American Airlines has decided that the best way to get me from Boston to Nashville is through Miami. And so, with the extra time, I Tumbl…
Winter Tour 2012
January is usually the month I spend hibernating, contemplating the possibilities of the new year, and maybe writing a few songs, but this year was different. Instead of staying inward, I turned my attention to the road as I set off on a co-headlining tour with my new friend, the very talented, Lelia Broussard.
Lelia and I, after only meeting briefly once or twice, decided we would hop in the car, just the two of us, and play 25 tour dates in 27 days. !?!?! For obvious reasons, this could have been a disaster. We would be spending nearly every waking moment with each other, so if our personalities clashed, there would have been no shortage of misery during the high-stress experience of touring. As luck would have it, we are both easy-going people, and so we got along great. I mean, except for the screaming matches. And there was the one fist fight, and the trip to the emergency room, but whatever. All water under the bridge. Except for the pending lawsuit, but whatever.
No, seriously, we had a great time on tour. The one major bummer for me was that, on the first night in Chicago, laryngitis took hold of me and I lost my voice for about a week and a half! During the shows in Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Ames, St. Louis, Lawrence, and Oklahoma City, I sounded like a cross between Tom Waits, Robin Thicke, a sick bullfrog, and a 110-year-old man trying to sing. It was not pretty. Like, really… it was bad. That said, we did have some fun times at those midwest shows, despite my croaking. There were some memorable audience sing alongs and some enthusiastic crowds. Thanks to everyone who came out to those shows for helping me sing, and for having sympathy and understanding. I’ll come back with my voice next time. I promise!
By the time we got to Texas my condition was turning around and Lelia and I began sitting in on each other’s sets. For the rest of the the shows I sang and played on her song, “Shoot For The Moon,” and she lent her beautiful and powerful voice to my songs, “Even The Rain,” and “Further The Sky.” It was truly a treat to sing with her every night. I encourage you to check out Lelia’s music here. She is a uniquely gifted singer-songwriter who is doing great things… and the right people are noticing.
Aside from seeing friends, fans, and places I love, the best thing about the tour for me was getting to play a full set of my own music for people who want to hear it. This probably seems like a simple thing, but on most of my recent tours, I have played a short opening set or in someone else’s band. This time, I got to play as long as I wanted, and I loved it! It was wonderful to meet people who drove for hours, or took a plane flight to see the shows. And I loved hearing people’s stories about how my songs have impacted their lives. The whole experience was so enjoyable and humbling, and it reminded me of how fulfilling it is for me to do what I do.
Thanks to everyone who came out to see the shows. Thanks to all of the merch volunteers and everyone who let us crash at their place. You know who you are! I hope everyone enjoyed the shows as much as I did.
So, what’s next? West coast?
Much love to you all,
Gabe
