Hey, all y’all! I hope everyone is doing well, and enjoying the Fall weather. I’m home between gigs, getting ready for Ultimate Fan Weekend. But before I head off for that, I want to tell you how much fun I had at the Penn’s Peak show last weekend. Penn’s Peak is always a great place to perform. But this time around it was even better. Why? you ask. Because my family finally got to see me perform with Ryan Pelton and the Difference.

We’ve been talking about getting my mom and sisters out to a show for quite some time. Unfortunately, most of the shows are too far away to make it happen. We had set a date for them to come to Bloomsburg County Fair, but the entire fair was closed this year due to the insane flooding that area suffered over the summer. As we were nearing the end of our Pennsylvania gigs, my sisters decided to make the trek to Jim Thorpe, PA, for this show. And, boy, am I glad they did.

Mom is 82 years old, and has some medical complications that make it difficult for her to travel. But she really wanted to see the band, and to share my joy of being a part of it all. See, she is where we get our musical talent…

I drove up to the gig last Thursday. While it was a long drive – about 11 hours – it was uneventful. You can’t say that for the rest of the band, though. Everyone else rode the bus, which got stuck in some serious construction delays. Not only that… but during the first long delay, the main engine began to overheat. This meant they had to keep pulling over to wait for it to cool down enough to continue. Several gallons of antifreeze – and several hours – later, they finally got close to the gig and pulled into a rest stop for the night. Not fun at all… they never even got to see the hotel rooms the venue had booked for us.

All’s well that ends well, though, and the bus arrived on time for load in and sound check. By that time, I had spoken with my sisters several times as they made the trip. They got to the hotel around 4 that afternoon, which gave them time to get settled in to the rooms and get ready for the show. They arrived about 7:30, and I immediately hustled them back to the quick change room behind the stage to meet Ryan.

Ryan couldn’t have been nicer about the whole thing. Normally, the time just before the show is all about getting our heads in the game, so to speak… focusing on the performance. So for him to let them come backstage and get pictures with him was very considerate.

We got several shots of mom with Ryan… then all three of them. Later, we got some family group shots – thanks to D’arcy, who served as camera person. While I didn’t want to distrub the entire band, I did want the family to meet D’arcy… she’s not only our music director and road manager (which means she’s got the unwelcome task of keeping the band on track on stage and on the bus), she’s also been a huge part of my success in this organization.

Everyone also got to meet Amy when she came down to do a final check of the costumes, and Andrew, who came down when he heard my family was in the building. All in all, it was very exciting for the family, and they really appreciated everyone’s kindness and enthusiasm.

The show itself was great! Jared was still on his honeymoon, so Al Babyok kindly filled in for him. Al did an excellent job, and was a ton of fun to work with. I sure hope I get to work with him again in some setting. The whole band kicked some serious booty, and Ryan was in top form.

During the intermission, I snuck out to the floor to see how things were going. Both of my sisters had tons of great things to say about the band. And mom was just amazed. “Is that really you up there?” she asked. “Yes, mom, that’s me,” I replied. “You’re all so wonderful… I’m so proud of you.” Gulp. Blinkblinkblink….

Because it was WAY beyond mom’s bed time when we finished, the girls took her back to the hotel as soon as the show was over. And by the time I got back to the room I shared with my older sister, she was already asleep. She left me a great note, however, and it gave me a chuckle to see it in the bathroom when I got to the room.

The next morning we all sat down to breakfast together, and visited for a good long time before preparing for the trip(s) home. Everyone had many more wonderful things to say about the band, and I was very pleased that they had enjoyed themselves so much. By ten we were all headed home, and it was (thakfully) an easy drive.

Anyhoo… the gig was a major success all the way around, and I’m very grateful my family finally got to see the band. One more thing I can cross of the Bucket List, so to speak. So, that’s it for now. The day after tomorrow, I leave for Fairfield, OH, and Ultimate Fan Weekend. And, boy, what a blast that will be. I’ll be back as soon as possible with a report on that. Until then,

Keep Thumpin’!

Lane on Bass

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