Tour Diary – San Juan Capistrano (June 13, 2014)

Jason Lent will be following us and the World Cup over the next 10 days. We'll be mixing things up by posting his diary as well as Michael's diary (whenever he can pull himself away from watching futbol).

by Jason Lent

A beautiful morning was spent near the pier in Huntington Beach watching the waves roll into shore before finding a television to watch the Dutch roll right over Spain. Heading down the Pacific Coast Highway, the mansions in the hills from Agoura Hills were replaced by spectacular cliff side homes all peeking over the next one's shoulder hoping to catch a glimpse of an indifferent ocean. 

The Coach House has posted many, many shows over its long history, all in the most unlikely of places. The venue sits unnoticed amongst office buildings in an industrial complex off an overflowing highway. Inside, the venue is wider than it is deep with picnic tables covering the entire floor. A vague seating system exists and doors open three hours before the show to serve dinner. The room hasn't been updated in many years but there is some charm to that if you get the right sightline with a good sound mix. Tonight, I was lucky to have both as the band's crew wrestled a pristine mix out of the worn PA. 

The first set felt a little disconnected at times but the second set took flight. The set list was abundant with rarities such as "Witches" and Dylan's "License To Kill". Tour regulars such as "Hunted" had a little extra bite and the audience was feeling it all evening. The band has played this room often stretching back to some of the earliest tours. The town seems to have stuck with them all along and knows the music well. Every song was met with recognition and appreciation. The second set could have lasted all night and nobody would have left.