Day 12: Berkeley, CA
Welcome
Yesterday we drove from Mount Shasta, to Berkeley, California.
Mount Shasta disappearing into the clouds.
Our morning began at the Mount Shasta Coffee Brake, a tiny drive-through coffee hut that always stands out when you drive through this town thanks to a particularly crisp red and cream paint job. We pulled up to the window and ordered and while we sat in our vehicle waiting the small blue form of a Scrubjay flashed past us and onto the sill of the hut, picking out a peanut shell from inside a coffee mug and trying to break it open for a snack. Our coffees arrived and we started our journey, pulling onto I5 and heading south through the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
A couple of hours later we stopped for breakfast at a Loves gas station in the town of Williams. At this point I knew we were properly in California because this Loves had a huge robot smoothie bar that dominated the shop floor - a pantry filled with chopped fruits and a long white robot arm that was doing the two-pincered equivalent of the finger to the usual Loves hot dog bar that had been relegated to the corner.
I placed my order to the robot using the touch screen; a Green Dream with kale, mango, banana, passion mango juice, coconut water, and lemonade. The robot got to work. Their name was Jamba and they were very slow at making smoothies but also very accurate. The long white arm picked up an empty blender pitcher and held it underneath one of the fruit containers, waiting patiently for about thirty seconds until a precise amount of cubed banana was dispensed from the bottom. Then it again waited patiently, staring at the pitcher until it felt ready to continue and move to the next fruit dispenser, this one for the mango. This process continued for a while, adding the kale, ice, and the juice, and finally blending it into a smooth, brilliant green liquid that made the name Green Dream seem like an understatement. The pouring was the most impressive part as my cup was filled neatly to the brim with not a drop spilled on the counter.
This video was edited down from six minutes.
With a fresh tank of gas and a belly full of smoothie we drove down the Sacramento Valley passing through the contrasting landscapes of dry, brown grasslands, and then green, irrigated farms and orchards. As we approached the Bay Area the terrain became hillier and more densely populated and we began our descent towards the city of Berkeley which lies on the eastern shores of San Francisco Bay.
The Greek Theatre is just east of Berkeley’s downtown, overlooking the university campus, and set in a natural bowl at the base of the Berkeley Hills. As you would expect of a Greek amphitheatre there is a classical backdrop to the stage, a freeze running along the top of this structure which is supported by tall doric columns. The seating is very simple; concrete bleaches which rise steeply up the hillside and provide amazing views from anywhere in the theatre. Everything was already in place when we arrived and the crew were putting the finishing touches on their show prep, tidying the stage, tuning guitars and taping down everything they could find. We found our green room downstairs and settled in, waiting our turn to use the stage.
It was a very special day yesterday. After six months apart we were finally reunited with Jacob Snell, our manager and friend, who we have missed dearly throughout this tough and busy year. Jake has come up to join this last leg of the tour and was very excited to see everyone, as well as thrilled to watch the show a handful of times.
The show was an early one. We had a quick soundcheck at 5pm and then at 6:30 headed out for our set with the sun still straining though a heavily overcast sky. The theatre was mostly full already we were pleasantly surprised to discover, and we enjoyed our thirty minutes out on stage. It was very intimate for such a large space, the steep concrete terraces making everyone feel close and connected.
The luxury of having three nights in the same venue meant that we didn’t have to pack everything down after our set. We put our instruments away and then stacked everything neatly in a corner where it would remain, safe until next day’s soundcheck. Then the rest of the evening was ours to enjoy, watching the two sets that are so familiar but never fail to amaze and excite. The Berkeley crowd were thoroughly impressed with the show and screamed their approval at the end of each set, and the musicians on stage seemed to be having an equally great time.
The tarpaulin goes over the stage for the night.