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| Tom being the epitome of “Rock Guy on Tour.” Photo by Andrew Seward. | | AGAINST ALL ODDS - PART 2Against Me! On the Road
FEBRUARY 24: COLUMBIA, SC, HEADLINERS CLUB, 6:23 PM
The first time we played Columbia, South Carolina, it was at a venue called Uncle Doctor’s. This was before we had a booking agent, back when I used to do all the booking myself. I had set the show up over email without ever meeting the promoter. I don’t even remember her name now. She was just some random girl who wrote to the band’s email account saying she could set us up with a show. When we pulled up that day we found that the club had double-booked our show with a local band called Capital. This was exclusively the club’s fault. They promised both bands they could play on the same night. The show was supposed to be Capital’s big CD release show and they were furious. We were more than willing to open up for them. All we wanted was a 20-minute set, but they weren’t having it. They told us that our show had to happen after theirs, once they and all their fans had left the club. Fine, whatever, there were probably only ten people who had actually come to see us anyway. When Capital played they had a huge homemade backdrop that said their name with a sparkly “$” beneath it serving as their logo. I like to think about this show as the pinnacle of Capital’s career, and that I was there to witness it. Their faces were all smiles as they rocked a packed house at Uncle Doctor’s. They didn’t let some shitty punk band ruin their moment. They soldiered on. We did end up playing eventually, after seven hours of sitting in the fucking parking lot drinking beer. The girl who set us up with the show never came. We walked away with no gas money. We’ve played Columbia several times since then, and they’ve been great shows. But I’ve always held a grudge against the city. In fact, I’ve always held a grudge against the entire state of South Carolina because of it.
Last night was the first time we’ve ever played at Headliner’s. All day long, I kept having to remind myself to keep my bad attitude in check. It was a good turnout—400-some-odd kids. But it was a weird show. Momentum would build and then dissipate, build then dissipate. I think it was because we were selfish and played too many new songs. We kept trying to win them over until the very last note was played. I hope people enjoyed themselves.
FEBRUARY 27: RICHMOND, VA, QUALITY INN, 3:30 AM
The show at Alley Katz was oversold by somewhere around 200 tickets. More than 600 people were crammed into a room with a legal capacity of 450. We took the stage around 9 PM. We launched into the first song and kids immediately started pouring onto the stage, tripping over the monitors and into us. Inevitably, they always go to grab the microphone stands to catch themselves. If we’re lucky, the mic stands just fall to the ground. If we aren’t, teeth meet microphone and bloody lips ensue.
One girl in particular got up onstage and managed to completely stop the second song by kicking over Andrew’s mic stand and then unplugging my guitar pedals with her feet. For good measure, she gave the drum set a big kick. She looked like a child having a temper tantrum. We started the song again and seconds later another crowd surfer landed on the stage. Before jumping back into the crowd, he knocked Andrew’s bass completely out of tune.
MARCH 1: DRIVING TO NEW HAVEN, CT, 1:38 PM
I spent yesterday, our day off, drifting in and out of a NyQuil-induced haze. Woke up feeling like complete shit. After eating a breakfast of bland vegetable penne pasta from the Olive Branch (a subpar Olive Garden knockoff attached to our hotel lobby, which had neither free breadsticks nor salad), I went to Target and did some shopping (socks, soap). Got back to the hotel room and popped two more NyQuils, then slept for four hours. I needed the sleep. Plans were made to go see the 8 PM showing of Reno-911!: Miami. It turned out to be just as bland as brunch at the Olive Branch. Maybe Pikesville, Maryland, just has a way of making everything bland.
Today the NyQuil has left me in a foul mood. The backs of my eyes ache. My sinuses are clogged. Everything everyone says is annoying, and every email that comes to my BlackBerry is unwanted. It’s definitely either the NyQuil or all the weed I’ve been smoking.
MARCH 2: NEW HAVEN, CT, TOAD’S PLACE, 1:04 AM
Three hundred crunches. Sixty pushups. Stretch out the legs, stretch out the arms. Get the blood moving. You don’t want to hit the stage cold. The house is packed. We start playing and the room explodes. The crowd is louder than us at points. A sea of hands and bodies. At one point a kid gets up center stage and starts sieg-heiling. Jordan and John both grab him, drag him to the door, and boot him out. The song stops, and we are at a loss for words. Did that really just happen? The show goes on. During the encore, the stage is overrun by kids. We’re trapped. We can’t play—we can’t move. All we can do is sing along, wait to make our escape when the song ends, and pray the amps don’t come toppling down. I feel bodies pressed against me. An arm is thrown around my shoulder. A girl grabs me and plants a kiss on my cheek and tells me she loves me. There is no greater high than this. There is nothing more addictive.
Afterward, we take some photos, sign some autographs. The club clears out. The gear gets packed and loaded. I change clothes, grab my bag. Everybody piles into the van to leave for the hotel. Tomorrow we will wake up and do it all again.
TOM GABEL
TO BE CONTINUED:
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| NIGNOG, on Dec 7, 2008 wrote:
i went to that show in columbia when i was 14, and ended up with a footprint on my neck.
one of the best shows i’ve been to, love against me! | | |
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