Yesterday's show in Winnipeg went off with out too much of a hiccup. The new Blue Man Tech (the fellow who deals with the electrical props) forgot to put out some props and some of their other gags failed to materialize. But the worst was when the bassist started a song a 16 count off from the video, and lyrics were on the video screens seconds before they were sung. The worst part is they always blame the console and operator (me) for the mistakes. I can't change the video, so if he starts late, he starts late!
Today, it's Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. There a name straight from a Doctor Suess book. "I was riding my red frumpy balloon with Billabaloo to Saskatoon." Or something like that.
Needless to say it's really flat here too. We're just east of the Canadian Rockies and spend a few more days on the flats before crossing the mountains to the west coast. And last night was my first night back in the old bunk. I bought a new pillow because Nicole saw an Oprah special about all sort of critters that live in pillows. So a pillow used by 1000 roadies was not an appealing thought to her (or me for that matter), so I blew $14.95 on a Target brand pillow designed for side and stomach sleepers.
Even with a new pillow, sleeping in a bunk on a moving bus takes getting used to, even after 12 years of touring, and especially after nearly 4 months of sleeping in my own bed (which apparently is full of cooties too). It wasn't the best sleep I've ever had, but it's always nice when a moving bus rocks you to sleep. I did have the paranoid, bus crash dreams which weren't helped by the half full water bottle in my bunk that kept making crunching noises when ever a I rolled over.
But we got here with plenty of time for load in
Here's the first truck cracked and the cases coming out. Not the most exciting picture, but it's better than a camera trapped on a bus at the border.And speaking of which, here's the final saga of what happened to the "bad boys" at the border.
Canadian customs gave them a letter to give to U.S. customs saying why they weren't let in the country, and then turned the bus around and sent them back across the border. When they got to the U.S. customs building, they were questioned as to why they weren't allowed into Canada then forced off the bus and the bus was searched top to bottom. Common sense replaced with paranoia. Once through, they had to sit in the U.S. until 7:30AM when Canadian immigration officials ("Adults" as I called them last blog) showed up to screen the bad boys.
7:30 they rolled up to immigration, the officers took a look the paperwork and more or less said, "Why did they stop you, you're all clear." So by 9:00AM my camera and bike were at the hotel. Of course I was asleep and the bus couldn't park at the hotel. So I had a steak dinner instead of a ride. Thank you Mel!
As for why the other two fellows were stopped (besides our motorcycle crashing rigger), one had a DUI which was thrown out of court. He even had paperwork from the Canadian Embassy in NYC that said he was fine to come in.
The other fellow has a better story. Back in the early 70's when he was a teenager in Montana, his parents set up a "sting" operation with the local sheriff (who was a family friend) to "Teach our son a lesson." They had a deputy pose as a drug dealer and sold 4 ounces of marijuana to him. Had him promptly arrested, put in jail for a night, and then had a judge throw the case out later because it was "entrapment". This was the early 70's mind you. Here we are 2007, almost 40 years later, and that little case still shows up on his FBI record.
Thanks mom and dad, I really learned a lesson. Canadians hate drunk drivers, frauds, and drug users caught in a sting, set up by their parents.
1 comment:
Yay for new pillows!!
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