She smells really nice...

....sounds kinda perverted, even if it's a genuine sentiment.

Rainy day in Chicago, parked across from the Vic Theatre on Sheffield at Belmont. Vinnie was dj'ing in the front lounge whilst the boys were at JBTV & Fearless for interviews. Michael & Krystle came by and picked us up for lunch. We went to Penny's Noodles on Sheffield & Clark. SO good - I had won ton soup and have leftovers which i'll stuff down my throat later today/tonight.

Back at the Bus by 3p for load in, everything was pushed up 1 hr due to Chicago's curfew. So now doors were at 5p & show at 5:15p. There was no room backstage for our deads (cases) so we kept them all outside under a tarp in the alley. I can't recall what the board was that I worked on, but soundcheck went really well and everything sounded great. Tim said that he hates when things sound perfect at soundcheck and then go to shit during the show....jinx. Come showtime, there were technical issues, thankfully, NONE of which were in my control. Taylor's vox were too loud in monitors which i handled immediately. His bass went out and his wedges were crackling and putting out static. As it turns out, there were issues with not only his cables but the house cabling for the monitor system. I troubleshot that by cutting his wedge out completely and putting his bass and more of Bruno's vox through the stage right sidefill. The show was great, but the crowd was iffy-they didn't seem very into the show though Bruno did an awesome job, as usual, getting them to move and react to the music. That's the sign of a good frontman--quite honestly, I don't know how any band could or would want to follow Drive A.

We had our FASTEST load out ever. Tim was impressed. It was cold and rainy, but we persevered and got the job done. As soon as the guitars and heads were packed up we stacked them and rolled em to trailer while Tim & Cody finished the drums. We were done by 6pm and on the bus to thaw out. Vinnie and I went in for a few minutes to hang out with Alex & Chris who I'd not seen since October at the wedding. Was good to see friends.

We met Dad at Leona's for pizza and salad and beer. It was great to see him and Sandy and get some PIZZA. (The band also filmed a segment at Giordanno's and there's some leftovers in the fridge- yum) Vince and I walked down to Clark and I got my Dunkin Donuts, but no Boston Creme (EPIC FAIL!!) Sprinkles on chocolate frosting will have to suffice. About 10p, Michael & Krystle picked us up and we went to Delilah's, my 2nd home in Chicago. This time I managed to keep my food and liquor off of the curb in front of the establishment.

Pat, Dan D., Joe & Jenny, Nancy, Andronike and Mo showed up - was SO much fun to see everyone but hard to bounce around a lot. Thank you all for coming out and for the drinks, my liver thanks you. And per usual, I had a shot for Evie, amongst the other shots I did that night. Cody, Austin and Brandon came out to Delilah's and had a blast. We all went to Clarke's for breakfast at 2am which was yummy - french toast, well done bacon and chocolate milk.

Back on the bus, I miraculously flossed, brushed and changed for bed. I was nodding off up front while we all hung out and chatted. I excused myself and went comatose in my bunk-it felt great.

Up around 10a and texted with my beautiful wife, whom I miss immensely, for a bit. We're in Sauget, IL (over the bridge from St. Louis), it's rainy, cold and there's nothing but strip clubs, a gas station w/ OTB and the venue in sight. Thank goodness for Monster energy drink and morning star buffalo nuggets. and Rock n Roll.

-uncle j.