Tour Diary – Philadelphia, PA (April 24, 2010)

(Jason Lent has forsaken the island paradise of Hawaii to follow us around for a few months. I have happily placed the tour diary in his capable hands. It should bring a new perspective to our ramblings.)

It was a wet and grey day when I finally reached Philadelphia. I headed over to the venue as the Penn Relays let out on the adjoining campus and found myself swimming upstream in a river of traffic. Time was short so the planned trip to see the Rocky statue was cancelled and I only caught a glimpse of downtown Philadelphia. The venue was modern and featured live music on multiple levels. There was seating if you ordered their expensive dinner but those interested only in music were left to stand.

It was a difficult night in Philadelphia. The band’s set appeared to be hampered by sound issues on stage all evening. The more rocking songs lacked the punch of the previous night and a few songs almost came undone as the band struggled to fight through the technical issues. On the last night of a tour that covered over 2,500 miles in nine days, the band managed to keep their sense of humor and deliver some memorable moments when they stripped down for the acoustic songs. Later, Margo really let loose and exorcised some of the night’s frustrations during “Good Friday.”

After the show, my friend and I strolled up fraternity row and settled into the counter at an all night diner. It smelled of burnt fry oil and the seats were torn. Two sisters, Ginger (the older at 19) and Jolina were working their third shift together as waitresses. They talked about becoming nurse technicians and someday seeing Hawaii. There was hope in their voices and a real belief that they were headed towards someplace better. I hope they get there.