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March 1, 2008 - New Bedford, MA We are at the majestic Zeiterion Theater in New Bedford tonight. Wow what a facility this is. Nice big open theater with lots of character. For being the 5 show in a row we were really primed for this one. Natalie was once again at her best and the crowd really showed their enthusiasm. Now tonight there were two things that really stood out for me. First there was a family right in the front row on my side with two small boys that were just enjoying themselves immensely. I always love seeing that because it takes me back to when I was around that age and going to concerts. It made a huge impression on me then and I always hope that we instill a love of live music for the next generation. The other thing that happened tonight, and this needs an apology, was this very generous man that brought Natalie a box of chocolates. Now those who know Natalie knows that she loves her chocolate. We it just happens that she's given up chocolate for awhile to give herself a break. Unfortunately she put them down in the vicinity of the band and well, okay I have to blame this mostly on Mac, but lets just say we got into the box while on stage! And I blame Mac because he started it all and well a band that plays together .. um... well you get my drift. Luckily there were lots and Natalie managed to save the majority of them for herself! Let me just warn anyone else out there who wants to bring chocolates, try to get them to Natalie without the band knowing. It's just better that way!! Anyway thanks to everyone once again at the Zeiterion. Top notch staff and again a great bunch to work with. Now we have a short drive for an afternoon gig in Pittsfield, MA before our first day off. We'll see you there. ............................................................................................................................... |
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Hi all. Wow what a night. First off we're in Pittsfield at the Colonial Theater. What a beautiful old hall. The first thing that gets you when you walk on stage is the two balconies that seem to envelope you. It felt like the audience was going to be so close we could shake hands with everyone. An incredible feeling just standing there. Also when you crawl up to the top balcony you realize how high it is but the sight lines are great. One other cool thing about this theater (and trust me there are way to many cool things to include in one story) is that James Taylor recorded a live CD and DVD here. I'm a huge fan of his and it was very special for me to be on the same stage that the show was recorded on. So the place was packed tonight and the crowd was incredible. From the first note until the end of the encore the audience was as much a part of the show as we were. All of us on stage were energized all night from the people and their response. It made our night! Hey we even had a dancer from the crowd join us on stage! Thanks to everyone who came out and a huge thanks again to all the staff and volunteers at the theater. It definitely was a highlight of our tour so far. Now we're off to Virginia for a well deserved day off (I think we just did our 6th show in a row!). We'll catch up with you in Newport News. ............................................................................................................................... March 4, 2008 - Newport News, VA You know back in the 80's pretty much every second bar I played was called "The Zoo". So when I heard we were playing "The Barn" I thought it must be a nickname for a big open venue. Nope, the venue is actually a barn! Okay it was a barn at one time but the good folks here converted the Yoder Barn into a theater and what a theater it is! To say this place is unique is an understatement. The theater itself is built in the loft of the barn and they have done a wonderful job of making it a top notch venue. The feeling is very intimate and did I mention WE WERE PLAYING IN A BARN! How cool is that!
Well it was
a full house tonight. I believe we were told that this was something
like the 4th show they've had in this new facility and we were the
official kick off for the opening of the Yoder Barn. Great attentive
crowd tonight that hung on every note that Natalie Thanks to everyone who came out tonight and for all the help from the staff and volunteers. We wish you great success in the future. Now we head out to Bethesda for the next show tomorrow night. See you there. ............................................................................................................................... March 5, 2008 - North Bethesda, MD Hi all. We're in North Bethesda today at the Music Center at Strathmore. This is a beautiful hall with somewhere around the 1900 seat mark. The wood in this place is spectacular and the view from the top is breathtaking. I can just imagine what it must sound like with a full symphony playing on stage. We had a pretty good turn out tonight with a very exuberant crowd! You know sometimes in these beautiful venues people feel the need to be reserved and polite and that's okay but for us we need the energy from the crowd to drive us along. But tonight people threw etiquette out the window and had a blast. We really felt right at home tonight. We always love to see people dancing in their seats and really being moved by the music. All of us cannot thank the crowd enough for their energy last night. Big thanks as always to the crew and staff at the Music Center. Top notch all the way. We now head on out for a short drive to Richmond, VA for a show tomorrow night. We'll see you all there. ............................................................................................................................... March 6, 2008 - Richmond, VA Hi everybody. We're in beautiful Richmond, VA today for a show at the Jepson Theater on the grounds of the University of Richmond. The weather is warming up nicely and spring is definitely here in Richmond. The theater itself is a great facility with an intimate atmosphere. It's nice to play a venue where you can feel close to the audience. Tonight we had another full house with another great audience. There were obviously some fans of Natalie's in the house tonight as we had many people clapping along to almost every song she played. As well Natalie debuted some new material tonight including a new opening tune and also a duet with Nathaniel in the second half. Great stuff. Thanks to all who came out tonight and again we had a top notch staff and crew. As well catering was excellent and we always run our best on great food! Now we are overnighting to Knoxville, TN where Natalie has a radio show tomorrow and a symphony show the next day. Some of us are involved in that show and some of us have a couple days off. So I'll be seeing you folks in Charlotte, NC. ............................................................................................................................... March 9, 2008 - Charlotte, NC Hey everyone. We are in the lovely city of Charlotte, NC at the McGlohon Theatre. This venue was built in the early 1900's to serve as a church but like most old buildings like this it was saved from the wreaking ball and converted into a beautiful theater. However the feel of the church and the stained glass windows have survived and add to the great feeling of this hall. Now just when you think you've played in front of the best audiences out there (and not meaning any disrespect to former audiences. You were all great!) along comes the fans from North Carolina and pretty much blows the roof off the joint! I've never heard a louder more rambunctious crowd before. I could not believe the energy flowing on stage from the audience. Natalie seems to absorb it and send it back twofold! It was an incredible night. And also to top it all off, Natalie's mom and dad were in the audience with some friends from back home. It was great to see them out there enjoying themselves. Thanks again to all the fans from Charlotte and a big thanks to the staff at the theater. We had a blast. We now have a couple days off before our show in Beaufort, SC. We will see you there. ............................................................................................................................... March 12, 2008 - Beaufort, SC Tonight's road story comes from Natalie! What a crazy and beautiful day! Crazy because first, shows after a day off are always my toughest and, beautiful because the weather was so perfect. We got to the venue, had a lovely lunch, including hand dipped peanut butter filled chocolate cookies and peach mango juice then went for a walk to the water with the children. There was a lovely park there and I sat around and basked in the sun while Mary Frances and Michael enjoyed the playground. My day was un-rushed and warm!
Now for the
show.... I must confess if and when I laugh on stage I lose all control
and during two or three moments in the night I was very giddy and easily
set off. This made me unable to properly articulate my notes at times.
Now I don't know why this overflow of giddy sensation happened, maybe
too many days on the road. The crowd was lovely, Mac had a wrinkly
shirt, JD's high-hat was busted, Nathaniel said his cello just sounded
weird, and I couldn't get my belt on straight. But I was impressed with
the crowds knowledge of my music and their rhythm skills when JD got
them to clap in "7"! Beaufort is pretty. I'll remember my day here.
Shane here... well we played at the Performing Arts Center on the University of South Carolina. Like Natalie said it's beautiful out here with incredible scenery and amazing old houses. With the exception of Trevor "the terrible" we had a great time here. Poor Trevor had a bit of a challenging day but that's the life of a road manager some times. He's a real professional though and made us all proud. We're now off to Lakeland, FL for a show tomorrow night. We'll see you there. ............................................................................................................................... March 13, 2008 - Lakeland, FL Hooray we're in Florida! Wow what a day too! We're at the Lakeland Center and what a place it is. There are palm trees everywhere as well as friendly gecko's tearing around the grounds of the theater! Mac tried to catch one but was way to slow. Those things move! Great theater today. Tony had a blast setting up his amazing lighting and Trevor, who was "Trevor the Terrible" yesterday, turned out to be his usual terrific self today! As well we had a great crowd tonight. Not a full house but they were a wild bunch. I swear that 90% of the people were Cape Bretoners that were vacationing down here for the winter. It was like old home week for Natalie. Of course when you put that many Cape Bretoners in the audience Natalie is going to have a great show. She was on fire as always tonight and made a lot of people home sick! Well we have a short one tonight to Fort Pierce, FL. We'll see you all there. ............................................................................................................................... March 14, 2008 - Fort Pierce, FL Wow what a beautiful town! We're in Fort Pierce, FL today at the Sunrise Theater. What a great old building with absolutely tons of character and a great "feel" to the room. As well today we had a hotel right on the water with its own little white sandy beach and a few local friends. What a great place. Tonights show was another memorable one. First I have to ask, is there anyone actually living in Cape Breton right now? Both last night and tonight the majority of the audience were Cape Bretoners!! What a delight. Almost all of them are spending the winter down here and I though what a delight it must be to have Natalie bring a bit of home to them while they are away for the winter. Anyway as expected with a room full of Cape Bretoners, it was a pretty crazy night. The audience was right there with Natalie the whole way and she gave them a great show. A very fun night! Great venue, great local crew and staff and the catering was some of the best we've had. The two ladies who were running it couldn't do enough for us. We loved every minute of it! Now we're off for a show tomorrow night in Daytona Beach, FL and then a day off there. ............................................................................................................................... March 15, 2008 - Daytona Beach, FL Hey there. We are in Daytona Beach home of the world famous Daytona 500 Speedway! In fact I can see it from my hotel room! How cool is that! We're performing at the Josephine Field Davidson Theater in the incredible News-Journal Center in downtown Daytona Beach. This is an incredible facility hosting many theaters and is situated right on the water with beautiful views all around it. The theater itself is a intimate room with great seating. Once again we had a room full of Cape Bretoners. It is such a treat when Natalie asks if there are any people from back home and the room comes alive with people yelling out their home towns. It really makes her feel at home. We had a great show tonight and the band was giving their all. And once again we were blessed with great theater crew and wonderful catering. Well we're on a day off tomorrow in Daytona Beach. I think we'll all be sleeping in and then catching some wonderful Florida sun before heading off to Sarasota for our next show. See you there. ............................................................................................................................... March 17, 2008 - Sarasota, FL Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone. We're here in Sarasota at the Van Wezel Theater for what will be the second last show of this tour. Great hall and even better scenery. The place is filled with lots of friendly pelicans and other wildlife. What a beautiful part of the world! We had a great show tonight with a pretty full house. The crowd was primed for a great St. Patrick's Day show and Natalie didn't disappoint them. Not only that, there were lots of shenanigans on stage as well. Mac decided to try 3 different hair styles during the show. We didn't think one man could get that much gel in his hair! Must be getting to the end of a tour! Thanks to the staff and the exceptional catering tonight. We're now off to Melbourne, FL for one last show of the tour. See you there. ............................................................................................................................... March 18, 2008 - Melbourne, FL Well here we are at our last show of the tour. We're in Melbourne, FL at the King Center. Great theater with a ton of seats. Also everyone in the band commented on how good the cell phone reception was! Fun show tonight. Smaller crowd than normal but there were lots of Cape Bretoners out there so it more than made up for the empty seats. We were all primed for the show as this was our last one as a band for a while. We all had a great show and I think everyone played just a little harder than normal to celebrate the last show. In fact JD busted through his snare drum head in the second set! Anyway it was a perfect show to end the tour. So now Natalie, JD, and Mac go on to Nashville to do some shows with the symphony while the rest of us head on home (I'm writing this on a 3 hour layover in Los Angles). It's been a terrific run and the crowds have been very generous to us. I'd like to say a huge thanks to Natalie again for the success of this tour. Also a big thank you to Mac, Matt, JD, Nathaniel, Trevor, Tony, Anna, and our favourite bus driver John. We're not booked to play again as a band until the end of May and throughout the summer Natalie will be playing shows with different configurations but not the full band. Should make for interesting and exciting shows. Please check them out. One last thanks to the wonderful talents of Cheryl the webmaster. Without her you would not be reading this. Well folks as always it's been a blast. Can't wait to send out the next group of road stories. Till then take care and thank you! Shane. ...............................................................................................................................
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