Happy 2009

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Location: Thule Air Base, Greenland

Temperature: -6 degrees

After checking in, we began a whirlwind that pretty much lasted until we stepped onstage. It was pretty strange when the sun never came up that day--24 hour darkness. We had to go to Supply where we were issued winter gear including the warmest parka I've ever worn, iron pants, masks, mittens, etc. We went to the Base Exchange (BX) to pick up food in case we were trapped in our rooms during a storm condition Charlie (when blizzard storm conditions are so dangerous everyone is quarantined to their rooms). By this time it had warmed to about 25 degrees (which I was not expecting), and signs pointed to an oncoming storm.

We dropped our equipment at the Top of the World (TOW) Club where we'd be playing all our shows. 

The sound system was in rough shape, so Brion and Jeremy camped out at the club until show time working on it. The rest of us went back to the hotel for some lunch and I took a couple hour nap. I woke up at 4:30 pm and wasn't quite sure if it was night or day. That darkness'll getcha. In the end, everything was set up and ready to go by the time we took the stage at 10 pm. The onstage sound improved as the week went on, but the clubbed was packed and in good spirits--and so were we--so the show went really well. Some pics from it:

Tired but ready to rock.

Rocking. I'm in hiding.

The Air Force rocking. Probably to "Purple Rain."

After the show, some new friends came back to hang out at the hotel--many became good friends over the next week. I had left some books in my window to prop it open while I was gone (yeah, yeah, it's Greenland and cold outside, but it was hot in the hotel room). My books got snowed on and were frozen when I found them. My apologies to the Nashville Public Library.

A couple hours after we got back, the base was put under Charlie, so everyone but the band and crew had to clear out. It never looked too bad out the window to me. I finally got some much needed sleep and slept until the next afternoon. I think most of the base did, too.