Day 23: Pittsburgh, PA
Welcome
Yesterday we played a headline show at Mr Small’s Theatre in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
We had a 500km drive to make it the rest of the way to Pittsburgh, so we left Stroudsburg at 8.30, taking the western route of Interstate 80 which cuts through the middle of Pennsylvania. The landscape was characterised by a jagged, mountainous terrain as we drove through the physiographic region known as the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians. Clastic sedimentary rocks like sandstone and conglomerate make up these steep ridges; these rocks are composed of rock fragments that have been cemented together and have erosion-resistant properties. The valleys are formed by the erosion of softer rocks, often carbonate sedimentary rocks like limestone or dolomite, gradually worn away by streams and rivers.
While Tristan drove us across the state of Pennsylvania, I put together a breakfast in the back seat of the van, carrot, celery, tomatoes, and cucumber, sliced with a plastic knife, and dipped in a garlic humous.
Eventually we crossed the Allegheny Mountains and descended onto the Allegheny Plateau, making our way to Pennsylvania’s second most populous city which lies at the confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers. On the Allegheny, just a few kilometres upriver from the city centre is the borough of Millvale, a former manufacturing town that takes its name from a mill that produced iron and nails, and its location in the valley formed by the Girty’s Run creek. We arrived in this valley to find the pleasant, lively streets of a revitalised, post-industrial neighbourhood. It turned out that our venue was housed in a beautiful brick building dating back to 1924, the former St Anne’s Catholic Church, which has now done away with pews in favour of standing room and done away with the altar in favour of a stage.
We had arrived nice and early so after loading in we treated ourselves to a long soundcheck and then still had plenty of time to relax before the show. It was a gorgeous evening when I headed out for a walk, and I enjoyed strolling down the cute main street lined with restaurants and businesses that had a distinct communal feel.
Joining us for the headline dates that we have sprinkled throughout this tour are a fantastic band from Madison, Wisconsin named Disq. They opened up the show last night and blew us away with beautifully crafted pop punk, great melodies and ripping guitar work from the three electric guitarists in the front line.
It felt nice to play a full length set again. The church was full, and the crowd were in top form, applauding loudly and laughing appropriately at our jokes.
There was only one possible thing that could improve what had already been a perfect evening, and that was when we got to hotel and discovered that there was Corgi racing on ESPN 8. This incredible sporting event was followed up with the world dog surfing championships, and after watching this we fell asleep with smiles on our faces.
In art corner this week we return to the corridors of 3 star hotels, with this pair of digitally edited photographs that explore the uses of sans serif fonts, blurring the line between art and signage.
