Washington, DC

Hey,
We just played the Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall in DC. It's really more of a congressional hearing-type room than a performance venue. While the acoustics were great for hearing the audience cheer from stage, it was less than ideal for a loud 10-piece band and PA.

But who cares how it sounds? The audience loved it. They loved Conan, they loved Andy, they loved Reggie Watts, they LOVED Deon Cole. Another good show. I know that's getting monotonous, but what can I do?

During my morning camera walk, I stumbled upon the Washington Monument (tough to miss). Apparently the White House was two blocks away, too, but I never made it that way. Bah.... it's just the White House. The Hall of Terrible Decisions. The Birthplace of American Entitlement and Wealth Redistribution. But I digress.

Now it's time for our last long bus ride of the tour, 12 hours to Nashville. We'll be doing two days at the Bonnaroo Festival, a couple hours away in Manchester, TN. It's been four days since I've seen a hotel bed or shower, and I would kill for a shave. Talk to you in Nashville.

Philadelphia

Tonight we played the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, PA (Philadelphia area). It was yet another great crowd, except for that one asshole that yelled "Upper Darby hates black people!" during black writer/comedian Deon Cole's set.

The Tower is not one of the prettier theaters on this tour. It's a small stage, too, so I was way out onstage, with a great audience view. The backstage was so small that the wardrobe setup was outside in an alley. That's where I snapped the shot of saxophonist Jerry Vivino, getting in a little warm-up after changing into his show clothes.

Our special guests tonight included Philly natives Tina Fey and Trey Anastasio (of the band Phish). Philly sure loves their Tina Fey- they went nuts!

I wish I could tell you about all the great tourist sights I managed to check out. Unfortunately, we were not in the best area for exploration. Besides, these four and five-in-a-rows really beat the shit out of you. You start to value bunk time above pub time and camera time after a while.

Another night on the bus. This time to Washington, DC. See you there.

Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, CT

Hey all,
What a surprise tonight was: a casino audience that kicked ass! For whatever reason, despite the fact that the venue was the enormous casino that is Mohegan Sun, the crowd was truly there to see Conan. It was also one of the larger arena venues of the tour, so you could really feel their excitement.

The great show was in stark contrast to the less-than-ideal load-in and setup. The arena was being used for a WNBA game until 4pm-ish. So we had to set everything up in stages. First, while the basketball game was going on, we all put our worlds together (partly) in the arena's large loading area. Then we pushed our setups into place and tied up loose ends. The entire stage was built at one end of the floor, then moved, in one piece, into its final position (with the help of maybe 30 stagehands pushing it into place). We had two hours to setup AND soundcheck, because the Mohegan Sun insists that its event start and end on time, regardless of the circumstances.

Luckily, we knew about these complications beforehand. Evidently, the tour people knew about it when it was booked, and for whatever reason, felt we needed to keep the date and soldier through it. Fuck it- we made it. And the show was terrific- one of my favorites.

Next up is the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, PA (Philadelphia).

Wang Center, Boston

Hey people,
It was great to spend some time in Boston again. When I lived in Boston, I spent most of my time in the Back Bay area. There wasn't much reason to hang out near the Theater District (where the Wang is), unless you were looking for hookers or strip shows. I did work right near the Wang Center for a few years, at a couple restaurants. And I was routinely propositioned by prostitutes on my way home. So the venue area wasn't exactly a homecoming.

We stayed a half mile away at the fabulous Nine Zero Hotel, near the Old City Hall (which is evidently now a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.... weird). This is right at the edge of the Boston Common, on Tremont Street. I didn't spend much time in that area either, back when I lived in Boston. But from what I remember, it was pretty seedy then. Now it's home to a thriving pub and restaurant scene. Shira and Franki came to stay with me for a couple days. We loved walking Franki in the Common, and eating porterhouse for two at the KO Steakhouse in the Hotel. Of course, Franki got the bone when we were through. One lucky wiener dog!

The Wang Center is gorgeous and great-sounding. The crowds both nights were fantastic. Conan had a bunch of his family at both shows. At one point during the show, Andy swore onstage, then turned to Conan's mom and said "I'm sorry, Mrs. O'Brien." Local Celtic Punk legends the Dropkick Murpheys were the musical guests, and they were super entertaining. The entire crew has been singing and whistling "Shipping Up To Boston," their big hit, ever since their appearance.

Last but not least, check out the great (i.e. lucky) shot I got of Conan up on the balcony with his guitar. Isn't that sweet?

Next up: Mohegan Sun

Radio City Music Hall

Hey,
I worked across the street from Radio City for years, but only stepped foot inside once, to see Jimmy Vivino's Beatles tribute band The Fab Faux. When you enter a dimly-lit theater, and are ushered to your seat, you miss a lot of the details of the venue. And, of course, you totally miss the behind the scenes stuff that makes so much of a difference in my day on this tour.

Radio City is truly a unique and spectacular venue. It's a total pain in the ass to load into and out of, mostly because of the ridiculous union politics. But once you're inside, it feels like an art deco palace. The stage mechanics are incredible: the large, circular center section rotates, and the other parts of the stage can be raised and lowered like super-duty elevators. The orchestra pit can actually sink 30 feet down, travel beneath the rest of the stage to the far upstage (rear) and raise out of the floor there....with musicians on it! Check out the pic of the brass control panel for the stage elevators. This is not new, retrofitted technology- Radio City was built this way in the early thirties, when it was promoted as the "World's Largest Stage."

During my usual morning venue walk, I found twin Wurlitzer theater organs on either side of the stage. Both organs control the same set of pipes, yes PIPES that still exist, along with drum, piano, and sound effect mechanisms, hidden behind the walls. The organist can even raise and lower curtains from the organ. The local 30-year veteran guy told me all about it.

I asked "Any chance of me getting up there and playing 'In a Gadda Da Vida?'"

"Yeah, there's a chance.... but it's very, very slim!" he replied.

The whole crew got our Conan tour jackets while at Radio City. They're really nice leather jackets. Fuckin' A! A lot of people from Late Night (who didn't move to LA to do the Tonight Show) were in and out. What a blast.

The crowds were terrific, both nights. It was a real treat to be a participant in bringing Conan's comedy back to New York, across the street from where it all began for him.

It was also great to have good pizza around. There was a pizza place and a wine store across the street from the Essex Hotel, where we stayed. I think three nights I had wine and pizza up in my room. I love stepping out of the hotel in the morning and choosing a place to have breakfast at random. Then taking a seat by the window, and watching all the people go by. I miss you, New York.

NYC and Boston Homecomings

Wow, it's feels like a month since I last updated this blog. I've spent the last 12 days in two of my former home cities: New York City and Boston. It's felt great to be back on the east coast. It's especially interesting to have returned to Boston after so many years. I think I lived in Boston from 1988-1997- good years in hindsight. Coming back 13 years later and spending "tourist time" at the foot of the Boston Common was pretty surreal. They really sell you the "Ye Olde Boston" schtick there now.

You learn a lot about a place by calling it home for years, moving elsewhere, then returning. The people of Boston are so familiar to me- the strangers, I mean. There's a gritty yankee toughness to the people of Boston that I didn't notice much when I moved there from Rhode Island in my late teens. Cranston, Rhode Island was much the same: very cautious and distant body language, and an aversion to prolonged direct eye contact were the norm. When I moved from Boston to NYC in 1997, it felt more exposed and "survival of the fittest." But I didn't feel the lurking undercurrent of aggressiveness between strangers in NYC that I do walking the streets of Boston. No wonder when people in LA mention the toughness of strangers in NYC, I almost wonder what they're talking about.

I managed to sneak in some long-overdue quality time with Shira in both New York and Boston. At the pet-friendly Nine Zero hotel in Boston, I even got two bonus days with Franki. It's as if the last 12 days were deliberately scheduled towards the tail end of this tour to re-familiarize me with my "real" life, and my roots. Check out the pic of Franki enjoying the meaty bone from our porterhouse for two. One lucky dog.

I figured I'd get that off my chest before going back and writing posts for Radio City and the Wang Center. More to come....