Beautiful places, wide open spaces...and then there was Fresno.....

Outside our hotel in San Luis Obispo

Buena Vista, indeed

A preview of our new tour photos. Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel

Another gorgeous view on our treks through California

The Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside, CA

Me and the boys hanging out in my room in Prescott,AZ

Our tag backstage at in San Luis Obispo

The Cohan Centerf at Cal Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, CA

The Saroyan Theatre, Freso, CA

One of the many dilapidated theatres in downtown Fresno

The Fox PAC in Riverside, CA

Outside city hall in Prescott

Angry skies in Precott

The Yavapai Performing Arts Center, Prescott, AZ

 

Hello everyone!  Our California adventure continues!  Another crazy week here on the left coast, and a week sit down to look forward to next week!  Let's get rolling!

 

On Monday, we left Modesto and headed straight to the gorgeous little village of San Luis Obispo.  The drive was, yet again, breathtaking, and unfortunately we had very little time to see any of the sights in SLO because we only had the one evening there.  And, I might add, one of only 2 shows I have ever done on a Monday; the first was when we were in Tokyo on tour.  A very nice performing arts center awaited us on the campus of Cal Polytech, and though my car was stopped by campus police (a misunderstanding; they didn't know we had clearance to drive in a restricted area and park next to the theatre.  It was all cleared up.  Phew!)  Following another great show with an audience to match, the cast and I did a short meet and greet following the show with some of the theatre's donors, as well as a group of students.  One of our producer's has a daughter attending Cal Poly, so we were not only able to visit with him and his family, but also talk to some of her classmates.  Following the meet and greet, we headed back to the hotel and quite a few of us headed to get some food at Pappy McGreggor's.  A great little spot with some pretty good food.  Apparently they get a lot of English and Australian tourists there, as it is a popular stop between Northern California and Los Angeles.  I wondered why I was hearing so many Australian accents around me.....

 

We boarded the bus again the next morning, Tuesday,  and took the trip to Fresno.  We arrived in the mid afternoon and had a show that evening, so my exploration was limited.  I walked toward the theatre and found a Starbuck that was open, and did a little walking around before heading back to the theatre for our first of two shows there.  For a town that looks like it has been hit by a neutron bomb, the audience was pretty awesome that night.  A few of us headed to the casino next to our hotel for food after the show, as it was really one of the only places around to get food, especially late. 

 

On Wednesday, I did my best to walk around a bit.  I have to say....we've been to some sketchy places.  But Fresno may have to top my list.  We have a little inside joke on tour; anytime we go to a place that isn't the greatest, we say "At least it's not Detroit".  Though there were some things to see in the Motor City, it certainly was a bit scary, and there were some other not so great things to happen there.  But, Fresno has stuck with me as being a pretty awful place, even more so than Detroit.  Homeless everywhere...and not the type that are sleeping on the street, the type that yell at you and accost you for money, help, cigarettes, etc.  And no form of commerce to speak of in the area we were staying in.  The ONLY redeeming quality I could find in that area of Fresno (which was awesome and sad at the same time) were the multitude of theatres in the area that have either been abandoned or turned into churches.  Perfect for pictures, but not much else.  I got dinner at Starbucks (sad, I know) and headed to the theatre.  When I got there, I was greeted by an unpleasant sight; some things had been stolen from my dressing room.  A Jawbone speaker I had bought at the beginning of tour and kept in my makeup kit had been stolen, as well as my show wedding ring.  As we travel the country and stop in so many places, it's sometimes easy to forget that we are sometimes in awful places where people will kill their mother for a dollar.  My things being stolen for their "value" wasn't the issue.  The issue was the idea that I couldn't leave anything in my dressing room unattended, even with a security guard at the door.  It didn't bode well for my show that night, but I put my personal feelings aside and did my best to do the show that I always do.  Despite the shady characters in Fresno and at the theatre, the audience lifted all of our spirits, as did the fact that we were leaving this hell hole the next day.  I went to the casino for some delectable food after the show, and packed my things, eager to leave the armpit of California (I should say, I don't often have a lot of negative things to say about towns/theatres, so this should be an indication that our time in Fresno was really not all pleasant). 

 

We boarded the bus on Thursday, thankful that we were all physically intact, and headed to Riverside, CA.  This was our first day without a show in 9 days, and we had done 11 shows in that span.  We may have had a lengthy drive, but we all looked forward to the evening off.  It rained most of the day, and following our move in, in continued to get worse.  I took a little walk down the street to CVS and Starbucks, but following that, I had no interest in leaving my room.  I ordered a pizza, enjoyed my luxurious (no joke) hotel room, and looked forward to our poker game in the lobby that evening.  It was a small, intimate game, but it went really well.  And I won!  So...there's that....

 

Friday was pretty cold and rainy, so I didn't venture far.  CVS and Starbucks became a popular stop in this town for me, so that was as far as I went before the show that night.  I headed off to the theatre that night, and we were greeted by a beautiful theatre, a great audience, and the approaching week sitdown in Palm Desert.  After leaving the theatre that night I headed to a nice little spot in downtown called ProVbition, and enjoyed a cocktail on the outdoor patio in the crisp California air.  We had an early on Saturday morning, as we had a very long drive to Prescott, AZ the next day. 

 

It was a long bus ride on Saturday, but it was pretty pleasant.  It was, however, pretty cold when we arrived in Prescott.  At least, colder than you'd expect from Arizona.  After driving through the mountains for what seemed like an eternity, Prescott rose above the vast wilderness like a beacon.  We settled into our cozy hotel, and thankfully there was a nice little strip mall next door with a grocery store and few food options.  Most of us hunkered down for the night, and I ended up hanging out with Frace for much of the night. 

 

Sunday brought more cold weather, but I braved it to explore the downtown area a bit, getting some really nice pictures in front of city hall, and did my best to see the area.  I took the long, cold walk to the theatre, but I had no idea what the evening would hold.  Look...I've played a lot of theatres on this tour, and on other tours, and in my regional/dinner theatre career.  But man....there wasn't much that was going right for this theatre.  They had no where near enough dressing rooms to handle us (and we are a REALLY small show compared to most other Equity Broadway tours).  So, there was that.  Then there was the fact that they didn't attempt to have programs for our show....embarrassing, not only on face value, but because one of the presenters claimed to the audience that they were "seeing us before they open the show in Vegas"; perhaps if this was the fall of 2012, he MAY have at least been CLOSE.  But, WOW.  Seriously???!!!  A weird venue and a weird show overall (unfortunately it was also Rob's first turn at Elvis since we opened the show at the Kennedy Center in October) was only made worse by the fact that the theatre's power grid couldn't handle our show, so the last 1/4 of the show was done in almost no light as our amazing crew scrambled backstage figuring out how to fly by the seat of their pants.  They did a hell of job to work with what they were given, and despite the theatre's technical limitations and us doing the show with only spotlights for a while, the audience was very appreciative and pleasant.  We made our way home that evening, and most of the boys stopped by my room for some conversation, cocktails and geeking out on some music.  It made the day a whole lot better. 

 

We boarded the bus early Monday morning, knowing not only that our amazing crew wouldn't have to work that evening, but that we all had a week in Palm Desert, CA to look forward to.  As we end our week there, I have much more to tell you in next week's blog.  Thank you for continuing to tune in, and I hope you have enjoyed my accounts of the tour thus far.  There is much more to come as we approach our 3 week break for Christmas.  See you next week for news from Palm Desert!

California dreaming...

 A view from the bus on our drive from Santa Barbara to Bakersfield

 

Out on the town with our friend Meghan in Modesto

The Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara

The Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield

Gallo Center for the Arts, Modesto

 Rogers Theatre, Modesto

 

Our "tag" backstage at the Rogers Theatre

 

 

Hello, everyone!  I hope this blog finds everyone well.  We are continuing our adventures out here in the Golden State, and this week was particularly eventful! 

 

After our "golden day" in Thousand Oaks, we boarded the bus on Tuesday to make the relatively short trip to Santa Barbara. Our hotel was a bit off the beaten path, but the weather and our surroundings were gorgeous, so it was hard to complain. With an IHOP nearby, most of us made that our dinner in the break we had before heading downtown to do our first of two shows in Santa Barbara. After a short drive, we arrived at the parking structure and walked into the gorgeous Granada Theatre. Though relatively new, it resembles ( and out) some of the missions in this area of California.  Not only was it a gorgeous theatre, but as we continue along our California adventure, we are being blown away by our audiences. What a great way to start the week. We made the trek back to the hotel after the show, and me and some of the boys hung out in my room for a while.

On Wednesday morning I had a couple of interviews for some upcoming dates, the first being for our week in Palm Desert over Thanksgiving. The second had to reschedule, and after I got myself ready, Frace and I took a drive down to the downtown area of Santa Barbara, close to our theatre.  After walking a bit to find a late lunch, we settled on Killer BBQ. I had a great beef brisket sandwich, and we headed along our way to explore some of the downtown area near our theatre. It is such a pretty little town, and I only wish we had had more time to spend there, or to be in a more central location. Frace and I went into a few stores along the way, and after finding a few Johnny Cash bootleg DVD's, we headed back to the hotel to chill a bit before our second and last show in Santa Barbara. After another great show and an equally good audience, we took the trip back home and got ready for the travel day and show on Thursday.

The drive to Bakersfield was stunning. I've said it a million times, but there is no better way to see the country than to drive through it. You can't imagine the majestic beauty that exists in this country by merely flying over it; you have to drive through it and see for yourself. We pulled into Bakersfield in the mid afternoon as our crew had been working tirelessly all day. We had a great hotel, and our venue was barely a few yards away; the Rabobank Arena. Though we may have been playing in the same building that housed a minor league hockey game that morning, the space was great for our show, and the sound was warm and inviting. The audience proved to be yet another great one on this California trip, and following the performance, most of the cast adjourned to the hotel bar for some great food. 

The next day, we boarded our bus, now our home away from hotel, and took the moderate trip to Modesto. I was pretty excited to arrive, as Modesto is not only the home of George Lucas, but the inspiration for one of my favorite movies, American Grafitti. We had a bit of time to chill before the show that evening, and I did another interview for our upcoming date in Flint, MI in the new year.  I got a bite to eat and headed to the theatre for our first of 5 shows in Modesto.  Yet again, we were blown away by the love shown to us by the audience.  The theatre arranged for a meet and great with donors and patrons following our opening night, and it had been quite a while since we had had such an event. It was really nice to meet some of the people who had been in the audience face to face, and to hear such kind words about our performance. Following the meet and greet, Rob, Cody and I headed to a nearby pub, the Firkin and Fox. We ended up meeting Meghan who works at the theatre, and her friends and our group talked for quite a while that night.

The following day we had two shows, and Frace was swung on for Mr. Phillips in the first show. He did a hell of a job yet again, and we had a bite to eat an American fusion restaurant, Fuzio between shows. After a bit of a break, we headed back to the theatre for yet another great show. Following the performance, most of the boys and I met up and headed to a nearby wine bar, Trisetti's. Meghan and her friend and coworker Nicole was there, and our little group had a blast; first there, and then adjourning to Minnie's tiki bar on the other end of town. They introduced us to the wonder of hot and fresh do it's from Mr. T's before calling it a night.  

The next day we had our final two shows in Modesto. Another two fantastic shows with audience to match. I was pretty tired, and with less time in between shows I just grabbed some food from Subway and tried to chill the best I could before our final show. After getting a second wind later that night, Brad, Rob, Cody and I headed to the Speakeasy for some karaoke. What a great way to end an eventful week. 

That's about it for the week, though, this next week proved to be an interesting and challenging one. For the first time, we will be doing a Monday night show, and going more than a week without a day off. So, I will have much more news from the road in my next blog! Thanks for tuning in, and I hope everyone is staying safe and warm!

 

Goin' to California with an achin' in my heart

 

 

 

Hello, everyone, and welcome to this week's blog!  Not to worry, nothing is wrong.  This week's blog title comes from Led Zeppelin's Goin' To California.  It's my first time out here since we left Los Angeles in June of 2012; crazy to think that much time has passed.  But, the weather certainly welcomed us back with open arms.  And though I wasn't feeling all that well for much of the week, I do have SOME things to tell you about the week.  Nothing horribly exciting, but still. 

 

We flew into LAX on Monday afternoon, and took the bus for about an hour to the LA suburb, Thousand Oaks.  We had rental cars, but there was also a mall very close by.  Brad and I headed there to do a little shopping, and to grab a burger at Red Robin.  That night, Cody flew in to rejoin tour, as did James' wife Tara and his son Sam.  It felt a lot like the "old days", but in the best possible way.  Everyone loves Cody, just as they love being "aunts and uncles' of sorts to little Sam.  That night I started to not feel all that well.  Not sick really....well, sorta.  I had felt a sore spot in my throat, and had some nasal congestion, but mostly my head just felt swimmy. 

 

I woke up Tuesday and felt all of that, but a bit worse.  And though the weather was beautiful, I laid pretty low so I could start to feel a bit better.  We drove to the theatre that night for the first of a full week of shows in Thousand Oaks, and to be honest, we were a little underwhelmed by the audience.  It was moderately full, but they didn't seem to respond to us all that much.  However, every single night got better, and fuller, and by the end of the week we couldn't believe we had been in the same city as that first show.  I laid low again on Wednesday, and the show that night was markedly better than the night before.  We started our bi-annual collections for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids that evening, and we were blown away by not only the audience's response, but by their generosity. 

 

I was feeling a bit better on Thursday, but I also had a night off to look forward to.  Frace was being swung on for me that night, so though I had to be at the theatre, I could take a night off from being Mr. Cash.  I spent most of the day getting a few things for Frace's "opening night" as Cash, and I also stopped by this gorgeous spot directly across from the theatre, Gardens of the World.  A seemingly endless amount of acreage housed some of the most beautiful, well cared for, and culturally expansive gardens I've ever seen.  I took a ton of pictures, and though I still wasn't feeling great, being out in the fresh air certainly made me feel a lot better.  I headed to the theatre with Frace's gifts that night, and with very little fanfare we celebrated our 600th show of tour.  It's crazy to think we've been on tour that long; though I had only done a handful of shows in the 553 shows we did in the first 2 years, it is still pretty amazing to be a part of a show that has been running this long.  The longest run of a show I've ever done was 80 shows, so this is quite a different experience.  It was also really fun to be able to sit out and watch the show.  I've seen it hundreds of times, but now that I'm on every night, it is a very different thing to sit back and watch my boys do the show.  It makes me glad I am a part of it, and that I am blessed to do the show every night.  After the show, a college buddy of Frace's and a mutual friend/colleague, Kevin Hoffman, came to visit.  We had a great night talking and reminiscing about old times.  It was an awesome end to an even better day. 

 

I was feeling very motivated to do some "work" in my room on Friday, and I also was starting to feel quite a bit better.  But I really wanted to take care of some little things like laundry, sorting and scanning receipts for taxes, and doing a little work for my Walkin' The Line show that I will be performing in Arizona for a day on our Christmas layoff.  More on that later.  The show went extremely well that night, and afterward the boys and I hung out for a bit. 

 

Saturday was a bit of a whirlwind, as we had 2 shows, BC/EFA collections, I packed some things in my trunk in between shows, and tried to track down an undeliverable FedEx package.  David went on as Brother Jay that afternoon, and both shows went extremely well yet again.  Sunday was a bit of a whirlwind again, but at least we got out early that evening.  Rob's 21st birthday was the next day, so at midnight, the majority of the cast and his family met at a local restaurant to help him celebrate at midnight.  The crew got out of their load out in almost record time, and almost all of them came by as well.  His parents and sister are lovely people, and we could definitely tell that they are awfully proud of him. 

 

We actually had a day off on Monday!  So, I decided to take the car and see a few sights as well as visit our first Carl Perkins on tour, Lee Ferris, and his fiancé Hannah.  Frace, Rob and Kelly piled in the car with me, and we took the scenic drive through Malibu, stopping at the Santa Monica Pier along the way.  A bit touristy and carnival-esque, but I'm really glad we got to see it.  After that, we took a short drive to Lee's house.  My boys got to meet him, and Kelly and I were able to do some much needed catching up.  He and Hannah are doing exceptionally well, and though he made a decision not to come back on tour, we really do miss him.  After a home cooked meal and a lot of laughs, we headed back to the hotel, and settled in for the night. 

 

We jumped on the bus on Tuesday, and continued our 5 week trip around California...which brings us to present day.  So, I will leave the rest for next time.  I hope this blog finds everyone well, and tune in for more Cali news next week!