t want anything. Except for my signature. The world is a very weird place. It wouldn’t have been so bad if it was just a piece of paper, but it just seems like only the band should sign their own album. I went back to Stevie’s room and told Stevie and Karen about it, which wasn’t a good idea, because after Stevie’s bout of laughter finally subsided, for the rest of the night they both kept asking me for my autograph. Very funny ladies....mock me if you will, but I’ll get you back.

The weather in Hershey was perfect, warm, sunny, not too humid, and it didn’t rain! I should have known that being in Hershey there would be a lot of chocolate references...during the show the stage was bombarded with about 25 little stuffed Hershey’s kisses. It was pretty funny.

During Beautiful Child, Lindsey kept peeking out from behind Stevie making funny faces at me and it was causing me to laugh so hard that I forgot to pay attention to my job, and totally screwed up. Oops. I don’t think anyone noticed though, thank god. At least Stevie didn’t call me out in front of 15,000 people. Been there. Done that. Don’t want to do it again.

During I Know I’m Not Wrong Stevie came over during the guitar solo and smiled and winked at us over on stage right. She was watching our keyboard tech who plays second keyboard on that song, and she waved her hand in his face like she was conducting him, he lost all concentration and came dangerously close to screwing up. He shook his head, trying to tell her that she was making him mess up and she just giggled.

The band was gone before the lights came up, we loaded out and hopped on the bus to head to Cleveland for a show the next day.

The venue in Cleveland is incredible. The stage itself is beautiful, the whole building is reminiscent of a hunting lodge. I know that sounds weird, but everything is stone and wood, it’s really amazing. It was a busy day, as the second show of a back to back usually is. The weather was great, until about 9PM when it absolutely poured. How silly of me to think we could have two days in a row without rain.

The show was good, although the stage was a bit of a war zone for Stevie. First, people kept tossing single roses on stage, with the little water reservoir thing attached to them. There were about ten of them scattered around on the stage, so she had to watch her step, and every time we went out in between songs to clear them away, people just threw ten more...it was frustrating. Then someone threw a top hat that landed right by her feet. And then someone literally launched a bunch of roses at her, but it wasn’t just a toss, it was almost as if they aimed for her head. They missed her by about an inch. Then a teddy bear came up, (which, by the way, really freaked me out because when I picked it up it started singing...stuffed animals should not sing), then some more flowers...it was a battle field up there. John had to kick roses out her way a few times. And I kept running out between songs to clear stuff out of the way. Note to self: When hurrying to get roses off the stage be careful of thorns. Grrrr.

And to top it all off, from the beginning of the show I could see big puffs of smoke coming right up at Stevie, and I just knew it was driving her crazy. It only took about 6 songs before she couldn’t take it anymore, I think it was after Say You Will, she said “I just have to say one thing, who ever is out there just smoking away, you’ve really got to stop blowing it in my face, because it’s really bothering me.� Ooooh! Somebody’s in trouble!! You know whoever that was must have gotten a few dirty looks from the people around them.

And as if the first album cover I was forced in to signing wasn’t embarrassing enough, after the Cleveland show, a lady with a Buckingham Nicks album was holding a Sharpie up. Apparently Lindsey said he would sign it after the show (he obviously didn’t know that he was leaving immediately after the show...) so I told her he was gone, and thought that would be the end of it. No, she wanted me to sign it. This is where my face turns beet red and I feel the need to run and hide in a corner. Can I make a public announcement here? I have now ruined two perfectly good, somewhat historic album covers. It pains me. Oh well, such is life.

We’re in Dallas now, after a 20, I repeat, a TWENTY hour bus ride, and I’m late submitting the tour report because I fell victim to going out until the wee hours of the morning on our first night off, and today, our second day off was spent making nice with the tequila I shouldn’t have partaken in, but did anyway. Ouch. So here I am, the night before the Dallas show, going back and forth between typing and trying to figure out how it’s possible that all of the clothing scattered around my hotel room came out of one suitcase. I think my clothes are secretly breeding and multiplying when I’m sleeping at night. I’m rambling now...

Forgive me, I’m tired...’till next time...

CB