We left really really early (7 AM) from Nick's in order to be all set at the reception early--the ceremony was also in the same location. I slept all the way there. We stopped in North Charleston for lunch at some hipster restaurant called Sesame Burgers and Beer. It was really good!
From there, it was only about a twenty minute drive to reach our destination. Load in was pretty easy--off the street and through an entrance into the courtyard of a historic house right on the main drag.
After set up and soundcheck, we had several hours to kill in our green room. No problem. We watched most of American Gangster, a later, bits of the Final Four, and took turns stinking up the bathroom upstairs.
The gig was an easy, laid back affair, and the people were easy to deal with, though the guy with the cigar could have left that at home. We had Ganesh Giri Jaya subbing for Mark Cobb on drums--a terrific job filling in.
After the gig ended and the party had departed, the venue became a free-for-all between the catering, the decor, and the band. Kip took the worst of it, getting hit in the head twice by the pipe and drape guys, once by our lights, and once on the hand by the ratchet that straps the monitors to the top of a road case. He also got yelled at (by the venue guy) for shoving a decor guy for planting his foot on Kip's gear while tying his shoe.
At the same time, the decor guys had backed their giant box truck up to the entrance, blocking our exit until they were able to leave with the dance floor and the stage. Uhh...all of our cases are on the stage! They relented and pulled a few feet forward, and we quickly massed all of our gear out on the sidewalk.
After a few hours in the hotel, we were up for breakfast and the long ride home.
Kip needed a nap. It was a rough gig for him.
