I'm with the band...

I just finished up a nap that was more sleep than the past two nights combined. I lived for two days on pieces of leftover pizza, some granola, and bottles of water that were probably for the band. I've seen four performances and have been going between airports, balconies, green rooms, studios, coffee shops, and hotels. Transitioning back into real life is a little disappointing.

My dog decided to start things off traumatically by diving off my bed at 6am and acting paralyzed for a few minutes. She's fine, but it wasn't a great way to start off the crazy day. A few hours later, I was driving to the airport to pick up a band member I had never met. Let me state it here that promo pics don't look a whole lot like the person you are picking up at the airport. She was going on three hours of sleep and I was going on two, so we started off with a coffee run. Coffee chugged, we headed for the studio where I work, where we crashed on bean bags and benches before heading to the station for performance number one.

I hung out with the band for a while before their sound check. Not only were they nice people, they welcomed me right into their group. They put on a great Big Room performance and then headed out for their next sound check at the venue. I stayed at the station and caught a performance by Jemina Pearl. While I don't love the Iggy Pop collaboration, I have to hand it to this girl for putting on an amazing live show. If she's coming to your town, be sure to check her out!

Two pieces of pizza later (I hadn't eaten since 7am), I headed over to the studio to grab some last minute backstage passes and then headed to the venue. Once there, I was ushered into the VIP section of the balcony. My friends were photographing the event, so I made sure they were set. I think that was the first time I had actually rested all day. The two opening bands were local and put on great sets. They also did an amazing job of promoting the cause behind the event, which was autism awareness. The headliners put on a great show, had awesome chemistry, and had a really good crowd to play for. It was one of the most genuinely fun shows I've been to in a while. After hanging out with these people all day, it was fun to really see them in their element.

After the show, I was taken down to the green room. This was my first green room experience and it was about what you would expect. Food and drinks and couches. All of the bands were down there, along with their friends/families/a few contest winners. At some point, Petron shots were taken by all but three of us. As a DD, the very sight/smell/mention of Petron means that my car will be full. I helped with some of the final details of the tear-down and hung out with everyone until about 2am.

The girl I picked up needed to be back at the airport by 4:30am. Seeing as she was one of the three who hadn't taken a shot, I was basically the only person who could get her there. I dropped her off at the hotel and I headed home to sleep for an hour and a half before heading back to the hotel to pick her up again. It worked out that I was able to coordinate a ride for her with my friend who was already headed to that part of town, so I came home and slept for another two hours before heading out to teach my morning yoga class. From there, I went to man a booth at a local nursery's Fall Festival. Quite the opposite of my night, I sat in the sun, listened to pig races, and read.

Yes, I was painfully tired, but I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Great people, fun times, plenty of stories to tell. But now, my couch, blanket, and sleeping dog are the coolest things in the world.

*Actually, my parents are coolest in the world right now. While I was rock 'n rollin' around town, they winterized and burglar-proofed my whole apartment! They also left me some delicious local apple cider. Best. Parents. Ever.