12/24/07
Architecture in Helsinki (Australia)
On one ridiculous occasion, a flat tire forced us to cancel our entire Canadian tour. We were driving across the U.S. in a fifteen-seater Ford van, following a ridiculous schedule that had us driving eight or ten hours a day, every day. Having already driven from Seattle to Chicago, we found ourselves putting our tour manager on a plane back home the night before—let’s just say we had ”creative differences.” So we were now one driver down and faced with the following schedule: play the show with Head of Femur and the incredible Dr. Dog, load the van, depart from Chicago. Estimated time of departure: 3 a.m. Drive straight to Toronto for a show the next day…just thinking about it makes me tired!
But our van had other plans. Maybe it was fed up with the ridiculous amount of miles we were clocking up; maybe its feelings were hurt by our complaints about its comfort. Whatever the cause, our attempt after the show to replace a flat tire, an operation usually requiring only a few minutes, ended up keeping us in Chicago until the next day. The van was missing a built-in tool, without which it is impossible to release the spare tire. We tried to get the van rental company on the phone, but no dice. It was 3 a.m., and we were going nowhere. And so, paranoid that our trailer would be looted by the Chicago guitar bandits we imagined to be all around us, nine of us curled up in the stranded van and tried to get some sleep.
The next day, two of us took a cab to the nearest Ford dealership and purchased the requisite tool, and soon we were back on the road. However, our schedule was such that the delay had made it impossible to make not only our Toronto show, but also the Montreal gig that was immediately after. Okay, so our “entire tour” consisted of only two shows, but both were to be our first shows in those towns, and both were sold out, so it was a big bummer for us to not make it. Remember, kids: always check that your tour van isn’t missing any vital bits. Once you’re on the road, you’re on your own.
