More people I meet, more I like mah dawgs.

Birch rocks the Gibson Amphitheatre

Rolled into LA at 10am after a smooth night-drive. Jim, our driver, is turning out to be a welcome oasis of calm amidst our tour maelstrom. Driving tour buses for rock and roll bands is an odd choice for a man who's been seeking peace and quiet for the past 40 years.
"More people I meet, more I like mah dawgs." About sums it up Jim.
He's brought some of his Bison product with him for us on the second half of the tour. (He's got several acres in Indiana where he keeps 15 of the beasts, apparently they LOVE apples...) We've got Bison jerky and summer sausage in the fridge. It's delicious. Meaty, spicy and definitely home-grown.
Jim's not a fan of the big city, so pulling into LA is stressing him a little. Still, he's smiling.
And, it's HOT. Oh my GOD it's hot. I thought I was acclimatising, but ever new city brings another sort of heat. The smog is an unwelcome addition too. We're parked on the back lot of Universal Studios, Hollywood (there I go again, name-dropping) with nothing to do until ABC and Berlin have finished soundchecking. I'm checking out the Google maps to see if I can escape into the Hollywood hills for a run. I fancy doing Mulholland drive. It looks possible, so I plan my escape route and get the trainers on. After 5mins of sticky tarmac and searing heat, I abandon the plan and clomp around the back lot instead, imagining I'm in the opening sequence of 'The Player'.
Soundcheck rolls round and we wait. Our opening slot has been moved forward, even though we're advertised at 7.30 we're going to have to take the stage at 7.10, no doubt to an empty house with people still drifting in. Understandably, Nick's not happy about this. It's an important gig, the Gibson Amphitheatre, a place full of rock history - he's invited agents, friends and promoters. 6pm slides by and we still haven't checked. Finally, we get a line check at 6.45pm and rush back to change and get straight on stage. Ridiculous, but there's nothing to do but roll with it.
Inevitably, we performed really well, with a kind of 'oh bollocks to it' attitude and went down a storm. It filled up for our last two numbers at least.
Nothing to do now but drink beer. I had a quick pint and then ran into an old pal who moved to LA about 5 years ago (actually, he physically leapt on me, causing a moment of concern for security). MUCH more lager later, I realised I'd not eaten since 11am and was starting to slur my words. Had to put myself to bed on the bus almost immediately after pulling away, headed for Saratoga. Looking forward to the fresh mountain air.