Ah yes, back in the the US. Back to Dirty Detroit and Colorful Chicago. Back to Taco Bell and Mongolian Barbeque. I am so happy to be home and at the same time I can't wait to go back. I had the most amazing time in the UK, and you know what? I'm going to write about every last minute... It will be named Me and GB, part 4, seeing as though it is my fourth trip to the isles in one form or another.
Part 1 was detailed in some Law of Inertia zine somewhere. It was no tour diary. It was, in fact, a list of my top 10 albums of all time. My story about my number one pick had everything to do with Me & GB, Part 1. I was 17 and it was The Lemonheads
It's a Shame About Ray*. I poured a drink on my friend's head when the clock struck midnight, January 1 1993, while we were floating down the Thames River. My friends and I revelled in the lowered drinking age and given my limited experience with actually ordering drinks, i just went with something that i had heard family members say many times before: gin and tonic. We did hardcore sightseeing from Stratford-On-Avon to York to Parliament to the Tower of London to Scarborough. We did cheesy ghost walks. I was refused entry to a bar because of my gym shoes.
* Coincidentally, all summer long, there is a concert series going on in London where bands will be playing a full album from start to finish. Lemonheads will be doing 2 sold out shows solely playing
It's a Shame About Ray. How great is that?
Part 2 was about 5 years later and I was seriously 5 years smarter although still rather naive when approaching and appreciating new experiences & cultures. I wrote an enormous tour diary and posted it online and probably called it something dumb like Braid & The Get Up Kids Invade Europe. The UK section of the tour was towards the end and we were most likely cranky by that time, but it was a relief to be able to communicate easily with everyone at the shows. I remember ferrying up to the cliffs of Dover and driving on the left side for the first time. I remember being held without payment at the club in Newcastle because the owner thought we had stolen beers from behind the bar*. In Liverpool, The Get Up Kids had to stop in the middle of a song when a fight broke out right up front between showgoers arguing about politics.
* Which in fact I believe we did, although i didn't know it at the time.
And Part 3 was about 9 months later and I felt as if i had aged about 10 years. I was ready for the trip. I had done it before. The UK section of the tour with Burning Airlines was incredible. A sold out London show where backstage Chris Broach and I chatted with the head of Southern Records, thinking he was going to sign us. Somehow in our conversation he was asked... "so what did you think of the show tonight?" And as he rolled a cigarette, he took a long pause and said "yeah, you guys should keep on playing and keep on touring..." At that moment, we knew he hated it. This was also the tour where Damon made us miss our ferry to Belfast because he was buying cookies. That's the truth.
And tomorrow, I'll start Part 4. I wanted to post the whole thing at once but was advised against it. I came to agree. Everyone likes cliffhangers.
Now, one bit of business before I begin. TOUR DATES WITH JEFF HANSON ARE 99.9% CONFIRMED!!! And here they are:
Aug 10 - Minneapolis MN @ Varsity Theater
Aug 11 - Madison WI @ The Journey Music
Aug 12 - Chicago IL @ Schuba's (21+)
Aug 14 - Normal IL @ The Castle Theater
Aug 15 - Dayton OH @ McGuffy's
Aug 16 - Covington KY @ The Mad Hatter
Aug 17 - Greensboro NC @ Greene Street
Aug 18 - Wilmington NC @ Soapbox Laundrolounge
Aug 19 - Columbia SC @ New Brookland Tavern
Aug 20 - Marietta GA @ Swayze's
Aug 21 - Jacksonville FL @ Thee Imperial
Aug 22 - Tallahassee FL @ The Beta Bar
Aug 23 - Orlando FL @ Will's Pub
Aug 25 - Gainesville FL @ The Pontiac
Aug 27 - Baton Rouge LA @ The Darkroom
Aug 28 - Houston TX @ Walter's on Washington
Aug 29 - Austin TX @ Emo's
Aug 30 - Denton TX @ Rubber Gloves
Aug 31 - Memphis TN @ Hi Tone Cafe
Come on out! It will be great to see you.
