Day 20: New York, NY
Welcome
Yesterday we played our first of a run of four shows in New York City.
I slept until lunch time, the unfortunate result of blackout curtains and jetlag. Hurrying out of bed and feeling quite disorientated I threw on some clothes and walked to the train station to begin my journey to the venue, relishing the opportunity that is seldom found by a touring band, the chance to catch public transport to your own show. It was two trains and a 45-minute transit, but it got me there for the cost of $3USD and I experienced the delights of the New York City Subway.
Entering Utica Ave station and passing the handsome mosaics that line the main ramp.
The East New York Depot, visible from the platform at Broadway Junction where I changed from an A to an L train.
Another mosaic, this one at Broadway junction.
I disembarked in Williamsburg, just up the road from our venue and stopped at Bagelsmith for a bite to eat, walking away holding a BLT bagel with an added fried egg.
Our equipment had arrived at the Music Hall of Williamsburg early in the afternoon and Gabe was already busy setting the stage and placing microphones. The next few hours were fairly cruisy as we had plenty of time in the bank and the room sounded so good that Gabe had things dialled in almost from the get-go. As usual we spent a while rehearsing a few of the trickier numbers from the setlist and on this occasion enjoying the absence of the usual time pressure that arrives when you have to drive all day to get to the show.
At 8pm it was time for the show to start and Disq walked out on stage; a perfectly punctual group of musicians. If you have been following the blog for a while you might remember this band of Wisconsans who hail from Madison, home to one of the world’s great isthmi. Disq played support for us a couple of months back when we played a handful of shows in the Midwest, and we were very happy to have them return and get to experience a second helping of this energetic sound.
At 9:10pm it was our turn out on the stage and we walked out in front of 500 New Yorkers, most of whom were crowded onto the floor below us, but some of whom had ventured up to the balcony for a bird’s eye view of the performance. This was a great sounding venue and generally just a wonderful place to watch a music show. A good PA system and a room with proper acoustic treatment provide the ear candy and a nice wide floor with raised sections provides plenty of vantage points with great views of the stage. Our first Brooklyn show went off without a hitch. The crowd were fun and enthusiastic and even featured a small group who had created their own bootleg merch. They were kind enough to leave us a few shirts at the merch table and we will be sure to take them home and wear them proudly.
Tristan and I left the venue the same way we had arrived, walking five minutes up to the subway station and catching a couple of trains back to our accommodation; a nice way to wind down at the end of the night.
Here is a special treat from Tristan to tide you over until I have another blog post ready.