I know we can't really call ourselves a New York band when we live in Connecticut. But, it always feels like home when we play our last show of a tour there. Maybe it's because we know we will be crawling into our own beds 90 minutes after the show is over. Or maybe it's because we've played more shows there than almost any other place (actually SF may hold the crown on that one if you consider all the parties we used to play).
Either way, I've gotten more used to the hurried attitude, I've embraced the strangers yelling at strangers because they do something stupid while driving, I've found myself becomming more impatient to wait in any lines but then find myself befriending the person behind me because they too hate the situation.
Sometimes the California in me mixes with my East Coastness. Those are my favorite moments because I think I might really belong to both worlds. One of these moments happened at the Highline in NYC. After a lengthy soundcheck, a few run ins with workers who wouldn't let the nanny or myself into the club because they didn't believe we were in or with the band, we ran into the biggest bouncer when we were leaving. After lugging everything down the stairs (stroller included) he tried to tell my mother to walk the stroller around the roped off area where there would be a line for the show (hours off at that point). But she, and rightly so in my opinion, walked under the rope, cutting off the burden of manuvering a stroller through a line (that didn't even exist yet). She just ignored them and did as she pleased. Then the bouncer rolled his eyes at my mother for walking the baby where she felt like it (and suddenly I felt very protective and loyal). When he rolled his eyes, I said, "Is it really that big of a deal?" He and his three big dude NY body guard type friends didn't say anything after that. But this exchange is typical in New York. Only this time the "is it really that big of a deal" part seems somehow very SF mentality to me. So, anyway, we're home for a couple of weeks, in Connecticut.
We had a wonderful time stealing golf carts, meeting some Sirius people we've been listening too on tour, playing in the rain (thank you people who stood through the rain for us) and spending time with friends and family at the All Points West Festival.
Mags had a meltdown after our set when she forgot to screw on her smoothie lid before shaking it. (Nothing a little Radiohead can't cure)
This was the view we had directly to the right of the mainstage. We all (including my parents and my kids) stayed to watch Radiohead, until the kids started getting way too tired 30 minutes in. It was really beautiful though, well worth keeping them up too late.