A day off precedes a gig in Dallas. We’re opening for the Kia Rio stage which is now in an Amphitheatre instead of on the back of a lorry. It feels big and as we get ready to go on the crowds start to run in – some run past and some stick around to check out the bass.
Dallas stampead
There is also a minor fracas when Dan Gray bites off a bit more than he can chew play sparing with Kenny the stage manager and gets properly chinned! Serves him right 🙂
Dan Gray tackles Kenny
The crowd steadily grows and all is good. The weather now is becoming intense again! Dry and humid. Humid and dry! Despite this we decide to go true Skinny style and busk. We quickly work out that we can play and walk if Dan Gray is pushed on our trolley with the bass so here we go working again playing and busking.
Busking in Dallas
It’s a spectacle and it goes down well. We have some fun shows but wow we’re getting tired. Thank goodness we have another day off to celebrate Independence Day. We plan a baseball game, music, fireworks and actually end up sleeping, staring at a swimming pool for hours and then funnily enough have a BBQ in a Walmart car park (as if we haven’t done enough of these!).
BBQ in Walmart
There was an ordeal in Walmart as we roll up to the check out with a trolley full of rum though. They said they couldn’t serve us as our UK passports were not officially valid. We were outraged! Apparently they are not skilled enough to judge whether it’s genuine or not. Idiots! We had to get our ‘British’ American friend Erin to come on by with her American drivers licence. The shift Manager said this was fine but then the cashier said he’d lose his job knowing that she was buying it for us!!!! Outraged again! We then had to call another manager down (I had to leave) and eventually Erin managed to leave with 10 litres of rum. Phew. It was good to chill though drinking the rum refused to us by Walmart in Walmart’s car park. Ha! The next stretch is 11 days straight. Uh oh…daunting…our bodies are starting to feel the toll of hardcore Skinny Lister promotion!!
We open Kia Rio stage again in Saint Louis following our friends The Funeral Party. The weather is HOT HOT HOT again. On the merch stall we ask anyone with water guns to spray us. Everyone suffers. Temperatures are up there with Arizona and the kids are going home early. There’s a few stray pink people braving the heat but wow it’s hot! Despite this we brave it and do our second gig of the day. Fun as far as I remember!
Yesterday we moved to the House of Marley stage – we’re opening up and then hear that we’re doing a second gig at the Acoustic Basement in the evening. HOT HOT HOT again so after a quick busk at our merch stall we head over there to start up the party again. Great fun followed by a BBQ. We take the jug and make new friends. They might not remember our names tomorrow but they’ll remember us I’m sure!
Skinny at the Acoustic Basement tent
Today I wake up bright and early and feel a new lease of energy. Everyone seems better there’s a wind in the windy city of Chicago. We’re back on Kia Soul which is great news. The crowd is good. The shop is good and we decide to busk to close the day. Twelve hours of hard promotion we relax outside as the sun goes down (the first evening when it feels cool enough to be possible), we have a BBQ, pass the jug and have a laugh. Dan Gray says “That is so sick” naturally in a conversation and there’s a practical joke where we pretend to leave before the bus call leaving 3 of our fellow bus mates behind at the barbie. Ha ha ha…these tricks are starting to become a light break in hard work.
Image medley of Chicago by the magnificent Matt Toka and co 🙂
Oh and hurrah! Looking forward to Sunday to see Wimbledon final – whoop whoop!
Next time you have passport issues you point them to the words on the inside front cover:
“Her Britannic Majesty’s Secretary of State Requests and requires in the Name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance, and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary.”
That should do it!