Andy on the Road

Hey all,

So, Iowa’s capital isn’t really all it’s cracked up to be, so I’ve been resting in the hotel before tomorrow’s show right next to city (and our hotel - all three are on the block, and right on the lovely Des Moines River - a tributary to the Mississippi). So far this is have been nothing short of incredible. So much of what you’d expect from an adventure like this - amazing people, stories, and encounters - email me and you’ll get more specific than that… otherwise, here are some pictures from the past weekend in central Illlinois… and, of course, the bus. sorry i didn’t get any of the actual show - but just imagine a big natural bowl field with 10,000 kids who haven’t showered or slept in 2 days - it was fantastic.

setting up on stage

my tent and storage RV - was going to use it to sleep in, but I gave it to my partner in crime instead. it was right on the second stage - so Andrew Bird and Glenn Kotche (of Wilco) played right in front of me.

this is my domain, in addition to other jobs

i thought i did a pretty good job with this

from the front - please note that the “kitchen” on the bus is actually nicer than the “kitchen” in my apartment back home.

from the back - mine’s the middle bunk on the front driver side.

more of Des Moines, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Colorado to come…

so, yesterday i left to a beauiful shot of boston - you can actually see my appartment in this shot…

flew through some storms outside Chicago

got to Peoria, and saw the site:

i’ve met some fantastic people so far - fans of the band who informed me they too will be joining the band for this entire tour (one of them offered to make me a belt of my favorite band lyrics… i’ll have to think about that one…). the people running the show have been doing this event for 8 years, making it one of the oldest annual same-location jam festivals. Central Illinois is amazingly flat, and hazy, and has some wild storms. Had a tornado watch yesterday afternoon, and another severe thunderstorm later on in the day. But so far so good - few more cells to move through today and we’ll be set. Gates open in 2 hours.

-Andy

feels right to start at home.

going to miss all these kids, in no particular order:

leg one - 27 days, 15 shows, about 4000 miles or more of travel. living out of this:

should be a grand ol time.

Chillicothe, Illinois:

Located on the Illinois River, just north of Peoria. That’s first. Just gotta get there. Weather is supposed to be fantastic for the festival - mid 80s and sunny. I should be in Chillicothe by noon local time. Aside from O’Haire once or twice, this will also be my first time in Illinois. Plan on listening to Sufjan Stevens to get in the mood. I’ve always wanted to see Chicago, and although I’ll be in the city at least three times this summer, I will not be seeing much more than the tarmac of the airport, unfortunately.

Where does one learn how to live on the road? Kerouac? Almost Famous? Jackson Browne? The Grateful Dead? The prospect of a bag of clothes, my trusty (and apparently waterproof) Powerbook, and a dozen traveling companions is a bit daunting, but I must say, I’m excited. Alex was talking about the movie Festival Express last night - documentary about a Canadian train that rolled through Toronto and few other cities in the 1960s with the Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band, Buddy Guy, Traffic, etc… the movie came out a few years ago - I’m going to try and see if I can find it before I leave.

For those of you who came out last night - thanks so much! Big thanks to Michelle for the hospitality. Please feel free to comment or write or call - don’t be a stranger now. I’ve started playing with the camera, so I might post a handful of pictures tonight… until then, I gotta go and get me a raincoat (with the hope of never needing it).

Cheers,
Andy

Hey guys.

This will be where I place information about my adventures on the road this summer/fall/winter. I’m quite excited - I get on the road around May 23rd or so. Over the first couple weeks I’ll be in the Midwest and Rockies: Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Colorado… then out to the east coast for a spell, New York a couple times, Massachusetts, Virginia, Pennsylvania, then down to South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee… and more, but that’s just for starters.

For the sake of my traveling companions and their privacy, I won’t be going much into the details of whom I with. Honestly, I feel a bit odd doing this online, so I’m going to keep this more picture driven and fairly anonymous. Anyone reading this is probably a friend of mine, so feel free to email me and I’ll give you more stories. For here, though, this will be very much about my personal experiences and the places I see and less about those I’m with. Cryptic, I know, but I’m trying to protect their privacy.