Day 1: Raglan
Welcome
Yesterday we travelled to Raglan to kick off a three week tour of Aotearoa.
I started my day with a home-cooked spread of hash brown, fried eggs, sauerkraut, and pickles.
Later in the morning Jon, Liz, and Anthony (tour manager) arrived to pick me up in our proud new tour van, a Mercedes Benz Sprinter with 314CDI and 11 SEATS.
Vangelis
Next stop was the Jon’s recording studio on Karangahape road where we picked up Bob, our gear and our merch including three vintage NZ made amps, a brand new Behringer X32 rack-mounted mixer, and a half score boxes of tshirts. The first van pack is always a tour highlight for me and this was no exception.
Next stop was Mt Albert to pick up Tristan and then we barrelled out of the city along one of New Zealand’s most beloved pieces of road, State highway 20.
Tristan (drums) and Bob (sound).
It was a pleasant two hour drive to Raglan where on arrival we set up and sound-checked, making use of the brand new Behringer X32 rack-mounted mixer for the first time. And what a treat it was.
Next we did a stocktake and set up the merch table. All classic tour shit. It’s been far too long.
This was our first show in Raglan and also only our second show since the Covid 19 pandemic put a hold on the live music scene among other things. The Yot Club was a joyful location to rediscover our love of performing. Venue owner Andy was extremely hospitable and the local crowd filled the room with energy and happiness.
We were extremely lucky to have two amazing bands supporting us in Raglan: Dateline, led by former Beths tour drummer Katie Everingham, and KMTP, led by bedroom producer Keria Paterson.
Dateline!
KMTP!
Everyone is learning to adapt to new circumstances in these changing times and a great example of this is Tristan Deck learning how to consume a regional lager without removing his face mask.
All in all it was a really great night. Which only got better when we met NZ Blackcaps opening batsman and Beth of the day alumnus Martin Guptill!!!
Plus bonus of Jono meeting NZ Blackcaps all-rounder Kyle Jamieson!!!