Tour Day 8--Sweet Home Chicago

You had to know I was going there by now...heh heh...

Heading home...we were now at the half way point of the tour and no one killed each other...Very cool!

Like I said, I wanted to stay overnight, but we had an 8 hour drive ahead of us...So, my poor 30 pack was ignored on the way back to Chicago...

Mike and I worked out a plan since he was riding with us now...He would handle the night driving and I would do the day driving. Why did I not drive at night? Um, I drink...he wasn't...That is called being smart and safe...

I gave Mike the rough directions and stayed up with him a little bit...I was really wiped out and I would be asleep soon...I made it for about an hour until I zonked...

Next thing I know, the sunlight awakes me...I look over and Jim is now driving...Fucking wonderful.

It is no secret that I think Jim is one of the worst drivers on the planet...Add to that, me being the world's worst passenger, that is not a very good mix. I tried to go back to sleep, but I was too nervous...And that van is not the easiest thing to handle either...

I gave it about an hour and I had enough. That occurred when he checked is Blackberry and drifted a little too close to the car in the next lane...I believe that led to a short little exchange between us...After that, I spotted the highway sign for gas...

"Pull over at the next gas stop so we could gas up."

As we did and I filled up, I grabbed the keys...I got it from here...

And now we were all safe...

So this was the new plan...I had to drop Jim off in Aurora...We would then meet at the Cardiac practice spot and get our gear to provide for the remainder of the tour...Drum set, my Marshall Head, and two cabinets...Using our gear factors on another decision that was made as the tour went on...I will talk about that then....But for now, we were in business.

I took Adam home so he could chill and do what he had to do...David rode with Jim to do the same at his pad...We would all meet at the club...

It was around 3pm now and we had some time to kill...We didn't have to be at the club till 8 and it was a 3 band bill now...the club is only 15 minutes away from my house, so time was on our side for once...

So, what is a band to do with free time in Chicago...Party at Casa de Knizner of course...

We got to my house around 4pm thanks to the wonderful area traffic. This was a great pit stop. Everyone was able to get a shower and do laundry if they needed. I also went and got a bunch of burgers and brats and I grilled out for everyone. It was a nice day so most of us hung out in the backyard. The few that wanted to nap did so.

We really needed that little escape.

Around 6, Scott from Cianide gave me a buzz and he was carless for the night. He wanted to go to the show (!!) so I went and picked him up...We all hung out and finished feasting and drinking and got a move on...

Got to Nite Cap and was feeling really good about things...Loaded in and got situated. The show could have started at any time since it was a short night...Another relax session. Awesome.

The place was filling up nicely. It has been awhile since I seen Nite Cap filling up like this...I think the word I used was shocking. And it was great to see a lot of our friends show up to support...also noticed some absences...Too bad...you missed a great show.

Lord Blasphemer was up and they ripped as usual. They plowed through their set pretty savagely setting the stage for Gravehill.

Yes, we switched it up again. The thinking behind this is that Chicago crowds are always fickle. They come for who they want to see and then don't pay attention to anyone else or they simply leave. So we wanted Gravehill to play for the biggest crowd, so we jumped on the sword and played last.

This was Gravehill's second time in the Chicago area. As mentioned way earlier, we did a few Midwest dates with them back in 08. I think they were hungry to come back...And, par for the course, they killed it again. I watched most of their set and I was just floored by them...

We were up now and I'm figuring there is going to be a mass exodus...Well, I'll be the first to admit when I am wrong, and boy was I glad I was...No one left, no one was hanging outside and the place was packed...If there is video from this show, you would probably see a shit eating smile on my face for the whole set. I was stoked.
Our triumphant return perhaps?

Ok, so the night ends and I think we were all on some kind of high...We load out and even that didn't seem so bad now. Maybe we were just getting used to it...

We had to head out to Pittsburgh after the show...we had an 8 hour drive, plus the time change into the Eastern Time Zone...We stopped at Scott's for another beer or two and a bathroom break before we left. He invited us all back to party and cook out when the tour was over...Not sure if he thought we'd hold him to that...

But, a picture of the Creep Patrol from that night...Thorgrimm must have taken this picture...


So off to Pittsburgh we went with two back to back awesome shows in a row...Will three in a row be too much to ask??


Another special thanks needs to be mentioned to Danielle (Viva La Muerte Prods) for setting up this show. She did everything that she promised when we set the show up. This was probably the biggest attendance of any of the shows we played on the tour, so it was promoted properly too. I think both Cardiac Arrest and Gravehill both agree that this was THE best show of the tour and we are grateful for you did for us Danielle! Cheers!!!!

And also, thanks to all of our friends that showed up. It really meant a lot to us as this was an important show for us, and I think a lot of you knew that. You won't be forgotten!!