Not all days are created equal
Not all days are created equal. Last night I climbed on the bus in the Windy City and this morning I rolled out of my bunk well rested in the Big Apple. No day in NYC is complete for me without a run or bike through Central Park. So off I went to put in some miles in Frederick Law Olmstead's masterpiece. For any of you who have not had the chance to wander through this park, use those vacation days. Lose yourself in 'The Ramble' and you'll have to remind yourself that your in a city of 8 million plus. There really is nothing quite like Central Park.
Next a bunch of us were off to meet UM Project Manager extraordinaire Rachel Lowen for some classic New York pie. She insisted that New York pizza reigns supreme over Chicago style but fortunately they are both outstanding so everybody wins. Ryan demonstrates for us the proper technique for knocking back a slice.
Our first sound check at the historic Roseland Ballroom followed. Following rehearsal, Brendan, Jake, Ryan & I had the honor of the attending a taping of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. This is something I have wanted to for the last 4 years and today it finally happened. Many thanks to Teri at The Daily Show for hooking it up. It was a true joy to watch Jon Stewart in action, his wit and sharp mind are all the more apparent live. I found myself reading along in the teleprompter noting with what ease he causally varies and alters the script ever so slightly to ensure the fluidity of the moment. (And yes he is as short as he always jokes about)
We enjoyed a delicious pre-show Cuban meal with our good friend Syd Schwartz talking shop. Andy got bored with his skirt steak and opted to sit in with the ripping trio that serenaded us during our meal.
And now I find myself sitting at Front of House listening to Sts9 tear it up. Ryan Knutson, sound tribe's golden eared sound engineer, has the place sounding tight & thick while their LD Saxton visually waxes the crowd.
Well, it's about that time and as Germaine says, "It's business time". Today I am reminded of just how truly blessed I am to have the opportunity to mix a band that I love and travel all over this land of ours with my boys. We'll try to provide you some updates tomorrow from Philly but that's all for now. For those of you scoring at home, if I told you JaJunk was going to be the opener, would you believe me?