Day 27: St. Paul, MN
Nau mai
Yesterday we played in St Paul, Minnesota.
Winter was yet to cast itself over this tour. The day in St. Paul was brisk but sunny when we disembarked from Lavonda yesterday morning and there was vast confusion and fierce disagreements about how many layers to wear.
This was our first outing in the eastern sibling of the twin cities, and we were eager to find out what made this city tick. (Long sentence warning) The magnificent stone cathedral from which the city takes its name looked down on us from Cathedral Hill, the hill which takes its name from the cathedral, as we walked towards our destination, a cafeteria, nay an institution called Cossetta Alimentari. This place did it all – pizza, pasta, salads, sandwiches, and deserts. Ordering from here felt like being in the lunch line at school camp – servers standing behind glass cabinets that went all the way around the room while you slid your tray along in front of you - except this time the food was made from recipes handed down through generations of Italian immigrants. Tristan and I split an Italian Hero sandwich – prosciutto, genoa salami, mortadella, provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, Italian dressing, and mayonnaise. We also split a cup of cantaloupe slices, and a Misticanza salad which was radicchio, arugula, lemon citronette dressing, black pepper, and huge chunks of parmesan.
The great breadth of the Mississippi River winds its way past St. Paul on its journey south and the city has constructed great viewing areas for both the river and its bridges. Walking a few blocks from the venue I found a small park situated at a decent elevation with views of five separate bridges, an airport, and a winding scenic boulevard that miraculously escaped being called riverside drive. Kellog Mall Park was full of benches offering the citizens and visitors of St Paul the option to sit while viewing these great sights, and in the summer months enjoy the sounds and spray from the fountain while taking in the majesty of the Robert Street Bridge, or the St. Paul Union Pacific Vertical-lift Rail Bridge, or the Smith Avenue High Bridge.
Loading into the Palace Theatre was one of the easiest things we have done. The trailer was spitting distance from the back door and once you passed the back door the stage began.
There was a capable crew to help and we had everything in place with plenty of time to spare giving us a very comfortable afternoon of tweaking and optimizing various pieces of equipment. This old theatre dated back to 1916 and had been lucky enough to receive a significant restoration ten years ago. Looking out from the stage was a treat with ornate mouldings and plasterwork creating a characterful space for the audience to inhabit. The technical side of things was as modern as anywhere and the stage felt great to play on. Gabe was happy at his mixing station in front of house. Below decks there were modern green rooms that took the place of the old basement, once home to a night club that housed ‘significant gangster activity’. Our first show in St. Paul was a good outing. It was Saturday night and the theatre was full and happy and this was a great setting for the performance of our big collection of rock songs.
