Inside a Road Trip - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

There are three kinds of road trips: Long distance flights, ground trips, and local weekend shows. They all require a different mode of transportation with headaches all their own. In particular, flying to a gig sounds glamorous, but in reality it’s anything but.

Moving our small army of performers, techs, photographers, and merch is no small feat. Each time we do, it gets a bit easier. We’ve learned to take bare necessities and fly as light as possible. This past weekend, we needed to fly to Kalamazoo, Michigan, to perform at a benefit for Wright For Kids. So, on to Kalamazoo, Michigan ...

THE GOOD

Traveling with your band mates is like being with your spouse 24/7. It has a way of bringing you together and helps you realize the task at hand, that you’re out there living the dream. Fortunately, the members of RTS feel like an extended family. We look out for one another. That’s good. The jokes and razzing along the way, priceless. Good times.

Making new friends and fans along the way is a great reward. This trip was no different. You sometimes even run into a favorite celebrity - that's director Ron Howard, aka Opie Taylor, aka Richie Cunningham.


The person who sponsors this event, Bill Wright, became an instant friend. The crowd was raucous and loud. Rain that fell in the middle of the set didn’t deter them. Kudos to you, Kalamazoo!

The food. When you go through Chicago and taste some of the best deep dish that the area (perhaps the world) has to offer, it’s a good thing, folks! This one made it through security at O'Hare in Chicago but not before one of them said, "What? No Sausage?" The dinner provided by Wright For Kids - outstanding! We took meals together throughout these trips and that’s where lots of the fun happens.


We usually hang after a show and party it up a little. The Kalamazoo Sheraton Raddison was class all the way. Good.

THE BAD

The weather. Our show was almost canceled by a huge storm that dumped rain by the buckets. Tornado warnings. Scary stuff. Our 1:30PM sound checked was stalled to 2 then 4PM. The system passed and the show went on uninterrupted. In fact, we were prepared to move the whole show to any other venue last minute so as not to disappoint the kids that the proceeds benefit. Mr. Wright was so touched by that.



One migraine, a sore knee or two, short sleep ... bad.


The UGLY

Airport delays. Caused us to get in much later and wore us out.

Sometimes the back line equipment is ugly, and sounds it, too! This photo was from a previous trip, but you get the idea ...









Sound check. When it gets moved because of weather - twice - the situation can turn from pretty to pretty ugly in a hurry. Fortunately, what a pro sound team we had.





Get a load of this video. Ugly enough for you?

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It’s important to understand that all that glimmers is not gold in rock ‘n’ roll, especially when it comes to performing on the road. YOU see the finished product. We know the blood sweat, tears and long days that goes into bringing a show to your city. Not that we’re complaining, mind you. When we hear the cheers and applause and all of your smiling faces singing at the top of your lungs, it makes the rigors of the road all worthwhile. When we stop and think about it ... it’s all good.

The Lads