officehourslive
patreon
Waxa Tour Diary - Bruce Day
🕑 Added 2024-09-02 13:27:52 +0000 UTChey gang. Here at the Holiday Inn Express just south of Asbury Park, NJ - but won't be here long as we're on the road in a few hours.
Yesterday we played the Stone Pony Summer Stage in Asbury Park, a parking lot with a huge festival stage built right behind the legendary Stone Pony, where my man Bruce Springsteen got his start... As a big Bosshead it was neat to see the club and be playing so close to hallowed ground. So much so, that days earlier me and the band worked up a cover of "I'm On Fire" to slip into our set. It played real well, and you can find snippets of it over on my Insta Stories.
Asbury Park was a nice surprise. The stage and the Stone Pony sits just across the street from the boardwalk and the Atlantic Ocean. I guess the whole strip had been revitalized recently and whoever was behind it did a fine job of it.
After loading in, Matt, Connor and I strolled the boardwalk, headed right into the convention center where Tony Soprano had his Big Pussy nightmare, and found a nice Oyster Bar inside where we lunched. Very, very good food with friendly service!
We soundchecked and it sounded great. I'm really enjoying the sound of playing outside on these big festival stages. Folks have it dialed in and while it's booming and rocking out in front of us, onstage it feels clear and crisp and like we're playing in the studio.
After soundcheck we had about and hour and a half to kill, so Elllie, Matt and I decided to take a quick dip in the ocean. It was RIGHT there, how could you resist? It was a legendarily good dip. The water was cool and the waves were just right.
We dried off and paced around a while until we made our way up to the stage and ripped through our set to a nice and packed, sun-drenched crowd. A few songs in there was a medical emergency towards the front of the stage and I called out to send a medic their way. We stopped playing and I stepped back from the mic to let the paramedics get to the young woman who had passed out. A few moments passed and I thought - 'Tim, just chill out... you don't need to say or do anything right now, just let the medics and security do their thing. no need for jokes..." once the situation seemed to under control and the woman was up on her feet I found my lane back in: "you know our sound guy Denny said to me before the show, I got a good feeling about this one..." it was TRUE, he had said that to me! And it got a nice laugh and broke the ice, allowing us to get back to work.
The set was well received by another nice mix of fans and fresh, open minded faces. but then, with two more acts to go, I had loads of time on my hands. It's perhaps the only drawback or downer of this tour... the idle time. Matt, Connor and I walked around, first heading away from the boardwalk and down to Asbury's very cute little downtown for some pizza, but it was packed so we headed back to the boardwalk where I got a cheesesteak we headed backstage and watched some of Waxa from the side... every night i'm more impressed with her songs and her band.
After the show, we headed out to our Holiday Inn Express. We checked in and then sat outside where we had a night cap of cans of Pacifico from the greenroom... Joining us were some lovely older black women who were perched on their own lawn chairs having wine coolers and smoking big cigars. They were excited to hear about our traveling circus life and they told us all about the cigar smoking in Houston Texas and how the cigar rooms are full of women these days. I had no idea!
Off to Charlottesville, VA today where we'll have tonight and tomorrow off... Idle time galore... but we'll make the best of it. Do you have any Charlottesville reccs my friends?
All for now, P&L -t
Comments
Grant Thonack
I know all those spots you’re writing about (around Asbury), growing up nearby… It’s pretty wild how not “dangerous”/“left behind” Asbury has come these past 20 years since I was a kiddo (nearby Neptune not so lucky)
Jordan Welner
Accord, NY show was truly special. We might have sabotaged your pee? you were so sweet and fun to meet. Luv u T ❤️
Athena
You are living the dream! (I have a reoccuring dream of being at an outdoor music festival on a beach near a shopping center! (I'm not joking it's one of my favorites!)
Jeff Franchetti
https://www.candorestaurant.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaYQEvrFQIMttcGjoZ3nnkDPUeuGV5NlkEeRWRrtXYwphjDglwNtftplAgo_aem_Jtu15Zk5lP0j3hMt1gYKcg
Erik Carter
and Low for good vintage clothes and records (one of the co-owners plays in noise bands haha)
Erik Carter
Charlottesville rec's: Blue Moon Diner (classic local diner), Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar (hippie tea spot), Marco & Lucas (dumplings), Daedalus Books (crazy bookstore!), Bodo's Bagels (amazing bagels)
Steve Clark
Tim are you going to the Bruce show on Sat. in DC????
lilula9
Oh man your music is so good you're knocking people off their feet now! love the details. Definitely reminds of last year's tour diaries (including the person passing out 😬). hope your next Idle Time goes ok, and get some rest!
Alex B
Playing 'I'm On Fire' on an outdoor stage in late summer, living the dream guys
Rick Paton
It's an hour's drive southwest but Natural Bridge State Park is WORTH it! Check out the pics. It's better in person. https://maps.app.goo.gl/PjV6P82F1xkwxQjU6
Stu Walker
Charlottesville’s Alt-Weekly Best of 2024 listings: https://bestof2024.c-ville.com/
Brian Kramer
There's a ton of great hiking in the area if you have a day off, and the weather right now is fantastic. The Appalachian trail runs pretty close to Charlottesville along with some great views. Here's a list if you're interested - Crabtree Falls is pretty popular. Spy Rock is also a pretty good one: https://gohikevirginia.com/charlottesville-hikes/
Jim D.
Thank you Tim.
WL
Check out the WNRN radio station while you're in cville. Also a great Asian food place called Bang!
Brian Rooney
tim thanks for the photo! apologies if i caught u and the band off guard. cheers and thank you! 🍻 🍕 (i am a school teacher and often model my energy off your hosting on OHL ☮️)
Phil Braun
Almost a real-life DKR moment!
KILLME42069
Awesome show, thank you Tim!
Jen Campbell
Wow, what a performance!! Thanks for a great show!
Adam Gutman
Guajiros Cuban in Charlottesville, really good Cuban coffee and sandwich shop in the downtown. UVA is also a very pretty campus
hagclaims8
I’ll be coming up from Roanoke, VA, to see you in C-Ville (as the locals call it, or maybe they don’t , but I’ve heard it said🤷🏻♂️) It’s hard to find a good bagel in the South, but I recommend Bodo’s on Preston Ave. lots of options - you can even get tofu on a bagel, but I’d go for a classic egg and cheese Millers is a classic hole in the wall bar that often has a band playing. Last time I went there was no cover and good jazz. Great little jam packed used bookstore Daedalus Bookshop if you’re looking to pick up something to read on the sprinter van As a history person, you may take the occasion to visit the grounds at Monticello. The view from up there is stunning. You don’t even need to do a tour, but it will cost to get in. Enjoy it. See y’all Wednesday night!
KD
Bill Chinnock erasure!
