Hey, all y’all! If you’ve been keeping up with my Facebook page and Twitter stream, you know that Ryan Pelton and the Difference recently made a lightning run to Utah for a one-night show. I thought I’d take a few minutes to tell you about it, and to show you some photos I took along the way.

The trip was to perform at the Utah Trucker’s Association Convention. This was a gig that had been booked well in advance of our run at Coushatta Resort and Casino. Ryan, being a truly stand-up guy wanted to honor the gig, even though it would cost far too much to do it as a one-off. So, after finishing up at about 10:30 Wednesday night, we had only a few hours to rest before meeting the limo at 2 am.

The limo took us to the Houston airport for our early morning flight. Don’t think it was all luxury, because we had to fit several bags into the passenger area, and it left little room to stretch out and sleep during the trip. But, hey! It’s better than having to rent a car and make the drive ourselves!

The flight to Las Vegas was somewhat uneventful. But I did manage to get some good shots through the window, including some neat photos of Hoover Dam from the air.

From there we headed to the rental car agency to pick up a Suburban. I managed to get all of our luggage into the back area by doing some creative stacking. That left all the seats for us, and it was a fairly decent three hour trip to St. George, Utah, where we were to perform.

We arrived early enough to check into the hotel for a much-needed nap and a shower. Poor Andrew; he roomed with me, and because I was so tired, all I could do was snore as loudly as possible, which meant Andrew didn’t get much sleep. Lucky for him – he’s young, and he also managed to sleep quite a bit during the trip.

We headed over to the convention center at about 5:30, got set up and sound checked in short order. After that, we were treated to a full-course dinner – the same as the attendees got – and even had our own server. The funny part was the our dinner was served in the same display hall that had been used that very day. Talk about a quick load out!

The show went very well, especially considering the shape we were in. Once it was over, we loaded out in minutes, hopped back in the vehicle and made the run back to Las Vegas – or Lost Wages, as I like to call it. We had plenty of time before our flight, so we drove down the strip, as it was the first time several band members had ever gotten to see it. Ryan took us into the Luxor, and we stomped around checking out the casino and hotel, especially the lobby areas, which were filled with larger-than-life artwork in the Egyptian theme.

After that, we headed to Winchell’s – a fairly well-known sports bar and restaurant near the airport. Instead of drinking, I opted for breakfast, then tried to sleep in the SUV. No luck, though, as I couldn’t get comfortable. So all I managed to do was bother D’arcy, who had been snoozing before I showed up to wake her up.

We soon headed to the airport, only to learn that our flight was delayed just over an hour, and to find that we couldn’t check in until 5am. We found a corner out of the way and attempted to sleep on the dirty carpet. Most of us had no luck, but Jared and Jeff managed to grab a few hours. The rest of us mostly tossed and turned.

We checked in as soon as possible and headed for our gate. Then it was time for another fruitless attempt at sleeping. The flight itself wasn’t so bad, and for the ride back to Coushatta, we got a big van, which was actually a lot more comfortable than the limo. Once back at the casino, we had less than two hours to shower and prepare for last night’s two shows.

When I arrived at the venue, a contingent of PA Sharks were already waiting at the front door – and we’re talking two hours before show time! Talk about dedicated fans!! Unfortunately, all I could do was wave as I walked by, because we had to re-set the stage and get ourselves ready to go.

Last night was where we showed what we’re really made of. The show in Utah was really just the warm-up lap, as we had only been on the road for about 16 hours. By the time we hit the stage last night, we were over 40 hours into the ordeal. And, believe me when I tell you, we were all badly beat. It was like we’d all been draged over a thousand miles of bad road, then whipped with barbed wire. It was not pretty.

However, I’m proud to say that we put on two excellent shows! Even when Ryan had a wardrobe malfunction – ripping the zipper right out of his jumpsuit as he did a costume change – we pulled through together and finished the set in high spirits.

After the show, we headed to Gumbeaux, the sports bar/restaurant in the casino, which is our favorite dining spot. (GREAT food, y’all. Seriously.) The Sharks joined us for our post-show feast and we all caught up on what everyone’s been doing. I lasted about an hour, then headed back to my room for some much needed rest. I was in bed by 1 am, and was asleep before my head hit the pillow. Even better, I didn’t wake up until about 11 this morning, so I’m well-rested and feeling a whole lot better than I did last night.

So… there you have it: 48 hours in the life of a road musician. It was a tough gig, but definitely worth it. And we now know that we can pull through even in the toughest of circumstances. Personally, I think it’s important for the band to know what it’s capable of… and I’m very proud of how well everyone did.

Now, I’ve got to close this out so I can get ready for tonight’s shows. Below is a photo gallery of a few of the shots I took along the way. I’ll add more when I have time to prepare more of the photos and upload them. Until then,

Keep Thumpin’!

Lane on Bass

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