THIS NEKO CASE TOUR + GIANT SAND TOO

well sir, and or madam, we hit the road in traditional sense. flew to omaha, me and thøger. it was ok. but you know i like to get to the airport late enough to feel ok and avoid that terminal feeling.

this time we had a piano all boxed up. cheaper then shipping it. i hate this piano. its digital, which is against all nature.
the end.

i am in line to check in at the ticket counter and i have not hugged my son before my ride left curbside. i call em on the cell. “man you gotta come back around”. they do. i head outside and me and my boy lock in a hug like it’s the last time. that is the way it should always be.
the end.

on the plane. its ok. we have been upgraded, which means we get the warm nuts and i will probably not vow to never fly again.

as we are landing in dallas the moon is of mythical proportions. the light of its fullness awes and sheds a glow on the planet below like even the ugly city built there is ok to sprawl in such divine glimmer.

i am inspired with flying for that moment and am so amazed at what this planet really is in these moments of arc and refraction.

when we land in omaha next, we wonder if the other 2 coming in from denmark have made it through the connections without complications from hurricane ike.

ike has wreaked havoc on the texas coast line and has preceded our flight pattern by just a few hours.
it has destroyed galveston.

but there they are, peter and anders, right there as we arrive in baggage.

so we get our rental and its not too bad. an equinox.
then we get to the hotel and its not too bad. a hilton.
then the other 2 fall into deep jet lag drench and me and thøger head out for a walk.

we noticed that the place we are supposed to play the next night is just across the street, so we amble over.

its empty and we relish that. it’s called the slowdown and is the house that saddle creek built, which is the label that bright eyes built, which is the band that conor built. a fine lad and good for the local economy.

roger is tending bar and we order up some local stuff.
then val comes by and recognizes us as playing there the following night. she shows us around. it’s a perfectly designed venue, very similar to the kind we find in europe. then some girls come in and they are slightly full of drink. me and thøger attempt to finish our beers, but the dude the girls are with commits to conversation. turns out he’s a painter from flagstaff and so we chat. one of the girls then comes over and attempts a surprising kiss hello, but completely misses my lips in her stumble. it’s a moment she will not remember.

and so it seems a friendly place. then another one of them says, “you’re howe gelb” and it seems funny to be recognized in omaha at the age of 51. i have never been to omaha before, except in the 70s when we would drive across country all the time between pennsylvania and arizona.

in fact, just the other day i ran into one of my old cross country cohorts, jon tucker, and he was chuckling with the memory waking up in the back of the van during my driving shift and me having somehow gotten back there to grab a cassette tape to listen back up front, where i should have not strayed from.

yeah well.

but we have never toured through here ever for some reason. i think europe might have been what got in the way. now they have a club to play that looks like it.

soon enough the bar is closing and the manager offers up a shot for everyone. then the girls have us coming with them to keith’s house. and ben stops by too. and andrew says see ya later. and then julie, erin and kate head over the river to make a B double E double R U N in iowa. i tag along for good luck and to get my fill of as much mid west as the hour will allow, which tends to make a half-centurion feel younger than that.

the most notable thing besides how wonderful these folks are and how chilled the sweet autumnal air is, is that several of the folks there in party mode are picking up brush and paper and just get to painting. i think i might have partaken too. fine art in a fine moment.
then we leave.
the end.