Taylor Hicks kicked off his summer tour at the Highline Ballroom in NYC on Sunday night and I was privileged to be able to attend.

Taylor had been promoting this as his “bad ass tour.” Of course this got me to wondering, how bad ass can Taylor Hicks seriously be? I am a big fan of the man and have heard many, many words and terms used to describe him. Bad ass has never been one of them.

I don’t think he achieved bad ass status, but he was certainly bold, dynamic, confident and completely in control of his band and that room. His stage banter, virtually non-existent during his 2007 tour, was priceless. About 90% of the show was a high energy, with two more mellow moments – The Deal and Nineteen. In many of the other songs, he’d build on the intensity until he left you a sweaty panting mess. He and the band blew the roof off with I Live on a Battlefield the encore, a cover of LaRoux’s Bulletproof (yes, you read that right), and Seven Mile Breakdown. Sam Gunderson’s Seven Mile Breakdown guitar solo was a thing of beauty. And Taylor took us to church with his harp solo in that same song. When he hit his knees at the front of the stage, everyone in the room was completely under his spell.

Next stop, Jonathan’s in Ogunquit, ME, probably the polar opposite of the Highline. It’ll be interesting to see if he dials it back a notch or if they’ll be looking for the roof in the nearby Atlantic! I’ll let you know tomorrow.

A few videos from the Highline. Enjoy!

The “tagging” at the end of Hold on to Your Love was phenomenal.

Seven Mile Breakdown

I Live on a Battlefield

Ain’t Gonna Hurt Nobody

Cover of LaRoux’s Bulletproof

So it’s been a while since I’ve written anything, (I’ve been busy), let’s try and catch you up.

We’re finishing up our second week on tour and now that we’ve got all the kinks worked out, it seems to finally be going smoother. The band is opening up to me, and I to them, and that’s the way I like it.

I’ve gotten used to the 18 hour days, the 7 hour sleeps, followed by the 18 hour days. We’re in California now. It’s the longest run in one state that we’re doing. So far, I haven’t seen the attraction to this place. It’s cold. And coming from a Canadian that’s saying something! Seriously California, get it together, I am not impressed.

The other day we were playing at The Mountain Winery in…Sarasota? Yes that’s a question mark. Yes I’m not sure whether it was Sarasota. You come on tour for a few weeks, than you judge! Anyway, so there we are, 8am(ish) driving up to this winery. The road keeps getting steeper and more windy. Obviously no one clued in on the name, MOUNTAIN Winery, because I swear to God, we almost died that morning. Driving up this big ass mountain, in a tour bus, pulling a trailer, trying to make turns that are almost 90 degrees. Absolutely crazy. Deb, the tour manager, had her hand on the door the whole time, she said “I was waiting to jump off that bus if it started going over.” I kid you not. Anyways, long story short, we didn’t die and the show went well.

On a lighter note, Keith (guitar tech) bought this AWESOME hat for $10. He said, and I quote, “This is the kinda hat that makes me look like I’m shopping for Mexicans.” We named the hat the Cowbrero – half cowboy hat, half sombrero. Here it is . . .

So I’ve had the opportunity now to hang out with the band more. Especially Tyler and Kevin. I gotta say that this band is made up of some of the nicest, and funniest, guys you will ever meet. They’re absolutely great. I rode the train into San Diego from L.A. with Kevin this morning. The guy is just funny. He doesn’t say much, he just laughs. It’s hilarious. He’s like a kid, but in a good way.

Safe to say I’m having a great time, more stories coming soon! (I promise)

I think it’s time to tell you all about Jeff. Jeff is the band’s bus driver. Jeff is an AWESOME guy. Emphasis on the word awesome. He’s been driving the Bon Jovi tour bus for 13 years, and we both agree, that their last album, was just not good. (I’m a HUGE Jovi fan).

Jeff, to me, is known for quotes like “beat it! Get mad at it! Like it’s your boyfriend and he pissed you off!” (referring to me trying to crush a bag of ice) And (when I asked if Jim was off the bus yet) “No. that’s why I’m still here. I wanna clean my bus. And fix the back lounge. They broke my door!”

If you knew the guy, and you knew they way he talked, (he’s got a slight accent. New Jersey maybe), then you’d be laughing your ass off right now. Cuz he’s a funny guy!

We’re currently on a day off in Los Gatos, CA. It’s hot outside. I’m ready for the beach, but it’s too far away. There is a kiddy pool outside . . . .

Now let’s get one thing straight – touring ain’t all shits and giggles. I know a lot of people out there say “oh, touring would be so much fun! I could do that, traveling from city to city, sleeping on the bus. It’s not too hard” Well you’re wrong. As a matter of fact you’re dead wrong. It’s hard out here. And not just for a pimp. If you try and please everybody, it’s never going to happen. And there’s always going to be someone who thinks you’re not trying hard enough. Even if you’re doing your absolute best, you could be doing better.

Harsh words, I know. But it takes a lot of balls to be on the road. You’ve got to be tough skinned. And if you’re not tough skinned when you start, you sure as hell will be by the time you’re done. Just how it is out here. That’s the honest truth.

Now you’re all probably wondering where this is all coming from. And the truth is I got my ass handed to me the other night. Turns out I haven’t been doing as great as I thought, and it was brought to my attention – not so kindly I might add. It’s a learning experience for me. The first week finishing up, and moving into the second week, I think I’ve got all the kinks worked out. But yesterday certainly was a huge blow to my ego. Not that my ego is big mind you, but now I know I need to definitely bust my butt twice as hard.

Taylor Hicks 2010 Tour Dates For more information visit Taylor Hicks.

7/25/10 – NYC @ Highline Ballroom

7/27/10 – Ogunquit, ME @ Jonathan’s

7/29/10 – Alexandria, VA @ Birchmere Music Hall

7/30/10 – Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock Cafe

7/31/10 – Teaneck, NJ @ Mexicali Live

8/3/10 – Annapolis, MD @ Rams Head On Stage

8/6/10 – Cleveland, OH @ Fat Fish Blue

8/7/10 – Bay City, MI @ Veteran’s Memorial Park – Boys and Girls Club Benefit

8/9/10 – Chicago, IL @ Reggies Rock Club

8/10/10 – Springfield, IL @ Sangamon Auditorium

8/11/10 – Minneapolis, MN @ Dakota Jazz

8/12/10 – Madison, WI @ The Annex

8/16/10 – Lincoln, NE @ The Grove CANCELLED

8/18/10 – Kansas City, MO @ Knuckleheads

8/19/10 – Grand Junction, CO @ Mesa Theater

8/21/10 – Laughlin, NV @ Aquarius Casino Resort

8/22/10 – San Deigo, CA @ Anthology

8/24/10 – San Luis Obispo, CA @ Downtown Brewing Company

8/25/10 – San Francisco, CA @ The Rrazz Room

8/26/10 – Coarsegold, CA @ Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino

8/28/10 – Fort Walton, FL @ Northwest Florida Fairgrounds – Armed Forces Day

9/18/10 – Rutland, VT @ Paramount Theatre

9/26/10 – Norfolk, PA @ Infinity Hall

9/26/10 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kimmel Center

10/6-7/10 – Orlando, FL @ Disney – Eat to the Beat Concert Series

I think that everyone needs to attend a concert at Red Rocks in Morrison, CO. I don’t care when, or who it is, but this needs to be witnessed.

We stepped off the bus at the bottom of the hill, and there was a shuttle waiting to take us up to the venue. Everyone, at one point, attempts to walk up the hill. I tried, and only made it halfway before the shuttle came and saved me. I made it up later that night, but it wasn’t easy. Now before you all start thinking I’m totally out of shape and lazy (which is only partially true) this is no small hill. It’s really, really steep, and long. Just go try it, and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

I think I worked non-stop from 8:30am to about 5 or 6pm that day. But the staff there made my life so easy. So to all the Red Rocks local crew (especially the catering peeps) I thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for being the best and easiest local crew I’ve worked with thus far.

I walked into the venue, found out there was a massage chair in my office (amazing). And when I stepped out onto the stage. WOW. Just wow.

Another thing I recommend doing when at Red Rocks, is to go to the very top, and look out onto the stage. Especially at night. You can see the rocks all lit up, and Denver in the background. It’s completely breathtaking.

A few shots from some of the cities Nat’s visited so far.

Council Bluffs, IA	Council Bluffs, IA Show
Chicago, IL	Chicago, IL Show
Minneapolis, MN	Omaha, NE

You guys are probably wondering what it is I do exactly. My official title is “Production Assistant.” I set up all the dressing rooms, deal with the catering, coordinate the runner. But in general, my job is to make everyone’s life just a little bit easier, no matter what. If someone asks me to get them something, I get it. No matter how silly the request, no matter how hard it may be.

The thing is, I don’t consider myself a people person. And I’m not. But I’m learning. Anywho, back to the day-to-day.

——–

Minneapolis, MN

Get me the HELL out of Minneapolis.

next stop, Denver CO.
——–

So far we’re on our 3rd of 6 shows in a row. We’ve played Council Bluff’s IA, Chicago IL, and now we’re in Minneapolis MN.

It’s 10:19am, and I’m sitting in the production office, waiting for things to get rolling. So let me get you all up to speed.

The Iowa show went well. I had the pleasure of having both lunch and dinner with Ed (the lead singer), and he’s just a great guy to be around. Both Ed and Tyler (drummer) now refer to me as GOIK!, which I just find hilarious. For those of you who don’t know, I’ve had that nickname for many many years now, so it makes me laugh when they call me that.

I’ve actually been given a few nicknames already. The guitar tech calls me “Sticks”, because I’ve been carrying around a pair of drumsticks this entire time, and a security guard this morning, decided she was going to call me “Stars” because of the design on my shorts. It sure beats my current nickname, “Moonchild” which was given to me by 3 of the greatest best friends a girl could ever ask for.

We played “the world’s biggest block party” last night in Chicago. Really cool thing to be a part of. The weather was just plain HOT, and spending all day outside wore me out completely.

To be continued . . .

It’s currently 8:42am on July 7th. We’re parked outside Harrah’s in Council Bluff’s, IA waiting for our hotel rooms…might as well tell you all about Kansas City.

We flew into KC on Monday the 5th so we could all get settled in. Standing outside the airport, our bus rolled in and my face lit up. I felt like freakin’ ROYALTY!

We hopped on the bus, grabbed our bunks, and headed off to the hotel.

Hotel Phillips — Great hotel to stay in. Courteous staff, nice rooms, great breakfast, but I think it’s haunted. Even though nothing of the paranormal happened, I still think its haunted — We all went to Jack’s Stacks for dinner, had some delicious BBQ, and headed off to bed.

I woke up at 7:30am (not impressed) got myself ready and hopped on the bus. As tired as I was, I just kept saying to myself “Ok Nat. First day, let’s do this”

Starlight Theater, wow, very cool. Set up the production office, set up the dressing rooms, and send the runner on his way. Put up signs, check the bus stock, send the runner on his way. Work on a few things, watch a piece of the show –

BNL put on a great show. They had just watched the RUSH documentary on the bus prior to performing, and spent about 5 minutes on stage playing “80’s jukebox”. Hilarious. They also played The Big Bang Theory, (secretly my favorite BNL song), and it was AWESOME.

– eat, ice the bus, where the hell is the runner??

order food, stock the bus, stock the other bus, send the runner to pick up the food. Pack up the production office, pack up the dressing rooms, shower, hop on the bus, wait for the runner, EAT, and crash.

It doesn’t sound like alot, but it was a steady work flow day. The adrenalin kept me running all day, and it wasn’t until I was walking to the bus that I realized I was exhausted.

I climbed into bed, and woke up in Iowa.

By the way, what the hell is there to do on a day off in IOWA?!