If there is a “routine” day on tour today, was it. Up in the morning to get picked up from our host families, scrambling to get all the suitcases and sleeping bags loaded up, and rolling out of Mansfield, OH on our way to Buffalo, NY. But, of course, no day on tour is truly routine.
For example, I am a grown man of 42 years, and today I left my phone in a Kroger’s bathroom. The singers should be thanking me for that. When the equipment truck had to make a U-turn to retrieve my phone (which had my driver’s license, insurance card and three credit cards in the case) the buses made a pit stop at a truck stop that had a STARBUCKS!!!!! A rare treat for a singer on tour.
On day four of tour, it is likely that your singer has left something somewhere. They have almost certainly begun to feel the stress of having to make it somewhere in a limited time frame. I know this because I am often one of those annoying adults saying, “alright guys, let’s hurry up” or, “pay attention to your surroundings, friends”. So, to be the guy who causes the group to lose 30 minutes on a tight schedule because I made a rookie mistake was humbling to say the least.
It was a potent reminder that we are all in this together, and we are all simply humans learning through our goof-ups. Truth be told, it’s such an honor to be able to help your singer work through some of those important life-lessons they are possibly being exposed to for the first time here on tour. So, if your singer calls home sad because they messed something up, feel free to remind them about Joseph’s “phone in the bathroom” incident.
All of that said, tonight’s set up at Baker Methodist Church in East Aurora, NY went super smooth as everyone is settling into what it means to do their part of pulling the wagon quickly and efficiently – and it wasn’t an easy set up. It was a gorgeous church that was built in 1878 and has original Tiffany stained glass windows that are priceless works of art. But being such an old building I’m sure it goes without saying that it wasn’t built with New G’s modern sound equipment in mind. You can rest assured our singers made it look easy.
Tonight, we are all in the hotel here together in Buffalo. Fortunately, Sam left Emily and me off the room check roster, so I get to spend my time with you. Tomorrow everyone is pumped to get SOAKED at the Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls. Fun fact: your singer will technically make their first trip to Canada tomorrow because the Maid of the Mist briefly crosses to the Canada side of the falls!
Remaining Schedule
Sing-Out – Faith United Methodist Church
Sing-Out – First Baptist Church of Plattsburg
Sing-Out – Turning Point Church of the Nazarene
Sing-Out – Oregon United Methodist Church
Sing-Out – Francis Street First United Methodist Church
Sing-Out – Huffman United Methodist Church
Sing-Out – Frederick Boulevard Baptist Church
Sing-Out – Ashland United Methodist Church
Sing-Out – Good Shepherd Gladstone
Sing-Out – Wyatt Park Christian Church
Tour Day 12 – Travel Day from Huntingdon, PA to Sandusky OH
So, we are now in Sandusky, OH prepping for our day in Cedar Point tomorrow. I am confident that I will have loads to say about that excursion. But today… not so much. We drove a lot. We went to dinner. We checked in the hotels. That’s about it. It’s just one of...
Tour Day 11 – Oasis of Love, Raystown Lake – Seven Points Amphitheater
Tour 2023 is over half-way complete boys and squirrels! It never seems real. Both singers and sponsors spend an entire year prepping for tour just to have it flit away. I honestly feel like it just started. Everyone had spent the weeks and months before tour making...
Tour Day 10 – New York, New York – Huntingdon, PA @ Oasis of Love Church
Leaving New York City is kind of a surreal experience. In the morning we were holding up traffic and dodging pedestrians trying to get our suitcases loaded on the bus, and not an hour out of the city we were flying by corn fields. The contrast was jarring. Getting off...
Tour Day 9 – Church and Sites with Bemo in NYC
There are probably quite a few of you who don’t know that I (Joseph, again) retired from the Army after 22 years. You can imagine that I have done some pretty grueling work in my day. I’ve carried very heavy rucksacks for many many miles at a time, I once went three...