We had our first matinee of the tour today in Bel Air, Maryland - about an hour away from Baltimore as the crow/raven flies - which, admittedly, was a little weird. (The matinee time slot, not our audience...)
Usually, we pull into a town in the early morning hours, put ourselves together, sing a couple of songs at a radio/TV station as a promo for our show, have lunch at the venue, sound check, explore the town, have dinner, go to work for a couple hours, pack/clean up, get back on the bus, and repeat. Today, however, was different in the sense that we woke up in the parking lot of the Baltimore Ravens football stadium - I won't get into the last time we woke up in a football stadium parking lot - where we sang for a local sports radio station and sampled some fantastic crab chowder during the commercial breaks. Imagine 10 guys singing - in enemy territory, nonetheless, as at least half the group roots for the Colts - and upon receiving the "you have 10 minutes" signal from the radio host, scurrying back into the catering tent, where a copious selection of Maryland's finest cuisine had no idea what was about to hit it. Maryland crab chowder, shrimp po'boys, BBQ pulled pork, coleslaw, Italian sausage with peppers & onions...c'mon! (I think the restaurant that was catering the meal was called Bowman's; check them out if you're ever in town)
Our bellies full, to Bel Air we headed, where I soon learned was not the site/setting for The Fresh Prince of Bel Air 90s sitcom, but a nice town nonetheless. (No Will Smith sighting at the show, either, although Jerome's Carlton quip in Lion Sleeps Tonight got a good laugh) The drive was nice and we got to see some of the majestic Maryland countryside and by majestic Maryland countryside I mean football. Kudos to Matt Stover of the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts/Browns/Ravens/Colts for sealing the Indy victory. For the record, not that it matters but because it was a good laugh on the bus earlier today, Charlie and I decided a colt is more of a toddler horse than a baby horse, which would be a foal. Furthermore, we decided that if the Colts had a farm team, they should be called the Philadelphia Phoals. We're working on a logo. No we're not.
After a quick sound check and taping of "12 Days of Christmas" for The Pentagon Channel, we got in as much football as we could before the show, which ended up being a great time onstage. Some new jokes/antics found their way into the set (two words: spinning stools) and, oh yeah, it was a sold-out house! First time singing in Maryland, first matinee, first sold-out matinee. The last time we had that much fun at a matinee our Moms drove us to watch "New Moon" and eat Sour Patch Kids until our teeth rotted. That's a lie, none of us have seen the movie, but we do share a connection to it: Cyndi, our product manager at Atlantic, has been working hard on the movie's soundtrack - and Christmas Cheers - simultaneously for months now and she deserves a big round of applause (go ahead, she'll hear it). We're no tween heartthrob werewolves, but we like to think we clean up alright. Cyndi makes sure the smallest of details get worked out for our artwork, marketing, website, promotions, branding, etc. and the girl can sing some crazy good karaoke. Cyndi, if you're reading this, which I know you are, if any more movies about shirtless teenage vampires that rhymes with "Bwilight" comes out and needs an a cappella song on its soundtrack, which it won't, you know how to get in touch with us.
Next stops: Philly, Trenton, Wilmington, DC, then Seattle & San Fran. I may not know where I am this weekend.
Hope to see you again soon, Maryland, which I have typed as Marlyand this entire time and had to correct. Thanks to everyone who came to the show!
RA