Saturday in the park
It is a beautiful day in Central Park and we are off to Washington DC. After three days without the tourbus it is good to be reunited with our home away from home.
This Must Be The Place
I am sitting backstage in the darkness as the opening bands perform in front of the curtain and the amped up audience starts to crowd surf. This venue feels like a scene form The Gangs of New York, with three levels of audience looking down on the stage.
I was asked to post some new photos and have begun to put together an album of this year on the road (only 8 more shows on the World Tour).Till those pictures are ready, enjoy these three versions of my favorite love song - the perfect soundtrack for tonight.
Talking Heads- This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)
David Byrne- This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)
Arcade Fire- This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)
Time-lapsed Detroit
Last July when we were at the same theater I shot this time-lapse of the stage during the load-in and set-up.
Tuesday in Chicago (AKA:SickasaDog)
A number of people have asked me "What are these live cameras that you use on tour?" I found this video from a few nights ago and thought it was a pretty good example of what my small robotic cameras can capture and magnify for the audience. This clip features keyboard maestro Jordan Rudess on a Korg Kaoss pad at the start of the encore. The image you see if actually the video screen above the drum riser.
This is a good clip of the video (without live cameras) and lighting from the Vancouver show last week.
Flight of fantasy
I would love for NodeVideo (us) to do a hot indy rock tour as our next long-term engagement. I dream of working with music that you can dance to, with girl singers, in high heel boots and glitter costumes covering a David Bowie song.
Dogie not Doggie
We are reaching the final hour of a twenty-two hour bus ride and we are watching David Lynch's Blue Velvet. Needless to say, we are a haggard bunch who are ready to get off this bus. But since I had some time to kill on mind numbing activities I calculated that we have done 96 shows during this tour which involved travel through the Americas, Europe, South America, Australia and Asia. As we near the end of this World Tour everyone is beginning to plan their next jobs. One guy is going out with Billy Idol, others are heading out with the bands Yes, Poison, Muse and even American Idol. We are looking forward to heading home to LA, where I have some exciting curatorial and writing projects lined up.
Montana roadside signage
Snow in May
Waking in Calgary this morning we were shocked to be greeted with fresh snow! The tour has been going well so far, but tonight is #6 of 22 shows- so we still have a ways to go. In Vancouver they did a 7 camera video shoot of the show so there should be a DVD of this tour in the near future.
Coffee Break
We made it to Seattle in time for a perfect cup of coffee. Look- there is the newspaper ad for our show. This time out we are traveling with an additional three opening bands as part of a progressive rock/metal tour. It sure is crowded backstage.
On the road, again
We are back out on video tour and will spend the next month zig-zagging across the US. Touring is like taking a long road-trip with twenty five friends or perhaps more like being in the circus. This morning I woke, snuggled all cozy in my cocoon-like bunk, to the gentle swaying of the bus that indicated we were going through the mountains. Sleeping on the bus is similar to living on a houseboat, so that even on solid land your body feels like it is gently rocking. It is a lovely sensation. Crossing from the dark sleeping quarters into the front lounge, I realized that we were already into the lush green of Oregon. Will be in Seattle by dinner and I am looking forward to sneaking off with my partner in adventure to explore the city.