Friday, July 9, 2010

HAAAAAAANGIN' OUT

Well, friends, when I last left you, I was throwing up and peeing myself all over the Grand Canyon. Since then, we have made a lot of friends and played some really great shows!

The show in Scottsdale was not largely attended (it being Monday night), but we met a lot of really awesome people, including my new favorite band, Underground Cities. Not only did these dudes and girl dudes know how to wail but they were also really fun! Jake took us swimming and made me eat 19 hot dogs before I puked in the hot tub.

We stayed the night at Brent's house. The next morning, Brent surprised us with a free meal from the Mexican restaurant at which he works. We were supposed to call Jackie before we went, but the entire band threatened to whoop us if we even said a word to Jackie. She's a cutie pie, that's for sure!

We packed up our stuff at Brent's and began to drive. To say that we were not stoked to go back to Tucson is an understatement. There are many other (cooler [temperature wise]) places we'd rather go. But we stepped back into the sweltering and mind-numbingly hot city of Tucson. At the venue, we found some anarchists who were trash talking about how mad their basketball skills were. We challenged them to an awesome game, and of course we won because we drew up organized plays and they just ran around wild without any type of cohesiveness.

After showing those anarchists what it means to be a Hoosier, we went back to Dry River where the other bands had shown up and were loading in. Tucson was looking better already. Then, out of nowhere, in defiance of the will of this tour, people started filling up the venue. Dillon pinched me to make sure I wasn't dreaming. And I pinched him to make sure he knew that he was a nincompoop that shouldn't go around pinching people.

The first two bands were really good. Then we got up and started a dance party in Tucson. People really enjoyed what we were doing. And the good times continued as a really awesome ska band played. There was no way of knowing that the end of the show would be the beginning of an adventure in Tucson.

That night we stayed at the Lovenest with three of the sweetest girls I'd ever laid eyes on. ZZ, Emily, and Breyell made us feel quite at home. After a stop at the Taco Shop and a dip in the pool down on University, and chilling with the Brianna's, we came back to the Lovenest where Kyle slept in the couch outside, alongside the biggest beetles in history. I couldn't do it because I knew they'd lay eggs in my hair and make me go crazy.

Now, we'd been having some van concerns. The temperature gauge was getting extremely hot and the van wasn't overheating. So we decided to take it to the shop where a wonderful man named Neil reached into my pocket and into my body and took my life savings as well as all my happiness and positive thinking. He explained to me what all needed to be done to save the Fart Van and how much it would cost. After I came to and had stopped weeping, the girls took us back to the Lovenest, where, according to their own good consciences, they began to organize a benefit show for us at their house.

Kyle and I played and acoustic set with some of the girls' friends and they raised $50 to help pay our debt to Neil. Nothing posted here on Tourblog could possibly express how thankful we are to the young ladies in Tucson. Plus, Brianna gave me some new books to read and free DQ!! We saw the wonderful Tucson sunrise before we fell asleep.

We left Arizona with significantly lighter pockets but not with a heavy heart. We were shown some hospitality that a lot of people don't get to experience. And we went to Eegee's for breakfast! We said our goodbyes to the gals and Dillon took the wheel for the first time this tour. Aside from the gypsy we hit in New Mexico, he did a spectacular job. El Paso was beautiful and the show matched the feel of the city. Our new friends in D.A. put on a spectacular show. We got our dance on once more, and our pockets got a tiny bit heavier.

The last few days have been extremely trying. I won't lie to you: we talked about the possibility of throwing in the towel because of all the repairs we've had to face. But in spite of our bad fortune with shows and van trouble, we have been able to meet some very fantastic people. And we've been shown what it means to really give. This is a thank you to everyone who has taken care of us this time out. We appreciate it so much and we've been challenged to pick up and run with the torch while we are at home and bands are passing through.

But a special thank you to the ladies in Tucson who helped and housed strangers during a very stressful time.

Texas, don't let us down!

-Zack

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