A day at the beach

Thanks to everyone who hung out with us on the beach at A-Basin on May 6th. For those who missed it, it really was an adventurous day - primarily due to the weather. The snowpack is still impressive - 'Exhibition' is fully covered. If I could get my left foot in a ski boot, I'd be all over it.

We ended up going on about a ½ hour late as the snow came down in buckets. We had to cover the gear up on three different occasions as the snow blew in and out - and at the end of the day still left with sunburns.

Sidebar #1
Craig and I were glad to see a Steelers tailgate in full-force on the beach. The local Broncos fans were not. The 3-month anniversary of winning SB XL apparently is reason enough to go on a bender. The chicks from Pittsburgh predictably underestimated the altitude on the beach and looked like Mardi-Gras casualties by the end of the day. DO NOT joke around at 11,000 ft. Pounding beers on the Continental Divide will probably end badly for you.

Sidebar #2
Watching roughly $30,000 of electrically energized toys getting snowed on will make people a little edgy. Probably not the best time to find someone in the band and scream "PLAY FREEBIRD!" in a drunken haze.

Major props to Chad for being the sound tech, roadie, and bassist extraordinaire. Our sound was far better than we could've hoped - partially 'cause Chad's getting really slick at working the board, partially 'cause A-Basin acts as a natural amphiteater. People said they could hear the band all the way up to the top of the Exhibition lift. Hopefully that wasn't a bad thing.

Everyone at A-Basin couldn't have been nicer to us. The laid-back feel at the Basin makes it a really fun place to play. The crowd on the beach is there to party and have a good time. A job they're very serious about. Our kinda people. When the weather is clear, you get to play tunes while looking up at Pallavicini and Grizzly Peak. Speaking on behalf of the band, we loved playing there and would do it again in a heartbeat. Thanks to everyone who made it happen.

Catch you all at the next show!

-PHIL