Since the calendar suggests tonight is the first night of a long stint on the road, I thought it might be nice if we had a thread wishing Tift, Zeke, Jay, Danny, and Scott (and anyone else I've missed) a great tour!

Cheers to that, Mitch!  I hope they have easy travels, nice venues, and great audiences. Can't wait until the Western shows, they'll be tight and road-tested by then!  Until then, please keep us posted in show reports and setlists.

Here's a song for y'all, Jackson Browne's "The Load Out"

Now the seats are all empty
Let the roadies take the stage
Pack it up and tear it down
Theyre the first to come and last to leave
Working for that minimum wage
Theyll set it up in another town
Tonight the people were so fine
They waited there in line
And when they got up on their feet they made the show
And that was sweet--
But I can hear the sound
Of slamming doors and folding chairs
And thats a sound theyll never know

Now roll them cases out and lift them amps
Haul them trusses down and getem up them ramps
cause when it comes to moving me
You guys are the champs
But when that last guitars been packed away
You know that I still want to play
So just make sure you got it all set to go
Before you come for my piano

But the bands on the bus
And theyre waiting to go
Weve got to drive all night and do a show in chicago
Or detroit, I dont know
We do so many shows in a row
And these towns all look the same
We just pass the time in our hotel rooms
And wander round backstage
Till those lights come up and we hear that crowd
And we remember why we came

Now we got country and western on the bus
R and b, we got disco in eight tracks and cassettes in stereo
Weve got rural scenes & magazines
Weve got truckers on the cb
Weve got richard pryor on the video
We got time to think of the ones we love
While the miles roll away
But the only time that seems too short
Is the time that we get to play

People youve got the power over what we do
You can sit there and wait
Or you can pull us through
Come along, sing the song
You know you cant go wrong
cause when that morning sun comes beating down
Youre going to wake up in your town
But well be scheduled to appear
A thousand miles away from here

A great song and appropriate, but there will be no bus, just a van and no roadies, I don't think, just the band to set up and tear down.  Actually, that's a good question, will Tift take a sound man or guitar tech on this tour or will it just be house sound guy and band members taking care of their own stuff?

Its the two hours of playing music and connecting with the audience that (hopefully) makes all the hardships of touring worthwhile.  We appreciate it!

Thanks, Shug.

For some reason, I feel like singing (in a falsetto voice, of course): "Oh, won't you stay-ay-ay, just a little bit longer."

Here's wishing Tift and the band all the best on their 2008 tour - can't wait to see them on Saturday in Durham, and then back home with me in the UK!  Already looking like I'll be catching Tift play live on 2 or 3 nights in May when she visits these shores.

That's a great Jackson Browne song Shug.  It put me in mind of an old Bob Seger song about life on the road, which I love.... its called 'Turn The Page'  -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezsBX71F6zk

On a long and lonesome highway, east of Omaha
You can listen to the engine moanin' out it's one note song
You can think about the woman, or the girl you knew the night before
But your thoughts will soon be wandering, the way they always do
When you're riding sixteen hours and there's nothing there to do
And you don't feel much like riding, you just wish the trip was through

Here I am, on the road again
There I am, on the stage
Here I go, playing star again
There I go, turn the page

Well you walk into a restaurant all strung out from the road
And you feel the eyes upon you as you're shaking off the cold
You pretend it doesn't bother you, but you just want to explode

Most times you can't hear 'em talk, other times you can
All the same old cliche's, is it woman is it man?
You always seem outnumbered, so you don't dare make a stand

Here I am, on the road again
There I am, on the stage
Here I go, playing star again
There I go, turn the page

Out there in the spotlight you're a million miles away
Every ounce of energy, you try to give away
As the sweat pours out your body like the music that you play

Later in the evening as you lie awake in bed
With the echoes from the amplifiers ringin' in your head
You smoke the days last cigarette, remembering what she said

Here I am, on the road again
There I am, up on the stage
Here I go, playing star again
There I go, turn the page

Here I am, on the road again
There I am, on the stage yeah
Here I go, playing star again
There I go, there I go

Nice link, Mitch!  David Lindley looks fantastic playing the lap steel and singing the falsetto part.  Is that Jim Gordon on drums?  Not sure and I don't remember him playing with Jackson, but it looks like him.

Good question Mitch.  I guess we'll see tomorrow night.