Life's Jimmy Stewarts
Sometimes, things don't happen how you expect them to and you have to go with plan B. We're used to this happening in our live show, but occasionally it happens before you even get to the show.
A few months ago we got word that an offer for Gov't Mule's Mountain Jam would be coming down the pipe. Naturally, I had planned on making a trip down to Jamaica that week/weekend to work out some kinks for my wedding next year. We tried to get make Sunday at the fest happen, but there was only room for us in the lineup on Friday. So I moved my trip up a bit - my fiancee and I departed from O'hare on Monday morning at 6 am, having driven straight from the late night at Summer Camp! I booked my flight coming home for Thursday night and conferred with Don, our tour manager, about the logistics of it all. Seemed pretty simple.....I would land at O'Hare at 8:45 pm, the bus would scoop me up and we would be off to Hunter Mountain.
All was going as planned until I arrived at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay to find that my plane was delayed getting to the airport in Jamaica and my new arrival time was slated as 10:45 pm. Uh oh. I ran back out to my ride and hopped back in the car as they were pulling away, wondering what was going to happen. Fortunately, I was staying close to the airport. I got back to my local residence and immediately called Don. He answered and I let him know the bad news. He informed me there was no way for the band to make load in if my flight was delayed. This is what I feared. Having looked into flights into NYC from Jamaica, I knew there were no options that would get me there that way in time for the show. Don told me that I could get ground transportation (read, a ride in a van) from the airport in Albany if I could get that far. Lo and behold, we found a flight from ORD at 8 am the next day that got me into ALB at noon. We went ahead and booked the flight and I told Don I would sort out the rest of the logistics from there.
Now, back to Chicago. My parents live about 20 minutes from the airport, and I thought to myself, if only they were home tonight I could potentially get a few hours of sleep there. And what do you know, I called up my dad and he said he could get me back and forth to and from O'Hare. So I had a plan. Thanks pops!
After a little more waiting, I headed back to the airport in Montego Bay and waited on my flight. Upon my arrival I noticed the flight had been delayed yet again and was now arriving at 11:07 pm. Ugh. So I did a little duty free shopping, including picking up a book on the history of Jamaica, a travelers guide to Cuba and a Bob Marley "One Love" bib for my friend's newborn. Figured I would need some entertainment for the ride. Did you know that the center of pirate life in the Caribbean was based in Port Royal, just south of Kingston until an earthquake put the city underwater in 1696? Neither did I. Or perhaps that Montego Bay became an established city in just 1981? Interesting stuff.
The flight was rather uneventful, aside from a young Jamaican boy traveling by himself who would ask me questions every 30 minutes or so, my favorite being, "Sir......are you rich?" I laughed out loud and told him, "Not yet." I considered some sort of philosophical answer, but thought better of it ..... "Rich in spirit" was probably my first choice, and undoubtedly would have just confused him.
I finally landed back in the states at 11:45 local time and my dad was there to get me home to their house for some rest. Hung out with mom and dad for about a half hour and then crashed hard for all of 4:30 hours. The 5:45 am wake up call was way too early. But coffee and fruit awaited me in the kitchen and that was enough to get the ball rolling. Dad hustled me back to O'Hare and I was on my way, on time today. This flight was one of those where I woke up hearing "We're beginning our initial descent toward Albany....." Yes! Sleep achieved!
I landed and contacted the runner, who was right there to meet me in the baggage claim - bonus points for excellent organization, Mountain Jam. I hopped into a van and was greeted by some great musicians. This is one of the best parts of festivals.....all of the interesting people and musicians you get to interact with. George Porter Jr., Russell Batiste and Brian Stoltz would be my accomplices from the airport to the fest. I've heard these guys before and they're a fantastic trio, but gettin to ride with them to the fest was a real trip. Everything seemed fairly normal until we saw what appeared to be a roadblock/checkpoint set up by the police in Catskill, NY. As other cars drove by, we were signaled to pull off the road. Oh boy. I was fairly certain we were ok since everyone had just flown, but you never know. As the officer started questioning our runner and he informed them we were musicians on a deadline (PBS' set started at 3 pm), Russell Batiste, a resident of New Orleans, replied to the cop with one of the funnier (but true) lines I've heard in awhile......"Come on man, I'm a hurricane victim!" .... This elicited laughs from George and Brian, who then turned to me and whispered "he's been using that line for 5 years....." And that was all it took.....off we went to Mountain Jam, no search needed.
I arrived on site at 1:30 pm, just 15 minutes after our bus rolled in. I felt like I had just lived out another episode of a 24/Curb Your Enthuiasm life mash up, and I was there. I made it for our set and had plenty of time to enjoy the gorgeous scenery and music of other bands. And if you're wondering, PBS is sick. Nothin like sittin on the side of a mountain and listening to your new friends make great music. Summer and festival season are here...what a wonderful time to be a fan of music.
