Up around 7:45, in the building a few minutes after 8. Shebetka's leading the load-in charge, says Eddie and Steve are still asleep. I go back out to Eddie's bus to wake him up.
I've got a private office today. After I shuffle the table around sideways in the room, it's even better, because 1) now I can look directly out the door into the hallway and into the production office across the hall from me, and 2) now there's not a shred of room for anyone else to come set up in here with me. Happy, happy, joy, joy…
New York shows are always a pain in the ass. Hope this one turns out OK. Ticket sales are around 15,000 for the show tonight, and we should have a decent walk-up.
Familiar faces abound. Lisa and Scotty, 2 of my favorite NY runners, are here today. Good folks. Although with the band having hired Janet (our production assistant), I no longer have to deal with runners.
Jimmy Archey calls, he's not gonna make it out to visit today. He always comes to hang out with me during the afternoon, anytime I'm in the New York City area. He's about to leave to spend 3 weeks at the family house in Spain, so he won't have time to drive out here today. We're playing at the Continental Airlines Arena, which is in the Meadowlands Complex in New Jersey, across the river from Manhattan. Giants Stadium is also a part of the complex.
My phone is ringing off the hook today. I have a lot of tickets and passes to coordinate today for my guests and my friends' guests. Did I mention that NY shows are a pain? The requests keep coming until well after doors are open. We're out of tickets, because the band used all the comps, so what I'm having to do is leave sticky passes in envelopes at the box office for them, have them walk around back to the top of the backstage ramp, then I walk all the way out there to meet them and escort them in. I'll do this about a million times today…
And I do.
Can't wait to play cities where I don’t know anyone and no one I know knows anyone.
After the show, I take Sarah & Alex up to my bus for a beer. Sarah's my buddy from the BBMak tour (2000). A bit later, Jerry (King's X's drummer) and his 2 friends come join us. Other crew dudes are bringing their friends onto the bus, so I move all my peeps out into the parking lot. The weather is absolute perfect – the temp's around 78 and the humidity is low.
Shortly after Jerry and his friends split, Sarah & Alex take off. Me and Za go grab a shitload of chairs from the KROQ tent about 40 yards away and start a circle party. The drivers show up around 1:45 and we're off to Philly.
I watch T3 most of the way there, falling in and out of a catnap. We arrive at the hotel just before 4am. I get everyone checked in and make it to my room around 4:30. Of course the damn air conditioner's been turned off, so the room's hot. Takes about 30 minutes to cool it off to where I can go to sleep…
Szzzzzzz.
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