Sunday, October 7, 2007

DAY 2 – Birmingham Show






2:52PM - So guess what… The van we were all riding in just broke down on the side of the highway. It’s always something, so of course I am far from surprised. The crazy thing is we are only about 5 miles from the venue. If I’ve learned anything from years on the road, it is to not panic. We will be able to work something out, and if we don’t… Oh well at least we tried. So let me get out this van and see what’s going on. I will report more in a minute.

Okay so to give you a recap on the day. We had 3 cars come and pick us up and take us to the venue. The backline company that was hired from London (3 hours away) forgot the power converters, so we couldn’t plug up any of our electrical instruments. We have US plugs… Well we scratched the drum machine, and we bought a million batteries for Ian, the guitar player’s pedal board.
By the time we finished sound checking and the band finally learning all of Anthony’s music, (Sorry Anthony, you know how last minute musicians can be.) we didn’t have time to go check into our hotel rooms and get changed. So we stayed and got changed in the dressing room. Now imagine if you will 6 guys with a ton of wrinkled clothes and no iron. Hahahahaha.. that was a sight to see, but we got thru that too.
They fed us. That’s all I will say about the food. But I will say the entire staff at The Drum was very helpful and nice. I enjoyed them.
The show was sold out, but I feel they could have put a few more people in. they capped it off at 250 cause of the venue size, but I think they just wanted people to be comfortable.
My street team from London came down to support and help us sell cds. I love them. They really have my back.
Anthony ripped it. Yo he didn’t even bring his guitar up there with him. And how often do you hear of an opening act getting an encore. I enjoyed that, and the band seemed to have enjoyed playing with him. Trust me if they didn’t they would’ve let me know.
So I went on around 11:15pm, and the band and I did about 2 hours. The crowd was lovely and energetic. Some more than others. I did a freestyle that included the crowd’s suggestions: constipation, weather, feet, and penicillin. Hahahaha.. it was okay. The crowd enjoyed it, but I know I could have done better. This was Ian’s second gig with us, and he played great. He was uncomfortable in spots, but he will loosen up as we progress. So afterwards I signed CDs and took pictures for about an hour and a half. Met some really nice people. One in particular was a brother named Kenneth, who said he leaned on my album while going thru treatment for cancer last year. It was a blessing to hear his testimony. That’s the kind of stuff that pushes me and keeps me humble and focused.
So before leaving I went back to the dressing room to make sure we didn’t leave anything. We did. Ray, the bass player left a pair of sneakers, and I had a pair of PRPS jeans under the table. I would have been sick if I left those.
Once back at the hotel the band ordered food, I loaded up on waters and juices and went to my room. The jet lag, weather, and long day took a toll on my voice, so it’s all about rebuilding it and getting it ready for Paris on Monday.

9 comments:

  1. hey man it has been a min, but i am glad to see that you are still making moves and impacting lives. GOD has really blessed you with several gifts and i am glad to see that you are putting it to good use in this cazy world...GOD BLESS be safe and i will def check you out when you make it back to the "A"

    Yohance
    yobenton@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. keep chugging that gatorade main!
    good luck & safe travels to all of u all!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey, Thanks for giving us the updates. I feel like I'm on the road. I would buy a DVD of how everything unfolds.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Found this blog purely by accident and am so happy I did... it's way cool. Tried to get tickets for your London gig on Sat night but was GUTTED when they told me it was sold out grrrr!! Anyway was lucky enough to catch you last time so it's all good. The CD's will have to do me for now...

    Interesting coincidence; I wrote this post about your good self a few days ago, check it out if you get a chance:

    http://boringblackchick.blogspot.com/2007/10/big-up-erro.html

    Enjoy London, hopefully see you next time :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Im glad ultimately things worked out yall take care and be safe heard yall rocked as ususal alright be blessed everybody have fun continue rockin out europe imma see if my friend can come and see yall in japan and your blog deserves the award yeahhh hope u win :)

    peace b

    ReplyDelete
  6. It's cool to read about the impromptu workarounds you discovered while doing your thing in London...May God continue to keep His traveling mercies around you and your crew during your journey. RESPECT!

    ReplyDelete
  7. keep doing your thing E. glad ya'll having fun.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love the blogs and the pics too! The one with you holding the bottle is hilarious. Nice shoes by the way! AND your music is great! Especially "softest lips" and "pretty girl". Come back to chi-town soon!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ahhhhh we love you too Eric. It's always a pleasure coming out to show support and help with the sales. You deserve it because you work so hard! It's only right you get some hard work in return right?

    REAL TALK!! lol

    ReplyDelete