TravHistory

It all started innocently enough. It was in 1998 I believe, and Noel Gallagher had mentioned that he fancied a band called Travis. I didn't pay much attention then, but in late '99 I decided to check them out. I'm in the states, so there wasn't much exposure here at that time. I think I had almost all of the songs from The Man Who downloaded, and I really liked them. Listened to them frequently, and I remember back then the ones that stuck out to me the most... Turn, Writing to Reach You, The Fear... I never heard Why Does it Always Rain on Me on the radio. It's a great song, but I never had to deal with the overload of it. While I loved the songs, I never really got to know the band. Didnt visit their websites, didn't know anyone else who liked them, didn't know about singles and b-sides. I bought TMW and enjoyed it immensely.

It wasn't until I bought The Invisible Band that I became enthralled. I listened to it constantly. Almost with an urgency... I found out that they were coming to Darien Lake, which is a park that I had gone to all my life. Things worked out for me, and 4 days before the show, I was able to get 2nd row tickets, on Dougie's side. I loved the songs, but wasn't sure what they'd be like live...

I first laid eyes on Andy when he came on stage during Emiliana Torrini. I was impressed by his style. He came out in a lovely Superman shirt, which I assumed he'd bought there, because of the Superman Rollercoaster that's at the park. He strapped on his guitar, and had a cigarette hanging from his lips. And he rocked. I was incredibly happy to have had that time to see him, because I think it really began shaping my admiration for his guitar playing. His style on stage with Travis, so raw, so full of energy, in a different state... It was perfect.

When Travis came out for their set, I was shaking with anticipation. I had been in the park all day, braving the teenagers, riding the coasters, eating all kinds of things that were bad for me. All for this. They launched into "Sing" and then went straight into "Writing to Reach You". I couldn't believe how amazing the sound was. I was floored. I didn't know how their music would come across live, and with the first 2 songs, they had me in their corner. Because you can tell so much about a band from an album... You can tell so much about a band from a live gig... But sometimes, one is better than the other... With Travis, you get perfection on both levels. However, when they went into "As You Are" a song I loved but never paid a huge amount of attention to, I couldn't believe it. The song itself, starts so gently. Fran's almost crying vocals, the words... And then, as Andy launches into the solo, I just can't believe a song could be so perfect. But live, I felt like I was hearing it for the first time.

Fran talked to the crowd a lot, told stories about the songs, and really belted out those songs that I'd been holding in me. I was also startled by Dougie, who I assumed would be the quiet bass player. I was seated smack in between Dougie and Fran. Dougie, seems to me, is by nature, a flirt. He's got this incredible amount of sex appeal, and there were girls in the audience asking me all kinds of questions about him... (Presumably because I was standing when everyone was sitting, and because I was singing along when a lot of people didn't seem to know the band.) I had fun having what I like to call "eye sex" with Dougie. This consists of Dougie looking at you, right in the eye, then swaying his hips along with the beat of the music, giving you a HUGE and IRRESISTABLE smile, before looking away for a new eye-sexual partner. All this while playing the bass. I was totally astonished at how gorgeous this guy was. Photos of Dougie do NOT do him any justice at all.

I was also very interested in seeing Neil, though the way the stage was set up was quite hard. He also seems to sway to the music, but with his head, not his hips...

By the time the band finished the set, I had been blown away. I felt reborn, almost. A live band that also makes great records, and has such incredible personality on stage.

I ran out of there and got in line to ride Superman. My adrenaline flowing from the show, and being dropped 200 feet at a speed of 60MPH, well, a feeling I won't soon forget.

That was July 2, 2001.

After that, I started doing my research. Started reading about the band, scouring the net, and getting to know other fans. That part has been great. As I did that, I also became aware of all of the music they had that I was missing. Good Feeling, the b-sides, the videos. I couldn't believe how much there was out there by this band.

A call came shortly later, from a new friend I'd made on the net, through a Travis email list. Travis were coming to NYC. My favorite place on earth, of course I had to go.

The time between when the tickets went on sale and when the show would be, was a trying time for everyone in the world. September 11th happened. And for a while, I considered not going. I was afraid to fly. But after deciding that was silly of me, I went.

That was October 3rd, 2001.

New York, new friends, seeing Travis headline for the 1st time. A sold out gig at Radio City Music Hall. A huge goal of many bands. And I was there. The seats were good, and the set was excellent. I got to hear the songs "20" and "Happy" for the first time. After the gig, I got the chance to meet the band. There are moments that you have in life that you will always remember. But there are moments that get burned into your soul... Talking to Fran for the first time was one of those moments for me. It was very tender, as it was post S11 New York, my first time getting to thank him for his songs. He corrected me. "They're your songs," he said.

So we went back to the hotel. My songs still in my head... I flew home the next day. First thing I did? Bought Good Feeling. I also started visiting Travisonline, and the messageboard.

God... Good Feeling. I cannot believe that gem has been around for the last 4 years, and that I never heard (of) it. I'd heard "All I Wanna Do Is Rock" which was massive. That's a phrase that I've used far before I knew who Travis were. Cos that's me. I wanna rock. It's all I wanna do. I wanna go to shows, put on records, and get my ROCK on! But after that, something incredibly strange... U16 girls... This was certainly not... TRAVIS? I mean, they write lovely song... Gorgeous songs... Epic songs... Not, straight up rocknroll, right? Well I was wrong. U16 Girls ROCKED me. As did the rest of that album. I love every track. And I couldn't get over how simply formulated some of the songs were. Just perfect rock songs. And with the placement of songs like U16 Girls, Happy, Midsummer Night's Dreamin' on the same record as songs like Funny Thing and More Than Us... Well, if I'd heard it before, I would have known that the brilliance didn't start with As You Are.

I was enthralled, and I listened to it on the way to Philadelphia.

That was October 6th, 2001.

My friend, at the last minute, got stuck with 3 extra tickets to the show. All I had to do was convince my (ex)roommate to drive the 7 hours to Philly.

After that, the day was perfect. Had the chance to meet some really great people, spent some time talking to Andy for the first time. The show itself, for the first time, I was directly in front of Andy. This was spectacular. A few winks and smiles my way, perhaps he remembered talking to me earlier, perhaps he just saw me rocking like crazy. I had the pleasure of strumming the guitar as it came my way after he jumped off the stage. I was delighted during the show that the band had played Follow the Light and Indefinitely because they are 2 of my favorite songs from TIB. I specifically asked for Follow the Light and it was very special that they played it. They also did a 5-song encore that night, which was amazing. It included 20, All The Young Dudes, All I Wanna Do Is Rock, Happy, and then Back in Black it was mad! And this night, is the all time greatest concert Id ever been to.

When I got home from that trip, I also had a collection of b-sides to listen to. It was enticing. After getting myself better acquainted with Good Feeling I started listening to the b-sides. I also went out and bought all the singles that I could find. And I started posting regularly on Travisonline. Its been an incredible experience, getting to know these guys through their music, and getting to know a lot of cool people along the way.

The next chapter in My Travis Story begins with the announcement of the West American Coast tour for 12 Memories. The band had come to the East Coast in October, 2003, but since I'd moved to Los Angeles, it was not possible for me to make any of those shows.

I think the call came in early December. My boyfriend called me to tell me that a friend had left all of the West Coast dates on our answering machine. I was going crazy because I was at work and could not check out things for myself. So I got home and listened to the message.

Immediately, I decided on Vegas, both LA shows, and San Diego. San Francisco was up in the air. I really wasn't sure whether or not I could do that one along with the other four dates. The drive was a consideration, and no one wanted to go up with me. The plus side was I had two friends who were going, so I had a place to stay and stuff.

The day the tickets went on sale, we went an internet cafe, and I got all of my tickets. First one was San Diego, because it was the only seated gig. I thought I did pretty well with 6th row center. At the same time, my boyfriend got the tickets for the Wiltern gigs in LA. He refused to go to the first and second night, so he got me one ticket for the 29th, and 2 tickets for us for the 30th. He'd agreed to 1 LA show and San Diego. My friend Heidi, who knew nothing about Travis, agreed to go to Vegas with me. So in a matter of 10 minutes or so I managed to snap up 7 tickets for 4 different gigs. This was very exciting for me, because it had been more than 2 years since my first experiences with Travis, and I was really excited to see them again. I sorted out my days off of work, to include San Francisco, but decided not to go to that gig in the end.

A week before I was to leave for the gigs, I got engaged to my boyfriend. What an amazing time for me, newly engaged, ready to see my favorite band, getting on the road for a bit. The Friday before the San Fran show I started getting very twitchy, and really wanted to go to SF. I got a fairly good paycheck that day so I hopped on the phone to my friend up there, but in the end it was agreed that I'd skip it because there was no Gen Adm tickets left, and I'd be stuck up in the balcony.

I wake up on Saturday morning to a message from her saying that she found me a floor ticket. So I called up my fiance and told him I was going to head up to San Fran. He was cool with that, knowing how much Travis mean to me. So I head out and get my oil changed, and a new tire. Then I hit the road. Driving to San Francisco by yourself can really suck. This was only my second time going up there, and it was a bit frightening. Fortunately I had a lot of good tunes with me in the car, and they kept me company. Someone had sent me, a long time ago, a copy of Travis' last San Francisco show. I'd never listened to it. I put it on when it got dark outside, and it was so amazing, I couldn't even beleive I was hearing it. I remembered those shows I saw on TIB tour, and it just brought about this level of excitement that was just so totally amazing. My hands were shaking, I was singing along, and I just felt so happy to be on my way to see Travis two days earlier than I'd expected. I got to my friend's house at about 9 PM I think. We had dinner, hung out, talked, and just enjoyed ourselves.

I woke up terribly excited. We went to breakfast and then bought a cake for her friend's birthday. He also loves Travis and was coming with us. We spent some time at his house before heading to downtown San Fran. We got to the Warfield and as we were walking by I totally thought I saw Slime, from the Travis MB. I wasn't sure though. We ended up going to dinner at some diner, and then got in line. I went to the front of the line and said "Lesley, is that you?" and it was. I discovered she'd be going to the Vegas show as well. Very cool. Met her through the group in '01, and also saw her at a Remy Zero show or two.

When we got into the Warfield, I had a good opportunity to head down to the front and could have been second row right in front of Andy. However, my friends wanted to hang towards the back so very reluctantly I obliged.

Jason Falkner came on and straight away I was in love. His Mick Jagger swagger and good looks hooked me immediately, but his songs were even more amazing. Suddenly, Neil, Andy, and Dougie joined him on stage much to my delight and surprise. It was just so amazing to see them, unexpectedly soon.

The change up time between sets was relatively quick, and Travis came to the stage and began with Happy To Hang Around. The night kicked off from there. I had been definately missing these guys since seeing them last in Oct 2001. Again, they were in top form. The new songs took on a life of their own when heard live, and I began a new appreciation for them immediately.

Was delighted that As You Are was still in the set, because this is my favorite song of all time. It is just the most wonderful and beautiful piece of music I've ever heard. All I Wanna Do Is Rock was also a surprise, and it was so amazing this first night of my vacation. Hearing the old stuff is so wonderful.

But this was all about the new tunes. Travis have the unique ability to make their songs come alive in a different fashion when played live. They become more visceral, more animated. While the melodies are sweet and the songs are beautiful on record as well, they are just new and different live, and getting to know them was really wonderful. Highlights as far as the new stuff goes were Re-Offender, Love Will Come Through, The Beautiful Occupation, and Somewhere Else.

I particularly LOVED the placement of TURN as the last song of the main set. That was very smart, and didn't make me miss Blue Flashing Light as much as I thought I would.

The encore consisted of an acoustic, un-amped un-mic'd Franny doing Flowers In The Window, followed by a rip roaring Peace The Fuck Out (where Fran acknowledged the fella who inspired the title) and finally, to the pogo enthusiasts delight, Why Does It Always Rain On Me.

After the show, we didn't stick around waiting for the band. However, I might as well have, becasue I was so pumped I couldn't sleep. I left at 7AM to head back to Los Angeles, to pick up some friends who were going to the Vegas show with me. Running on about 2 hours sleep, I finally decided to pull off the road when I hit the rumble strips. 5 hours of napping at the motel 6 in Santa Nella and I was on my way back to Los Angeles to begin the second part of this crazy journey!

I didn't get home from San Francisco until about 9PM on Monday the 26th. My fiance was a dear and ordered some pizza for dinner. I'd spent the day driving, then sleeping, then driving again. Now I had a pit stop at home for a couple of hours. Tons to do. Get the cameras loaded, get some cash, needed some toiletries to take with me to Vegas. My friends from Huntington Beach arrived at my place at 11:30 and we began the drive up to State Line. We stopped a few places along the way in the middle of the night. Thankfully, though we were in my car, I was not the driver!

We gambled until 6AM, slept until 10, then got back on the road for the 40 minute drive into Vegas! Once we got to the Riviera Hotel we had lunch, then got ready to head over to the Hard Rock.

Not ten minutes after I get there Dougie comes strolling by. I was so happy to see him again, and I'd had some photographs that my friend had taken of them at Brixton Academy to get signed. He was very nice and obliging. I told him I'd come pretty far for this gig, and I was totally shocked when he recognized the photograph I had asked him to sign. He said "Oh, that's from Amanda Rose! I've seen these!" I knew she'd be happy to hear that, so I went to the nearest pay phone I could find and called her. International calling from a pay phone sucks, but thank goodness for calling cards!

We hooked up in line with Slime and her friend who'd come all the way from NYC. We'd seen them in San Francisco as well. Was very cool to catch up! They were even cool enough to let us keep some of our stuff up in their room during the gig. Me and my mate Heidi were the 2nd group of people in line. Who do I see strolling by a little bit later? Andy, and his beautiful wife Jo. Had to go up and say hello, and he was kind enough to sign a couple of those photos for me as well. I remember telling him that it would be so cool if he could just go crazy on the As You Are solo tonight, because that's, ya know, my favorite song. I also told him that I'm the gal behind the Smokin' Andy Website, and he seemed to think that was pretty cool, so that made me really happy, and also inspired me to make it a lot better once I got home.

While in line I played some slots and won ten bucks here and there. I spied Dougie at some unspecified gaming table.

Finally, the doors opened. This year I have been to a host of different shows up and down the West Coast, and this is by far, the best venue I've ever been to. Capacity is less than 2000 I beleive. The stage is not ridiculously high. The barrier was not far from the stage either, and the best part was that there were no security guards in front of the stage. Excellent photo taking opportunity. I took my spot directly between Fran and Andy. On this tour, somehow the term "Frandy" was coined for that position, and "Frougie" for the between Fran and Dougie position.

So me in the Frandy position, I got to watch and be delighted by Jason Falkner once again. Once again, Neil, Dougie, and Andy came out and added a bit to one of his songs, and once again, the set up time was nice n easy.

This night was different for me because I was in the front row. I had my sony cybershot camera with me, and kept snapping away. The setlist was the same as San Francisco, with one change, instead of the acoustic Flowers, Franny came out and sat behind the keyboard and played "Some Sad Song". That was really lovely to see. Andy gave me a nice wink after "As You Are" which sent me over the moon.

I met some nice people at this show also. A girl named Ann who we'd found out we knew the same person back in North Carolina. His name was Travis and we'd met in Philadelphia, at a Travis gig. Very small world it was. The Vegas crowd was incredible, Travis took the city by storm, and then blew out of there faster than we could beleive. Their bus was gone by the time we headed out back to say good night.

Off to Los Angeles to tape Ellen DeGeneres and take care of other press duties.

Heidi and I partied very late into the night, like you do in Vegas. Eventually falling alseep, then spending a leisurely Wednesday hanging out in Vegas before heading back to LA.

I woke up early this day to listen to Travis on KCRW. I got ready whilst listening, and then headed BY MY LONESOME down to the Wiltern. I think I arrived there sometime just before 1 O'Clock. There was just one person in line in front of me, and we immediately became queue buddies. 15 minutes or so after me, a lassie with dark hair arrived. She'd had the forsight to bring along a folding chair. We became friendly with a quickness when I asked her if she'd ever been to this venue. She replied that she had been for Eddie Izzard. I drooled. I love Eddie Izzard, but missed him when he was in town. During our conversations, we got to know each other. Her name's Veronica. She lives in West Covina. Umm... I live in West Covina... She used to live in the SAME apartment complex as me... I turned to her and said, "Hi Veronica, my name's Melinda and I'm going to know you for the rest of my life."

(Not six months later, she was a bridesmaid in my wedding! And now, my exclusive show/travel buddy!)

Why am I talking about this? This isn't Travis related!? But yes it is... I have made so many incredible friends because of my love for this little band, these 4 gentlemen who have been kind enough to spread their love of music to us.

The Wiltern was a huge night for meeting people. Me and Veronica became fast friends, but we also met some fellow boardies this night. Get Happy, who flew in from the midwest. And Californiagirl, who came down from San Francisco. Also made pals with several other people we met in line.

Saw the band before the show, it was very nice to see everyone together. Got a photo signed by Franny for my friend in London, (like Dougie, he knew who I was speaking of, calling her "the wee lassie with the dark hair") and hugged Neil, telling him how happy I was he was better, and how we'd all been praying and thinking about him over here in Travisland.

Headed back to the line, and were let in at about 7:30 or so. Tonight, I was not going to Frandy it, I straight Andy'd it. Which is actually a very easy position to get, because most people rush to The Fran/Frougie/Dougie position, but not I. Each member of Travis is unique, and has a unique appeal on stage. The reason I find Andy so incredible to watch is because he seems to just GET LOST when he's playing. There is the nervous energy which keeps him moving, but there also seems such a genuine love and adoration for what he is doing on stage that he just loses himself in his playing. This kind of passion for ROCK just makes me incredibly happy.

Tonight, there was something different in the air. Maybe it's Travis' relationship to Los Angeles, being that they recorded The Invisible Band here. Maybe it was the venue. Whatever it was, this, the third night on my week long journey, is the one that I hail as my favorite.

The setlist was mostly the same as the San Francisco show. Only difference was Mid-Life Krysis was dropped, and How Many Hearts was added. That was wonderful to hear live, a different song from the new album.

My highlights tonight were Writing to Reach You, Sing, The Fear, and As You Are.

This louder, more ferocious version of the Fear that they have been doing on this tour is one of my absolute favorite moments of these gigs. I remember hearing a story once, when I referred to it as "the new fear" that it was actually like this originally, but that Nigel toned it down so that it fit with The Man Who. It's like two completely different songs. My hats off to the band for bringing it back!

Andy threw me his towel before the encore, but some girl and her boyfriend literally snatched it from me! I'm not about to start a rumble over a sweat laden towel, but that was pretty rude of them if you ask me.

After the show we waited outside the venue for everyone. The crowd outside was fairly moderate, and it was just cool to stand around and talk with everyone about how great the show was. Was totally shocked when Andy's wife came up to me and asked if I was enjoying my holidays, apparently remembering meeting me in Las Vegas. That was really nice of her, and we chatted a bit. Got to take pictures with each member of the band, the funniest turning out with Dougie, who said something REALLY ridiculous, causing me to have uncontrollable laughter whilst being photographed. Very funny. Me looking dreamy in the photo of me with Neil, and Fran squeezing me half to death in our photo. I must say, they are one of the only bands whom I'd ever consider hugging, and Franny gives the best of them! My photo with Andy is also quite lovely. He's wearing a shirt that says "Polka, The Dance Of A New Generation" along with a snazzy Von Dutch trucker hat. Very nice!

Headed home that night with a feeling of complete musical bliss.

I was finally going to be seeing Travis with my fiance!

Veronica was so touched by the performance on Thursday night, she decided to come along with us on Friday night, even though she didn't have a ticket and it was sold out. Where there is a will, there is a way, and she did manage to score one when we got to the Wiltern. Line was a little longer than yesterday, but no big deal. About 10 people or so in front of us.

I spent much of the day getting some of the photographs from Las Vegas and the first Wiltern show developed across the street at Sav-On. God, fell in love with the Kodak Picture Maker! Did an 8x10 of one of my Andy photographs, because it was just stunning. I also put together a 20 pg booklet of 4x6 sized photos from Vegas and LA.

Saw Get Happy and Californiagirl again. Made some new younger friends as well, Jasmine and her sister Roxanne and their friends. Took them to the back of the venue where they waited all day long to meet Travis.

Travis arrived at the venue a little bit later than usual, and it was just Neil, Andy, and Dougie. They'd just finished taping the Craig Kilborn show and needed to rush in for soundcheck. I went to say hello and Neil saw my 8x10 photo of Andy and commented that it was an EXCELLENT photo. Aw, bless you Neily! Andy was kind enough to come over and sign it for me. I told him about the nasty fools who'd taken his towel from me the night before, and he said "I'll get ya tonight." Then I gave him the book of photos I'd put together for them. Said goodbye, and headed back to the line.

Once getting in, took my spot on the barrier again. Husband to be by my side for the first time seeing Travis together, it was just amazing. Througout the show we held hands, even kissed. He said we probably looked like big nerds. I could care less, I had my favorite guy, and my favorite band, I was happy as a lark.

Tonight the song that just kicked my arse was All I Wanna Do Is Rock. Through the whole week I loved seeing Andy get up on the amps and play with the guitar not even strapped on to him. It was very intense, totally incredible, and like a mum, I worried he'd fall and break his head every time he jumped off the amps. But watching those moments is just awesome.

Fran's Flowers is also really great to watch. It makes me sad that many of the audience members felt the need to scream and yell during it, because it's so amazing to see him with out being amplified or electrified, if you know what I mean. It's almost like he's in your living room, singing you a sweet little folk song. And because that is such a sweet love song, it was particularly sweet to hear along with my lovely fiance.

And Andy, true to his word, right before the band came to play PTFO, came to the edge of the stage and pretty much handed me his towel. It was particularly wet with what I can only assume to be sweat. I had no idea what I was going to do with the thing, but his gesture was really really nice. (It ended up hanging on the wall as sort of a tapestry for a while... I hung photos of Travis on top of it for a while, until I moved. Now It's packed away somewhere, awaiting it's permanent home.)

After the show, we stuck around to say goodnight to the band. There was a lot more people buzzing about tonight, but that was OK, we really just enjoyed being around all our new friends. But what startled me was when Fran came out and was talking to some people, he turned around and said to me (I don't remember exact words, so I may paraphrase here)"You're photos are excellent, I'll be there in a minute to talk to you." It was really nice. Dougie also commented on them as well. Said goodbye to Andy and his wife, who was heading back to London the next day, and also said good night to Neil. Dougie and Fran stuck around outside for quite a long time talking with everyone. Lit up a smoke for Dougie and we talked for a while. Finally, it was time for them to leave, but I did get a chance to introduce them to Bob (the fiance). Me, being the corny nut that I am, told Fran during the introduction that Bob was "the flower in my window."

I am such a geek.

And then the last day came, San Diego.

This was a seated show, so there was no real hurry to get to the venue. The day started off with me heading out to print more photos for the band. I made them a lovely photo book from the previous shows. In all, I think I did about a hundred.

I cried a wee bit on the way to the show. This had been an incredible week for me, and for the most part, I knew I'd had the most incredible time of my life. Met so many wonderful people, been many wonderful places, and spent a decent amount of time chatting with my favorite band. It was just overwhelming.

When we got to Spreckels, we met Ceji and Katerskater, and also saw Californiagirl and Get Happy again. Andy and Fran came out for quite a while after soundcheck, and I presented Fran with the book of photos I'd made for them. Spoke for a while, and then talked to Andy as well. Neil and Dougie were milling about as well. We then went for dinner, and finally entered the theatre and took to our seats. We were in the 6th row, not bad by some standards, but kind of sucked after 3 shows in the front row. This was possibly the worst venue I've ever been to. They kept threatening to take my camera away, for one, which really sucked. Also, the stage is so far away from the seats, that was really strange also.

But the band, true to form, were wonderful this night. The main set was the same, but the encore was a little different. Instead of PTFO, they included Coming Around, to my complete and utter delight! I'd not heard this live before so it was a huge highlight for me.

The best part of the night though, was when two blokes jumped up on stage and Fran invited the entire audience to join them. I was all the way in the back, ready to make my hasty exit when this happened, so I snapped a photo before heading out of the venue. My last memory of this incredible show was a huge mass of fans on stage with Travis. With the nastiness of the security and ushers there I was afraid they'd all get carted off to jail!

I saw Fran running into the bus, and said a final farewell to him. The rest of the band came out a little while later and signed stuff for the fans, but I just wanted to say my goodbyes and thank you's to them for being so kind to me for the entire week. They were so generous with their time before and after the gigs, that is so impressive. They just seem to really care about the people whose lives their music has touched.

I must've said good-bye to Andy about 6 times. Every so often, I'd run into him again, but the last time was so nice, me and Bob were walking to get our car from the valet and walked past the bus, and he called me over and said goodnight again, and gave me a big hug. Said he'd see me next time they were around. That was super cool.

Bob was flabergasted by an event that happened though. Dougie hugged him. Very tight and Bob's not used to this kind of thing. So in the car he said to me, "God, Dougie hugged me and I felt his stubble on my face!" Guess Bob wasn't used to straight male affection! Was really funny and very cute.

For me, this entire week was just stunning. I travelled 1600+ miles of road, some of it on my own, some with friends. 32 hours spent in my car, slept at a friend's house, and two different hotels. It was like I was on tour. When it was over, it was bittersweet. I contemplated just chucking it all and continuing on for the Texas shows, but alas, priorities came back into focus and I was left with some incredible memories.