Tour Diary – Santa Cruz, CA (May 4, 2013)
This is not a bad town in which to end a tour. I've always liked it here, there is a certain impermanence about it, a beach town with lots of hippies and surfers and vagrants and many, many entrepreneurs…its a good blend. The weather was distinctively cooler today, but that's ok, none of us had the energy to travel too far from the bus and venue. We had a fun night on stage, a perfect ending to a very good tour. There are encouraging signs out there, as with the February tour, attendance is up, merch sales are climbing and the band is playing great….all of this helps to get us back out here when the time comes. We have a couple of one-offs scattered throughout the next three months, but mainly we'll be staying close to home and beginning to ponder about our next project. We will also be finishing up a collaborative project that we have been working on for about five years, which we plan to release on November 22nd….but lots more on that to come over the next few months.
In the meantime, the Leafs came out skating and won game 2, so there is hope for at least a competitive series. We carry those dreams back with us to Canada. A huge “thank you” to all who have followed us by checking in on the diary and especially to those of you who spent your hard earned dollars on tickets. Please keep an eye on this space for all things Junkie related….have a great summer, be safe and have fun….we'll be back out there before you even know it.
JASON LENT FOLLOWED OUR TOUR BUS BACK IN 2011 AND SUPPLIED US WITH HIS TOUR DIARY. HE WILL BE DOING THE SAME FOR THE COMING WEEK. HERE IS JASON'S SARATOGA DIARY: We ditched sleepy Saratoga after breakfast and ran right into the million or so cars trying to get to the beach on a bright and sunny morning. By the time we pulled into Santa Cruz, the weather had turned grey and the temperature was falling fast. The Rio has been home to the Junkies on many occasions over the years. The converted movie theater is nothing glamorous as a rock club but the management has always treated us Junkies fans like royalty. Today was no exception and the good vibes always translate into an awesome show in Santa Cruz.
Tonight's show ended the tour on the highest of highs. The band continued to deliver exceptional takes on the Nomad series and an unexpected addition of "Ladle" to tonight's mix was razor sharp in its ferocity. Presenting the Nomad series as a separate set worked extremely well in the live setting and hearing "Damaged From the Start" each night was a moment to cherish. The second set brought out even more songs that we had not heard on the tour including "Crescent Moon" and the entire River Trilogy. The band let it rip on "Murder Tonight…" during the encore and then the amps were unplugged and the bags were packed to go home. Over eight shows in eight days, the band played consistently brilliant and the changing set lists made each night unique and special.
