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Sunday, October 3, 2010

State Fair of Texas and the Eli Young Band

Husker and I go to the State Fair of Texas almost every year, but this year was special.  The Eli Young Band was headlining on the main stage.  Last night, we picked up our backstage passes at the Will Call window, and walked to the stage area.  We flashed our passes at security and they let us into the backstage area of the open-air performance venue.  The Band's bus was parked parallel to the stage, and chairs and refreshments were setup for visitors.  This is always the time to enjoy the boys offstage, and especially our Jon.  Jon's fiancé, Sarah, was likewise in attendance as well as assorted friends and family of all the band members.  It becomes almost like a reunion.

At the appointed time, they were given the heads up to get ready to go on, and they swung into action with last minutes details, and took their positions in the wings.  The whole crowd moved from the bus to the stage, and we likewise found ourselves in the wings.   And on with the show!

The audience was enthusiastic and filled the venue to capacity.  Peeking out from the side stage, I could see that the onlookers stretched to the limits of the outdoor viewing area.  It was definitely packed!

It occurred to me that I should have brought the camera so I could show you what the interior of a tour bus is like.  Not glamorous.  Very tight.  It is a cross between a Pullman sleeping car with an RV type of layout at the front end (2 sofas, kitchen, dining, toilet), and a dressing room with shower at the rear.  There are enough sleeping berths for 10 people.  Although the boys fly to many of their venues, they also have times when the bus is their home-away-from-home.

For you ladies -- I will add an important note:  The boys (4 of them), driver, equipment manager, road manager, sound guy -- no women -- equals a messy bus.  In addition, the venue provides dinner for the boys, but it is usually fast food.  Nothing to get excited about.  Occasionally, they work a place that has a nice Green Room (thank you, WinStar Casino) with a dining area and a balanced meal.  Those places are not quite so common.  If you check the band's show schedule, you will see that they are all over the place.  A lot of travel, poor food -- they began to fatten up.  Fortunately, they realized what was happening and immediately took action.  They are running, watching their intake, and doing sensible things to stay in shape.  They look really good, and we are very proud of their common sense.  They agreed at the onset of their careers that there would be no drugs, no foolishness, and they have lived up to that pledge.  Another reason to be proud of their common sense.

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