SMOKE BREAK!

Ok, so we have a 2 week break from the tour, but please stay tuned for more updates when we hit the road again...and I'll also try to start doing pictures....even though I'm not a picture taker.

Now go out there and buy a Conan O'Brien throw.

I Need New Shoes...

Ok, so here I am on day 2 of the tour.  We had a show in Detroit last night and it went really well for the first time, considering we only had one day before to even think about what MIGHT happen...

All the bands on this tour are great live.! 

Jars of clay was worrying me because I've heard that they werent that great live anymore but then I got a chance to watch part of their set and it was really good.  Dan, the singer doesnt play an instrument, so he does the weird "dance and act out the words of the song to make it more effective" and that makes me laugh.  

Robert Randolf...WOW. Ive never seen them live and they rocked my world.  First off, their band is the only sight of black guys on the whole tour, so yesterday I'm walking around doing stuff and all the sudden all these old black guys are walking around and they were so cool!  Their music is amazing. They are all amazing at what they do and their style of music is nothing like any of the other bands on tour (which i guess none of the bands sound alike but RR is extra different).  

Switchfoot, as usual blew me away with their set. HOLY CRAP! I love their music but even if I didnt, I would still love them live because theyre so much fun to watch!  They are true entertainers and do a great job bringing in the audience.  They did some old stuff and some new...oh yeah and they played Buddy Holly by Weezer in the middle of their set....amazing.

Third Day...the coolest guys in the world.  I work directly for their road manager so they all knew who I was coming in, since I was a last minute hire.  So they welcomed me with open arms.  I havent listened to their music regularly in about 5 years so I didnt know what to expect from their new music or the show.  It blew my socks off.  They opened with their version of Creed by Rich Mullins, which is an incredible song, and their version great!  They went on to play old and new stuff and they even played Theif, which is my favorite song by them! woo!

As for my job, it went really well.  The sponsors were really cool and I helped them as much as I could, and when I couldnt help them I sent them to someone who could.  I also found out that I was in charge of the promotions during the show, for instance they have a slide pop up on the screens between sets that will say "text in to win ticket upgrades" or something like that and the texts get sent to an email account and i check it and pick the winners and text them back and say "you won" and get them their tickets...and a few more things similar to that.  They all went really smoothly...

Tear down was easy since the sponsors box it up for me i just put it back in the trailer and theres not that much stuff so its cool.  I was so tired last night and my feet hurt cause my trusty old nikes are wearing out...I ate some food on the bus and went to bed in my bunk that isnt long enough for me to stretch all the way out in....yay for being a giant! well, now I'm gonna go grab some food and start day 2...thanks for reading again!

Now go out there and buy a Bruce Springsteen coffee mug!

Here Goes Nothin'...

Hey guys!

So...I'm not a writer...but because I am starting an INSANE adventure today, I thought I would blog and keep all you people with too much free time updated!

So here it goes...

For those of you that don't already know, last week I was contacted for an assistant position on the Music Builds Tour featuring Switchfoot, Third Day, Jars of Clay, and Robert Randolf and the Family Band...wow.  I am in charge of sponsor relations, which basically means that the tour is sponsored by a couple big organizations like the ONE campaign, and Habitat for Humanity, and my job is to maintain relationships with them and make sure all the things that they are supposed to have done is actually done.  And I also manage volunteers helping with each show and put them in places to be used! I am so super excited and cant wait to see what comes out of this tour job-wise.  I really want to be a road manager, so the fact that I am out on the road with 4 very successful bands is amazing!

So I flew out of Austin this morning at 7 am and laid over in Charlotte before heading to Detroit for the first stop of the 23 stop tour over the next 2 months of my life.  In the van from the airport to the venue (which is the same venue that I was just at a month ago with Mr. Chapman) I rode with Scottie the keys player for Third Day, and he was so cool! He was telling me about their experience they just had with Jay Leno as they played on the Tonight Show...

Well now I'm sitting in the bus because the sponsor material hasnt showed up yet, so I am waiting for it to get here so I can get the set up down pat.  So until next time, I challenge all of you to read again once its been posted.  

now go out there and buy a michael phelps tshirt.

-Michael