Willow Island
Thursday, July
9th
Willow
Island, Madison, Wisconsin
After a
couple of days off from a previous weekend in steamy Minneapolis, we found
ourselves yearning for pants and jackets as our visit to Madison was a bit
crisp to say the least.... except for the heat and sweat coming off the psyched
Wisconsin crowd keeping us warm and properly pumped! I find Madison to be
one of my favorite places to play, mainly because the crowd has the hunger to
"expel that senseless rage!!"
Ahh,
yes...the pride of the Midwest for sure. Even though most in the band
was feeling relaxed and at home, I was a bit nervous before the show...until
I went to Front of House to hear the mix. Our PA system is being provided
by Ryan Knutson, engineer for Sound Tribe Sector Nine. I've been
looking forward to this tour, working with such a cutting edge group in our
scene that has it together both sonically and visually. This was
evident when I heard the killin' mix up front....so pristine and carefully caressed
by ours and STS9's hard working sound crew.
I guess
the main reason for the nervousness, for what it's worth, was only because
after touring relentlessly for the last 5 years, one can find themselves
feeling a bit rusty and repetitive...maybe even without knowing it. I should've
known that the crowd keeps me feeling charged again and again, so, why the
nervousness? I think sometimes you have your days when your playing isn't
quite up to snuff. As a drummer, it is all about motion, how you move
dictates how you sound. It really seems, however, that
no matter how you work on your motion the song dictates how you play.
Honestly, I have my days where I'm not feeling confident in how I'm playing the
songs. You can play all your rudiments, groove exercises, play along
CD's and DVD's you want, but if your not playin' the song, none of that means
a thing. Luckily, though, I was in Madison, where the crowd makes you
feel like a million bucks.....and...your back in the song! Everybody in the
band starts to feel and breathe through the music together almost
effortlessly...like you knew what you were going to play before you played
it. Even nights where you all might not be on the same page, the crowd
truly gets you elevated. It is nights like these where you realize
that you are nothing without your fellow listeners, who are there for exact
reasons you are...to rock that ***! We are off to a great start this tour
for sure.
