Day 11: Phoenix, AZ
Nau mai
Yesterday we played in Phoenix, Arizona.
Phoenix was out to charm me yesterday. I began my day with the goal of mailing a package, walking to the Downtown Phoenix Post Office, one of the increasingly rare brick and mortar USPS stores that still exist in the United States. With the government shutdown still taking place, I was surprised to find the building unlocked, and even more surprised to find an employee at the desk. It was a serene and quiet space, glossy tile floors and neat rows of lockboxes along the walls of this handsome 1930s Post Office, and the man who greeted me from behind the counter was friendly and seemed proud to be serving in this time-honoured institution. I handed my package over, and he scanned it, and that was that; I couldn’t believe how pleasant and easy the experience was.
Next I walked to a breakfast spot I had marked down after a quick scan through the Google Map. Downtown Phoenix was in fine form, palm trees and street cars providing all the civic glory I could want, and beautiful sunny weather captured in the reflective glass of the skyscrapers. The Thread – CAFECITO was an establishment that was yet to receive a negative Google review, and I was not to be the person to spoil that impeccable reputation after the wonderful interactions I had with the staff there. Each conversation I overheard while standing in line was full of warmth and generosity. You could tell that they were proud of their restaurant and their food. The owner brought out a tray with small pottles of beans and rice, handing them to all the customers in the line, and by this time the wooing was already over. I ordered myself a another serving of beans and rice, and a pressed cheese sandwich, and enjoyed a refreshing Cuban iced coffee on the side.
Our afternoon and evening were spent at the Van Buren, a music venue that began its life in 1929 as the home of the Phoenix Motor Company. It was as nice a place as you can hope to spend your evening as a travelling musician. The stage was wide and deep, plenty of room for us to run around and safely spin without the dangerous radiuses of our guitar posing a threat to each other. The room was wide with good standing room and a narrow mezzanine that provided a seated viewpoint for whomever was lucky enough to make it upstairs.
Backstage we had very comfortable green rooms, stylishly decorated, and with one feature that puts this facility in the top tier of artist comfort, the provision of natural light through a large block glass window. The ability to feel connected with the outside world when you spend many of your daily hours in underground spaces is one we were truly grateful for.
The Van Buren was the home turf of our lighting tech Erin, and she was happy to be home among her former coworkers and the familiar comforts of her workplace and training ground. She helped us out with borrowed tools from the workshop and members of the band were highly industrious in their spare time, carrying out crucial maintenance work to keep the wheels of the tour turning smoothly.
After a very pleasant show we were reunited with our old friend Lavonda. Her open-heart surgery had been successful and with a hard working crew of two drivers she had driven around the clock to catch up to us in Arizona. We transferred all our belongings into the cupboards and various storage nooks and hopped into our old familiar bunks ready for the overnight drive to Los Angeles.