7/29/2006 (Saturday)

Deaner's Tour Diary

this show sold out in two days, a lot of people travelled long distances to come. we changed the headlining slot with the lips for this one and they played before us, which meant that the stage was covered in streamers and confetti by the time we went on. we got there at like 1 in the afternoon and spent 9 or 10 hours sitting backstage, just sheer torture. the altitude totally affects you when you play red rocks (this was our 4th gig there) and you have to drink a hell of a lot of water to keep from being dehydrated. i mean like 15-20 bottles, and you still never end up taking a piss. that aside, there is no better place in the world to play a gig. for those of you who've been there you know how beautiful the landscape is, but i wish you could see it from the stage sometime. it just feels and looks so comfortable, like playing in your living room, except in front of more than 10 thousand people. there's almost no way to have a bad gig there, just being there is totally rewarding in itself. the gig was amazing and we had friends and family that flew in from all over the country so it was basically a huge lovefest before and after. i hope we play there 25 more times, it will never get old. steven from the lips asked me to play "the golden eel" early in the set because they had to leave, and we did.