Day 11: Santa Ana
Welcome
Yesterday we took the 5 up to Santa Ana for our show at The Observatory.
The day began with a rhythm-section run around Torrey Pines State Reserve Extension followed by a swim in the refreshing waters of Engagement Beach.
We hit the road at midday and headed north for half an hour before stopping at an In-N-Out Burger for breakfast.
Gabe inspects the contents of his meal while Liz attends the condiment bar.
It was little more than an hour’s drive up the scenic coastal highway before we pulled up outside The Observatory and were admitted into a high-walled compound that is used as a loading area. As we unloaded our heavy equipment cases the blistering afternoon sun was bearing down on us and it was a relief to feel those Santa Ana winds come again.
After soundcheck we played the first cricket of the tour. Jonathan had taped up a fresh tennis ball to match the appearance and performance of a one day international Kookaburra and the bat was in great shape with a fresh grip. The high-walled compound out the back of the venue turned out to be the perfect cricket field providing a consistent bounce and a boundary to stop the ball from running too far. As well as Rosie Tucker there were two local bands on the bill for this show and we ended up with quite a crew involved in our game once they had studied the play enough to differentiate it from Baseball.
Thoroughly exhausted by the afternoon’s sport we dined and then the evening began. Peach Kelli Pop played a set of melodic indie pop tunes to open the show up and High Curbs played a much louder and faster pop punk set. Then it was Rosie Tucker who blew us away again with their crystal clear vocal melodies and explosive band dynamics.
With a four band bill it was a late finish and after packing down we hustled straight to the motel and crashed, too exhausted to even turn on the TV.