First Show Down

About 2:30am while staring out the window into the dark thinking, it finally hit me that this was all really happening. It was a bit overwhelming. This is going to be my life for the next month and a half! Living out of a sweet limo (which I STILL don't have pictures of), traveling to so many cities, and seeing concerts almost every night. Not to mention hanging out with 2 of my favorite people! And just so he doesn't feel left out, even though I just met him 2 days ago, Mike can be included in my favorite people too :)

As much as I like seeing all the scenery while traveling, I also really enjoy traveling at night. The roads are empty except for the occasional other vehicle, everything is so dark except for the lights of distant cities. Sometimes I wonder when I'm out at weird hours of the night why the other people I pass are out as well. Leaving an over night shift at work? Starting an early shift? Heading home from a vacation? Just now leaving the bar?

At some point in the middle of the night while stopped at a gas station we did a quick photoshoot of the new Shiny Chrome Happy Stabby Shirt . You should all go buy one because they're super awesome, and I'm not just saying that because it's my job :)  Sadly, they are only girl sizes right now, but there is a non-shiny non-chrome version too. If you get it (or any shirt) before March 20, you can use the super awesome code STABSTAB for $5 off ! You'll probably look better in it than the model.

I don't know what time we finally got into Sacramento. We parked in a WalMart parking lot and went in for a few things people needed, pillow, sleeping bag, etc. I also brushed my teeth and washed up for bed. We then found a spot out of the way in the parking lot we thought would be shady in the morning and tucked in for bed. I got what was probably the second most comfortable sleeping place, but that was mostly because I was probably the only person that could fit lying down on the floor between the seats. It took a bit to fall asleep, and I woke up a few times because I was cold. But when I was sleeping, I slept well.

There was a whole block painted Yellow, Green, Red and Blue!

Sacramento is Jason's home town, so he showed us around. We got to see the house he used to own, bought some Mochi (just regular, not ice cream), and stopped at one of Jason's favorite coffee places Naked Coffee.

Pretty flowers above the outside Patio

Pretty doggy we befriended

Unload time was at 1pm. We got there before everyone else and managed to get everything unloaded before Otep showed up. However, we couldn't set up any of the merch until we knew where Otep was going to be setting up their stuff. We spent the time setting up Jason's drumset and our awesome new banners, so it wasn't a complete waste of time. I also met some of the band members from Otep and the other band on tour, Picture Me Broken. I briefly met their singer, Layla Brooklyn Allman (I think she goes by Brooke), daughter of Allman brother, Gregg Allman! Once we knew where our spot was, Kimberly set up the table while I went through and took inventory of all of the shirts.

I got to listen to Otep's sound check while counting. That was pretty cool!

I expect all of this to be gone by the end of tour.  You all better buy a ton!

That's a LOT of shirts!

After everything was said and done, we quick ran a few doors down to have dinner with Jason's mom and sister. I had to leave a bit early to get back to the merch table when doors opened at 6:30. Right away, even before the show started, I sold a few shirts to fans!  I'm so excited to meet fans on this tour. There are some names I see online a lot, so hopefully I can put a face with the name. I'm also excited to meet the fans that love them so much they bought a VIP package. The packages are $100 or you can get 2 for $150 so you can bring a friend along. If you're coming to a show to see me, you should think about getting one HERE or at the show (we accept credit cards!) You get a super nazzy VIP pass, a piece of Kimberly's red sheet from the Committed video I'm in, and you can hang out with us in the super awesome limo after the show. You get some one on one time with Kimberly and Jason so you can tell them how super awesome they are. You might even get to come to our post show meal with us, especially if you want to buy us all food! We had one VIP last night, an adorable boy named Phoenix who's a super awesome fan!

The show last night went really well! There were 2 opening bands, Fair Struggle and Dead In Seconds I'm going to try not to say too much about the bands because I've been to some concerts with some pretty terrible opening bands (luckily neither of these 2 were!) I don't want to say anything bad about anyone, and I'm afraid if I talk up a band, but don't say anything about others, people might assume they're no good. So I figure it's just best to try not to say too much. Unless of course they're super awesome epic mind blowing like One-Eyed Doll. Then they'll probably get a plug.

Picture Me Broken was next, then OED!!!!! They did amazing and gained a lot of new fans. I really wish I had a tape recorder so they could here all of the stuff people say about them. People ran over to the merch table even while they were playing to grab some stuff. And as always, Kimberly and Jason come to the table to meet fans and autograph stuff after they play. The crowd was so big they had to tell them to go watch Otep and come back after. Otep was awesome!!! But I've been a fan of hers since her first album back in 2002, so I'm already a bit biased.

We did really well in merch sales too! I was told at the beginning that it I sold over a certain amount that I'd get a $10 bonus. At the end of the night, we were just short of that amount. But, Jason had given one of his friends that was there 50% off on his shirt and the 7 CD's he bought, so Jason guilt tripped him into buying another CD, so we were just over! Not bad for the first show! Apparently they only hit this amount twice last tour. There will be some dead shows though (there's a show Easter Sunday on this tour...), but I think we're going to do pretty well over all! While we were eating Jason announced that since I'm so awesome, whenever I hit my goal, Mike's going to get a $10 bonus too! He deserves it because I think he really helps sales too. I'm stuck behind the table where I can access the merch, and when he's not busy doing other important stuff, he hangs out in front of the table where he can interact with people more. He's also good at telling people about how the album Dirty was recorded with Sylvia Massy who's recorded Tool, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and a bunch of other cools bands that these fans probably like. Also, apparently she liked Jason so much that she wanted him to quit OED and produce music at her studio. I didn't even know that story before last night. So he deserves a $10 bonus as well.

Last night we stayed at the vacation home Jason's mom is currently renting. It's in a super nice, gated community and we almost didn't make in it. It's a long story, and this is already a long entry, so I'll post a link to Mike's blog if he end up going into more detail about it. But in the end, we got in. It was a super nice house with 3 bedrooms and lots of couches. I got to sleep in a super comfy bed last night! And took a real shower this morning! Thank you Jason's mom!

And now, we're on the road heading to Chico, CA to do it all over again! \m/

(Don't forget to check out tour dates HERE!)