Greetings from Pennsylvania, y’all! Today is Day 2 of 3 at Knoebel’s Park. It’s about 9:30 as I write this, although I won’t be able to upload it until later tonight. Mickey and I are the only ones up; the rest are getting some much needed rest. The only reason I’m out of bed already is that – for some reason – I can’t sleep late any more. Don’t ask me why, because I don’t really know. It could be that it’s a function of age – as I get older I may just want to live more each day. Then again it could just be that I’m stupid. (Don’t answer that, OK?)

Anyhoo… it’s great to sit still for a few days, especially after two overnight rides, going to and from Holland, Michigan. We’re staying in two of the cabins here, and that’s a nice change as well. We don’t even have to pay for showers, as we do in the truck stops.

Yesterday (Friday) we played to somewhere around 6000 people over three shows. I expect we’ll see even more people today, because the park will fill up faster on a weekend. ADDITION – I was right. Our total audience today was estimated at somewhere around 8000 people. For the last show, I couldn’t even see the back of the crowd.

After the last show we headed out for some errands. Mickey and the ladies (Darcy and Amy) did laundry while Ryan, Bret and I went to Wally World (my name for WalMart) to fill up on supplies and such. I had to buy a couple of pairs of new jeans for the show. I’ve only been on the bus for two weeks and I’ve already lost enough weight that my jeans looked baggy and were falling down too low. I looked like some geriatric form of urban thug wanna-be… and if you know me well, you know that is definitely NOT a look I’m into.

I also picked up a bunch of batteries for my new wireless (a Line 6 model) and some other necessities. We also stopped by a local pub that knows Ryan well – to warn them we’d be coming by tonight after our last show. They are keeping the kitchen open for us so we can have a late night meal. It’s also where I’ll upload this, as they have Wi-Fi we can tap. (Geez, Lane, what’s with the puns today? Not enough coffee, I guess.)

On the gear end, things are going well. I absolutely LOVE Eddie, my new Spector Coda4. The ’62 profile neck is slim and fast, and the finish on the neck and fretboard is flawless. I’m running both pickups full on, and all tone controls are set flat. The sound is fabulous. I also like the fact that I can pull on the Mid knob to go Passive, with just a treble roll-off tone control.

I don’t remember if I mentioned that I released the Magic Smoke from my WT-550 just before the first rehearsal. My good buddy Roy Vogt loaned me his old WT-600, which has been sitting in his garage for several years. He had warned me it hadn’t had service in almost a decade, and there were a few scratchy pots. That was no big deal, really, as whipping them lock to lock a few dozen times took care of most of that. Unfortunately, yesterday it started buzzing something fierce. I’ve since spoken with David Hisownself about it, and we’re pretty sure it’s just the tube. I won’t know until I take time to swap it out, however.

For the time being, I’m using one of my WTX-260 back-ups. Those who know me, also know I’m a freak for spares. This is why. It just amazes me that, even with so little power (less than 200W) I’m filling the stage with sound. I attribute a lot of that to the DNS-210 cabinet I’m using. That little sucker has more bottom end than most 410s I’ve played, including the models from the “old” company. That means I don’t have to use up a lot of power to get a good bottom end. (I’m not one of those who thinks you have to push tons of super low end to get a good thump. The Thump is in the low mids anyway…)

One other thing I want to mention, because it’s just so cool, is that some of Ryan’s ardent fans brought us a really nice food spread yesterday before our first show. Awesome strawberries, fruit and vegetable trays,  a selection of cheeses and crackers, and the sweetest little watermelons I’ve had all season. They set it all up backstage and we got to snack on good healthy food before and after the first show.

I just think it’s really cool to have new friends that are so thoughtful. I’m one that has always appreciated anyone who comes to my shows and buys my CDs. And when folks go above and beyond to treat me well, it means an awful lot to me. So, to this special school of Sharks (Ryan’s fans), thanks SO much for treating me like part of the family!

So, anyhoo… I’m going to shut down and go enjoy the morning in this wonderful park. And park is a good word for this one… lots of trees and greenery surrounding the rides, games and food courts. If you’re a family person in this part of the country, you’d be well advised to check this place out. There is NO admission fee and NO parking fee. The rides and games are very affordable. And the food is very good and not expensive at all. I just had a great French toast and bacon breakfast for less than $5, complete with a huge cup of coffee. The shows are free, too.

I’ll do my best to post another tour log soon. And I’m doing my best to figure out how to get some photos from the fans to upload. Yes, Hogweed, I know I need to show you shots of Eddie! (LOL) If you don’t have my cell # (no, I won’t be posting it here, thankyouverymuch), feel free to shoot me an email. I’d love to hear from you. You can also just post a comment here; it would be nice to read something other than the spambot comments. (Yes, I am to learning much about your interesting things you am doing. –and – your blogging is learning me so much about your expertise in things. – and – Buy my rip-offs of designer hand bags. – and – I am having solved my problem with womens by using this product to making myself hung like elephant. …Stuff like that.)

Don’t forget to check out Ryan’s web site for tour dates. I’d love to meet you at a show. Until then, stay low, and

Keep Thumpin’!

Lane on Bass