i've only got about 15 minutes to type this, before we go to the philly club to load in so i'll try and bring ya'll up to speed.

So we left thursday and drove to Roanoke, VA and stayed in a crappy hotel for the night. got up the next day and drove to d.c., we pretty much had to go straight to the club and load in. Black Cats is a really really cool venue, maybe slightly smaller than 328. Everybody at the venue was really cool. there was also a club downstairs that seemed to be a pretty cool hangout.

The guys played one of the best shows i've seen them play that night. I don't have a set list unfortunately. They played about 45 minutes, opened with Circus. The biggest responses were from Mosis Ptosis, Exhibit A, TTWIMTB, and Thursday. (Exhibit A and TTWIMTB were unbelievable!!). The guys literally could not have gotten a better response, big cheers, and some calls for an encore! They sold A TON of C.D.'s after the show, and signed lots of autographs and all that. The Kings of Leon have been unbelievably good on both nights. They are really really tight and i'm really digging their songs. I know a lot of you probably think i'm full of shit, or don't believe this is me talking, but i'm being totally honest. I think they are a good band, and contrary to what i'd heard, they are really cool, nice guys.

We got up the next day, hung out in d.c. for a while, and drove to Baltimore, straight to the club. There is some sort of street festival or something in Baltimore this weekend, so there was tons of people out and lots of streets closed so that was kind of a pain. The club, called Fletcher's, was TINY! it reminded me of the end, maybe a little bigger. The place was packed, it ended up selling out (like D.C.). But it was a pain getting the gear off the stage cause it was wall to wall people. The crowd loved the band, lots of people dancing. By the time the features have gone on at both shows, the club is pretty full and its packed in front of the stage, and all the people in the front have been into it and shaking their hips and everything. Its a good thing to watch. They sold a lot of c.d's again last night and everyone walking out said they loved them and all that.

We hung out at the bar below the club with the Kings before leaving, but we couldn't stay long because we had to drive to philly. we got here at 4 a.m. last night. its funny because there were people walking out of the hotel to catch an early flight as we were walking in.

Now there's another show tonight and we're off all day tomorrow so i'm hoping to take a tour of philly or something.

everything is pretty cool so far. Matthew hasn't broken many strings so its been easy on me. i'll keep ya'll posted.

sorry i did get the setlist for baltimore:

circus
TTWIMTB
me an the skirts
Arcata (new song)
TAMWTSTB
Blow it out
exorcising demons
kari-anne
exhibit A
leave it all behind
mosis ptosis
thursday

*d.c was pretty much the same except they played walk you home, which got a big response!! i'll have to talk them into playing it tonight.

glad to hear youre having fun!

I was supposed to come to the Philly show tonight - and I would've tried talking to the band for a bit afterwards - but so many things screwed up so I just couldn't go. Maybe next time...

Make sure to tell us what I missed!

Thanks Roadie, we all appreciate the tour diary. Love that you're out on the road with the guys.

Now your name is literal!

I think roadie was the original roadie for the Feature several years ago. He's just coming out of retirement.

It's true.

Don't you feel like a dumbass!?

Who, me?

Oh God... here we go again.

Hey everyone, let's see how many quotes within quotes we can have!

Any word on the Philly show?

It kicked ass. I was there. No, I wasn't there. I just wish I was. But I hear it kicked major ass. And they are basically tearing up this whole tour. ROCK!

I just got home ya'll, I wrote this on the way home last night:

As i write this we're in the van leaving New York City, the first leg of our October tour complete. The downtown skyline is just off to my left...its a beautiful sight but to be honest i think we're all more than ready to leave. On a personal note, I just can't make up my mind about New York; for every "cool" thing you see or do, there are 5 things that suck. You feel like you have to wash your hands every fifteen minutes. There are crazy people on every block. Every train has somebody that reeks on it. This is my third trip to NYC, and like I said, the cool stuff is really cool, but you have to fight through so much shit every day i just don't know how i could handle it (living here). Its amusing how you see the rich people walking down the street in their $5,000 dollar suits or dresses, with their $1,000 sunglasses and $2,000 handbags yet they're somehow oblivious to the rank smell on the street and the puddles of piss on the sidewalks and doorhandles covered in grime. I'd lose my desire to dress up if i lived in New York, but ironically everyone is always dressed as if fashion were the most devastatingly important thing in their lives. That's really how you know you're in New York, that and the fact that all the streets look the same, with the same delis and pizza places and newstands on every block (and an odd Gap store or cell phone shop thrown in every now and then).

Anyway, about the tour. I think I left off in Philadelphia. Well we had a day off in Philly so I went down and took a tour of the city and saw Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell and all that. I really wanted to go to Ben Franklin's house (he is one of my heroes) but i lost track of time. Anyway we all met up in the South Street area of Philly, which is like the beatnick part of town. we shopped and all that, went and bought a Cranium game, went back to the hotel and drank wine and played Cranium all night. Then we went to New York for the first time. There were two sold out shows at the Bowery Ballroom. First night was an o.k. show for the guys, but the second night was awesome. Sorry, I had the setlists for these shows but i lost them somewhere. (you're always losing shit on the road). The crowd reaction was pretty good the first night (except for this one 15 or 16 year-old little bitch who was in the front row with her mom, obviously there to see the Kings of Leon, who kept yawning and rolling her eyes while the Features were playing. Whenever she glanced in my direction i just laughed and shook my head). The second night the crowd reaction was awesome, all the people in the front were into it, and the guys played great.

Then we went to Boston for the last show with the Kings. Another great set, and one of the better crowd reactions. I think some of Smee's little pootie's friends were there...so someone yelled out "See You Through" and they played it. I was surprised they actually played it! It sounded great, too. The club in Boston was cool because it was on the same street as Fenway park. I mean, literally, if you walked out the front doors of the club, the Green Monster is literally right in front of you. It was pretty breathtaking being that close to it. for me, at least.

The next day we had a show in Augusta, Maine. Man it was a nice, beautiful, peaceful drive on the way up there. We were looking forward to getting Lobster all day, and we went to this little family restaraunt and the people there were really nice and it we got good lobster and it was great...almost like being at home, except for the lobster part. The show, on the other hand, was a bit of a bust. They played a teen center, and we figured that there probably wasn't much going on in ol' Augusta that night, so we counted on a packed house, but no more than 20 or 30 kids showed up. It was pretty funny actually. The kids who where there loved it, god bless them. It was just a bit of a shock coming off the shows with the Kings, playing in front of 3 or 4 or 500 people a night, and the guys getting treated like stars and signing autographs and stuff to playing to 20 kids, only half of which were paying attention.

So then we drove back to New York the next day for the show at the Knitting Factory. It was a good show. A smaller place, but they rocked it out, I couldn't see the crowd and i was busy after the show loading out, so i don't know much about the reaction, but i heard it was good. It was good to see Marshall Stacks and AndrewJSmithson, though!! They were both a welcome sight out on the road.

We had two days off in New York, but I already told you about that. Then tonight was a private CMJ show put on by The Syndicate, a indie promotions firm. It was mostly industry and college radio kids, but they got another great reaction. Meeks and Daigle were happy, so that's all that matter as far as that stuff goes, i guess.

And now we're on the way home!!! I can't wait!

We go back out on the 18th or 19th, so i'll let you know how those dates go....

can't wait to see ya'll.

We want to hear about the Strokes.

Thanks for taking the time to write that, Roadie. Glad it went well!

Hearing that review makes me even happier about their opportunity to open for the Kings of Leon. They need to keep finding big draws like the Kings and Jump to tour with.

Kings of Jump

Sorry, JC, after much debate, I edited out the part about the "celebrities".

is there going to be an informal roadie's tour journal that does not leave out the part about the "celebrities"?

less class=more readers. you could put it in the misc. section, in that thread about celebrity obssession.

yes, celebrities are good to read about, especially if it makes them look bad

i heard you made out with kate moss; is that true?

Really? I heard he made out with Randy Moss.

i did not make out with kate moss.

hey roadie-I finally got around to reading your tour journal; I was anxious to know how it was going. Anyways, keep on posting and I hope the rest of the tour goes well!

Notice he didn't deny making out with Randy Moss.

Hey roadie, did you guys see any freaks on South Street? I havent' seen that many recently, but I'll never forget seeing the punk with perfect, 1 foot+ long green cones for hair. And the folks working the Tower Records on Monday have alarmingly large gauges...