Relax, we're fine.
We love Florida. Mostly because something crazy almost always happens. The weather was awesome down there last week (obviously). Although, a few people we met out and about would give us the whole 'look left, look right' and say "It's getting a little chilly isn't it?" That very well may be but earlier last week it was 20 degrees in GA so 60 degrees felt awesome!
When we were prepping for this section of our Winter Tour we had a date fall through. It happens every once in awhile but we don't think we'll ever quite get used to the panic when it does. We scrambled and made a few calls but no one we were really connected with had the date available. Just when we figured we'd have to bite the bullet one of our agents in the region checked in just to see how things were. We chatted about our plans for 2020 and mentioned we had a date fall through. "Oh, I can help. We just picked up a bunch of new venues."
We picked up a show at a relatively new place that opened OCT 2019 in Neptune Beach called The Local. It was a weather permitting outdoor show but we figured "How often does it rain in Florida at the beach?" We decided to go for it and checked the weather before we left. It seemed like we were in the clear.
Aaaaaaand... It Rained. A good bit too.
All of our equipment is electronic so it just CAN'T get wet. We arrived at load in and talked to the venue manager. She said, "It's your call but I think if we wait an hour it will clear." We waited an hour and stared at different weather apps on our phones. It was really hard to tell what was going to happen but after an hour the sky looked like this.
The staff got a crew together with squeegees and leaf blowers to dry up the stage and it didn't even sprinkle the rest of the night. Sometimes things just work out and we were reminded that no matter what happens it's always important to be grateful. It was a really nice chill show. We got to meet some new people during intermission and saw some old friends too.
When A Few Hundred People Chant "Get The Fuck Off The Stage!"
There's this really cool music venue in Jacksonville Beach called Lynch's that we've hit a few times before. It's a gem. It's ALWAYS packed when we're there. So, we've learned over our time out on the road that if you're in a packed music venue in Florida (at least in our personal experience) something's probably gonna happen. The show's energy was ridiculous! There were hundreds of people shoulder to shoulder getting down and singing along. Towards the end of the show one "bro" decided that he needed more attention and jumped up on stage drunk AF.
Now, we'll let you in on a little secret. It's never OK to do that BUT if you just HAVE to, if you make sure you're off in 1.7 seconds, people won't be too pissed. This guy lingered. Took pictures of the crowd, tried to take selfies with us, did his best Ric Flair impression. All that stuff. The nearest Security guard tried his best to get to the stage but he already had his hands full and was just a little too far away.
Our new friend ended up jumping off stage, making it to the bar, making it back to the stage and getting back up. Honestly, we were kind of impressed but people were pissed. We tried to play it off since it was our last song. Everyone in the front was trying to get his attention. We asked him if he played bass but he was just in his own little world, spilling his drink and tripping over invisible objects. We caught eyes with enough people and figured we could pull something off if we all did it together. So, on beat, the bridge of our last song went like this.
"Everybody! We're pretty sure this dude doesn't play bass.
So we need you're help getting him off the stage.
Can we do it?
We can?
Alright, all together now...
Get The Fuck Off The Stage! Get The Fuck Off The Stage! Get The Fuck Off The Stage!"
It's took just about everybody in the room but we finally did it. He looked at his feet went to Kyle for the world's most awkward high five and stumbled off stage almost taking a dual 15 speaker with him.
That being said... We can't wait to be back in March. Be sure to check out our Tour Dates Page HERE for the rest of our Winter Tour Dates. Thanks to everyone that came out and supported us! If this is the start of 2020 we can't wait to see what else happens! Have you been to a show with unexpected "Guest Artists?" We'd LOVE to hear about it in the comment section below! See you in Cornelius & Woodstock this week!
Photos by Roshambeaux
Additional photo credit "Angry Mob & The Internet" By Isaac Botkin