Chapter 2- ON TO D.C.
After our initial rehearsals, we had a few days
off at home while our equipment was being trucked across country
to D.C. for the big production rehearsal. That's when it all
really starts to come together. No more playing in a small room
wearing headphones trying to imagine what it will all sound
like on stage. We'll finally be in a concert hall with a full
set of lights and a kick-ass sound system. It will also be our
first chance to meet the guys who make all this stuff work,
the crew. These guys are the backbone of the tour and deserve
a lot of credit for what they do but I'll talk more about that
later.
Now
that my few days at home had come to an end, it was time for
me to pack my bags, head to the airport and catch a flight
to our nation's capitol for production rehearsal and the start
of the tour. Well, I hadn't flown in a while and I was in
for quite a surprise when I got to the airport. Of course,
I expected the usual heightened security but this was different.
This time I was singled out and taken to a separate area for
a thorough security check which entailed removing everything
but my shirt and pants and to having everything in my luggage
pulled out and hand inspected. After which, I was left to
figure out how to repack all they had unpacked and make it
to my flight on time. I mean these guys were on me like bums
on a bologna sandwich. Only later did I discover that there
are a few things that are sure to raise a red flag. One is
a ticket, which is randomly stamped, with a checkerboard pattern
in the corner, and another is a one-way ticket, especially
when it's to Washington, D.C.! Well, you guessed it. I had
both!
Once
I had satisfied the anti-terrorist security screening, I finally
made it to my flight only to find out it was not just sold
out, it was overbooked. Well, there was no way in hell I was
going to give up my seat. They could've offered me a week
in Hawaii for my ticket and I still would have turned it down.
I was a man on a mission! I was a musician with a gig! I had
a dedication like a postal worker who hadn't yet gone "postal."
After
playing musical chairs with the available airline seats, they
finally herded us toward the boarding gate and then on to
the plane where we all scrambled to find our seats and any
space still left in the overhead bins. I'm amazed at what
people will try to cram in to those things, but that's another
story. Anyway, after everyone had settled down, we took off
and were finally on our way to D.C. when a thought occurred
to me. "Hmmm? I wonder if they provide a meal on this
flight." The good news is, yes they do serve a meal.
The bad news is the menu was designed for an eight year old.
In fact, it looks like it was made by an eight year old. You
know, that flat meat turkey on a sourdough roll that's more
dough than sour for a sandwich with a bag of chips and perhaps
some cookies for desert. Well, I ate the chips immediately,
ate what I could of the turkey/sourdough surprise and saved
the cookies for later. I then wisely ordered another gin &
tonic in preparation for what was surely going to be a really
long flight.