Wednesday, March 30, 2011

FlashBus 2011 – 1st half update

FlashBus 2011 – 1st half update

Meet the crew – This is my traveling family for 6 weeks


What a whirlwind tour we’ve been on…Left home on 03/08 and now it’s 03/26 and we have completed 13 of 29 cities. Don’t know how to exactly describe the experience, exciting, exhausting, invigorating, fun? Yep, all of the above. Started off in Seattle, then to Portland, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Denver, Albuequerque, Dallas, Austin and Houston. Definitely had issues sleeping for the 1st few days, now, when I climb into my bunk & close the curtain (it’s sorta like sleeping in a MRI tube) I’m asleep in minutes, and have been waking feeling quite rested. My first vision every morning, when I pull the curtain is McNally who is across from me. I hear, “Good morning sunshine”. We do begin the day laughing… Usually we pull into the venue’s parking lot or the loading dock, and that’s where we wake up, what a view.. Joe, David & I make it to a hotel nearby for showers, then get back to help unload & get set up for the day. We’ve done 4 & 5 cities in a row, so it’s become habit.

One of the drawbacks of bussing it at night is that we rarely see any of the country that we’re crossing. Did have a day off on Coronado Island-San Diego (SD is a 12 out of 10-LOVE IT THERE) and Denver, where we feasted at Hapa Sushi (Run, don’t walk to Hapa if you’re in Denver). In LA we were treated to a home cooked meal at Eric & Jeff’s home, which was gorgeous, and dinner was phenomenal, and then in Dallas, customer/friend Dr. John Tebbett’s treated us to the steak dinners of steak dinners at Al Biernat's

I cannot end this post without mentioning Phil. Phil is our driver who is amazing, and funny, and oh so cool. Phil drives at night, sleeps all day, and puts up with us. Didn’t think I was getting off on the right foot with him in Seattle at out 1st stop, when I asked him if we could swing by Whole Foods. Phil’s response was, “This isn’t your fucking taxi, we’ll wait here, get a fucking cab” So, off I went… By the way, Phil’s gig before the FlashBus tour was driving on the Lady Gaga tour,, so yes, we are a vacation for him by comparison.


More to follow with pics

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

FlashBus Tour - The Beginning

Ferry leaving Seattle for Victoria, BC

Pike Place Market

Pike Place Market

Grippi & Calli, tasting Tea ??

1st ever Starbucks....I def prefer this logo

Here I am in Seattle for the start of one of the most exciting "Photo" industry events ever to happen...The traveling party consists of Joe, David, Drew, Calli, Grippi, Karen & myself. 6 weeks, 29 cities, all aboard "The Bus". Pics of the actual bus will be posted tomorrow when our driver, "Cool Breeze" pulls up to the Convention Center. Almost 10,000 people are signed up to see Joe & David do their magic on stage with Speedlights, small flash. What these two guys can accomplish with a photo, simply put is amazing...and based on the crowds that have registered over the past month or so, and the calls that Margi has been fielding on the FlashBus Hotline, this is already an epic event and day one hasn't even taken place yet.
Tomorrow is a full run through rehearsal, and the first of 29 cities begins on Friday. If you haven't seen the schedule, take a look, and if you haven't signed up yet, there's still seats in a few select cities. Take a look: http://www.theflashbus.com
More pix and more tales from the road to come....Here's a few snapshots of downtown Seattle from this afternoon. Enjoy.