Ground Control Goodyear, AZ 03/17/2012
Tour poster for my performance at the original Ground Control location in Goodyear, AZ.
I saw lots of green… everywhere. It was St. Patrick’s Day at Ground Control in Goodyear, AZ and I was scheduled to perform a solo acoustic set there [the original location] for a few hours. Having performed at their second and newest location in Buckeye, AZ the night before, I was sort of curious to see what the spot that got it all started would look like. It did not disappoint: probably more craft brews than I’d seen anywhere else along my travels, an absolutely HUGE wine selection from the cavernous wine cellar adjacent to the performance area, the same great food, coffees and teas that the Buckeye location had, and just great people working there along with fun folks in the audience. Throw into the mix some St. Patrick’s Day energy, and we had the makings of a fun night…
My compact performance area at Ground Control in Goodyear, AZ.
I performed for about two hours straight before thinking about taking a break. The acoustics were terrific, the vibe was cool, and the audience seemed to be in the same groove I was, so why stop? But, hunger prevailed and I succumbed to a killer burger and salad to refuel before getting back up there to finish out the night. A new cast of characters filtered in after my little break and we closed out the night together as I dusted off a few cuts from my first record, “Something Out There”, and experimented with a new spin on some of my old favorites. I had so much fun and couldn’t believe I had played for about 3.5 hours when all was said and done. Despite being tired, I just didn’t really want to stop. However, looking ahead to a 4:00 AM wake-up call the next morning to catch a flight from Phoenix, AZ to Oakland, CA to do a taping for the MTV show “MADE”, I knew I had to call it quits. So, I packed it up, said my goodbyes, and got back to my buddy Josh’s place to try and catch a few hours of sleep before another epic day on the road and in the air.
Just one of the many cool scenes from a little hike I took prior to my show on 3/17 here in Arizona. So awesome...
As I fell asleep that night, I had to smile from all the good folks I met here in Arizona in both Buckeye and Goodyear, and began to dream about the cool desert stroll I took earlier in the day, just outside of town. Absolutely beautiful… BIG THANKS to my new friends at both of the Ground Control locations and, especially, to Josh and his family for so generously tolerating my crazy schedule and putting me up for a few nights. I couldn’t have imagined a better couple of days here in Arizona. THANK YOU and see you all again soon!