The Philadelphia Story

Sure, all roads lead to the Fall Cafe, but apparently most journeys depart from there as well.

We gathered in the early afternoon, most of us and were sent off with paparazzi snapping pictures (well, Bernie and Henry) and adoring fans cheering us on (well, Scott, Mo, Mike O and Edwina) and we even picked up our first groupie for the road (well, cousin Joey). Two hours later the caravan pulled up to a depressed neighborhood in Philly, unloaded, soundchecked and gathered in the kitchen room upstairs for our first take-out food of the tour and a wait for the crowds to gather.

It was one of those shows where there might have been more of us than them, but the set was strong and we were buoyed by the arrival of Chris, Matt and Vesna. Therese is missing these first few shows, Chris will rejoin us in a week ('cause he's got a Ne'ers show this weekend on Governor's Island) and Matt has to miss the whole thing because of something he calls "work."

But Dawn Landes and Balthrop, Alabama have started their summer tour.

Last night we slept in Reading after passing through a tremendous rain storm. It was one of those storms that you could see for thirty miles as you approached it, glowing skies filled with rippling lightning bolts. When we pulled up to the Reading Wyndham Hotel this morning around 1:30, Kyle awoke and started playing the piano in the lobby as the night-clerk watched us all in curious amusement.

Earlier, at the show, one of the guys from the opening act came up to Pascal and I as Dawn played her set in the dim lighting she requested, and told us it was farther to Pittsburgh than we thought. I just smiled because everything is always farther than you think, except the things that aren't.