We’re in route to Towson, Maryland and I’m thinking about how much ‘adventure’ has been packed into this short tour already. When we were on our way to Vegas to play our first headlining show there, we hit a bump in the road. Literally, a bump in the road which turned off our engine. Not wanting to get stuck in the triple digit degree desert between Albuquerque and Fort Worth, we decided it was best to have it looked at before we left Vegas. We were first told it was the van’s computer and it would take a week to get and cost an exorbitant amount of money. We had to stay an extra day in Vegas which sounds fun. However, when your budget is limited, a $20 sandwich seems a bit ridiculous. So we weren’t too happy about it. Also the stress free journey of making it to Houston in three days became the tense one and half day travel. There was one great thing about being stuck in Vegas. We got to spend the entire night and see the performance the next night of The Birthday Massacre. They are such good people and took us on our first tour across much of the country. Lasting friendships were forged and it’s nice when we are able to cross paths and connect now and then. I really hope we have the opportunity to play shows with them again in the not too distant future.
We finally make it to Houston, Dallas and then St. Louis to close out our four headlining shows as we make our way to New York. I always thought the headlining shows would amount to more pressure, but they’ve quickly become my favorite kind of shows. Everyone is singing every word at the top of their lungs. They put me on ‘cloud 9’ and at the same time are incredibly humbling. Whether it’s a small crowd or a large crowd, the energy is largely the same. And I can’t quite pinpoint what it is. Perhaps it’s the common affinity for our music, I don’t quite know. But it seems that there is something more that is leading to a real community feeling amongst the people at our shows. So many new friendships are formed right in the crowd. It’s almost like Dommin fans understand each other. That’s really the only way I can explain it. There is a camaraderie that i hope continues to exist as the Dommin Nation grows. I hate to make this any kind of competition, but Dallas was the most notable this time around. They were so loud. It seemed like their energy possessed the band and it was this circular recycling monster of energy. Thank you Dallas for that experience. Thank you as well to Houston and St. Louis. I hope it’s not too long before we return and have even greater moments together.
So as we travel to New York, we stop somewhere in the backwoods of Pennsylvania two nights before the commencement of the Volbeat tour. As we exit the van, we smell something burning and noticed what looks like dried grease all over one of the trailer tires. The more discerning eyes of Billy and Reno (tour manager) notice that the trailer bearing is melted down to nothing. Our tire was sitting on the axle and ready to fall off at any moment. We had to find a rental trailer, transfer all our gear and we got to New York about 6 hours behind schedule. We were hoping to get to enjoy New York City a bit but by the time we arrived, there wasn’t much time left to do anything. We all fall asleep wondering what this next tour will bring.
We arrive at The Gramercy Theatre around 4PM and I’m greeted by Dommin fans from the local area as well as from across the country. It seems like all the initial people lined up for the show were there for Dommin. As first days of tour are always a little crazy, we get our gear inside and start setting up. I meet the guys in Volbeat, minus one member with some passport issues, almost immediately. Volbeat is the headliner from Denmark. In my opinion they are a nice little mix of Metallica and The Misfits. They are super friendly and welcoming and I thank them for the opportunity to open their shows. The first show was a success. Our headlining shows warmed us up pretty well though it seems that sometimes I get more worn out from these support shows. I think because we are trying to squeeze in so many songs into 30 minutes that there isn’t much time to breathe. There was a distinct moment I remembered from this show. I asked the crowd how many people knew who we were. It seemed like half the floor let it be known. That certainly made us all in the band feel good and let us know that when we return in November, it could possibly be the best Dommin show ever.
We had a lot of technical issues last night in Philadelphia, but despite those, the crowds have generally been respectful and I think we’re making a few new fans on this run. The tour is so short, I really look forward to what the rest of the tour will bring. Apparently, Volbeat has had some trailer issues of their own, so we have packed our trailer with some of their gear. It’s nice to be able to help out a band that is giving us a great opportunity. I have the itch to try something new out tonight in our set. We’ll see how it goes. See you all on the road!
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