We are performing at a Casino/Resort in a facility that, while pretty to look at, and fairly new, wasn't built to have Broadway shows. It was created to host the myriad of has-been rock bands who's posters adorn our dressing room walls. Styx. Lynryd Skynyrd. Foreigner. What this means is that the dressing rooms are large and lavish and built for rock 'n' roll partying but the wing space on the stage can barely contain all the set pieces for the show.
The audiences are not large and because the theatre is barely half full for our shows, they tend to be quiet and somewhat......hmmmm, how do I say this diplomatically...........dull as yesterday's dog food? Our energies are running high since this is our final venue, but no matter what we do, we can't seem to convince the audiences to come out and play with us. By the final performance on Saturday night, we have given up on the audience completely and are doing the show for our own entertainment. We have, for months, played to gigantic crowds that have leapt to their feet screaming enthusiastically. It is this memory that we hold on to as we take our final bow for a scattered group of people who seem more interested in getting to their cars than SITTING through our curtain call.
After the show, there is drinking. It is 5:30 a.m. before Michael finally crawls into bed. (Oh, and speaking of 'BED"....don't ever, EVER stay at an Extended Stay America. We've stayed at two now and they were both on high on the crap scale. This one in Temecula is the most uncomfortable bed and the worst pillows of the entire tour. By the second day, I can barely move from the pain in my neck).
In the morning, there are hung-over faces stumbling onto the bus. There are also some that simply refuse to give in to the hang over and just keep drinking (but I'm not mentioning any names ...jjc).
May I rant about United Airlines for a moment? Our reservations are always made in groups of four. I am always booked with Brian, Steve and Heather. Because Brian and Steve opted to try stand-by and leave early in the morning, when Heather and I try to check in the reservation system says that we have already gone with Brian and Steve. The desk attendants have no idea how to fix this so our check in is long and painful. Also, if a tall person (say our Howard who is 6'6") wants an extra 3 inches of leg room by asking to sit in an exit row, they now have to pay $54.00. Isn't that a discriminatory policy? AND, some boneheaded executive has decided that cash is no longer acceptable on an airplane. So not only does one have to pay hugely inflated prices for dusty bagels and doll-house sized cans of tuna, it's credit cards only. What kind of a ridiculous fucking idea is that? And isn't it illegal to refuse to accept legal tender?
OH..... AND......because my reservation was a fuck up, my luggage didn't arrive at Pearson. Neither did Heather's. By the end of 10 hours of travelling, I was not interested in listening to the UA rep. as he pointed to his computer screen explaining where my luggage was last seen. I snapped, "Why are you telling me where it was sent instead of telling me when and how you're going to get it here?" What ever happened to the 'service' in the Service Industry?
Fitting, somehow, that our last travel day would be one of the most trying.
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