Day 41: Kalamazoo, MI
Welcome
Yesterday we played our final headline show of the tour in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
We were headed back up to the Great Lakes region for the second time this month. From Covington in the northern tip of Kentucky we crossed back over the Ohio River and headed on I75 passing through Dayton and continuing through the farmland of western Ohio. It was to be a day of trains and the first time this theme appeared in our story we were on Bible Road, just north of Lima, Ohio, following a shortcut that Apple Maps had produced. The level crossing had already lowered its barrier when we arrived at the tracks and a double-decker freight train was slowly gliding past, stretching endlessly out in each direction, its cars loaded with stacked containers.
We hopped out of the van to wait, taking the chance to move around and stretch, and watched another locomotive pass, sandwiched in the middle of this long procession – surely not a good sign for us. Just when it seemed that it couldn’t go any longer the train began to slow further and ground to a halt. At that point we turned around to backtrack and find another way through and I’m glad that we did because after researching this issue it seems that despite an Ohio state law that prevents these crossings for being occupied for longer than five minutes, federal law prevents enforcement of this law, and these miles-long trains often end up blocking crossings for hours, holding up vehicle, pedestrian, and even emergency vehicle traffic.
Our alternate route headed toward a bridge that would carry us over the tracks. On the way there we had to stop at another level crossing but luckily this train was only a wee one and we found our way back to the safety of the Interstate shortly after that.
Breakfast came from the Taco Bell on Elida Road, north of Lima. As shocking as it may sound, I think this might be the first time I’ve eaten at Taco Bell. I ticked off this cultural experience and ordered myself the high value hexagonal snack known as a Black Bean Crunch Wrap, adding onions, jalapenos, and chipotle sauce.
We arrived at our venue a little late but feeling happy at the prospect of spending most of the day outdoors, in the beer garden of Bell’s Eccentric Café. At one end of the garden is stage, sturdily constructed out of brick and stone, and this faced out onto a nicely landscaped area of grass, gardens, and picnic tables. At the other end of the garden is a long brick building that houses the café’s smaller indoor venue as well as a bar and brewery which we were excited about as they had a keg of New Zealand Pilsner waiting for us to try.
We soundchecked in some gorgeous late afternoon weather, kept cool by Topo Chico and a fair breeze. At several points in this process, we were visited by trains, both freight and Amtrak varieties, as the beer garden sat nestled in the bosom of three intersecting rail lines. The engineers of all these trains seemed to enjoy sitting on the horn as they crawled past the venue, and it came straight through our microphones and into our in-ear-monitors.
The beer garden also turned out to be a fine venue for a game of cricket with good fencing to ensure that the ball didn’t go any further than it needed to. I took this photo series so you can see Jono’s fine batting form, as well as the process of covering the ball in orange gaff tape which corrects the bounce as well as applying safety.
It’s always sad seeing a band for the final time after watching their set has become such a part of your daily routine. I believe that Disq had their best show of the tour, clearly inspired by the moment, the proximity of rail, the great weather, and the fantastic crowd, much of which had travelled great distances to make it to this spot in southern Michigan.
We were debating whether we should try to time one of our songs (Dying to Believe) with the Amtrak train timetable, creating a collaboration of art and infrastructure for everyone to enjoy. In the end we decided against it after receiving some advice about the somewhat unreliable nature of this service’s timings, and it turned out to be a good decision because it passed behind the stage in the third song of our set, and fifteen minutes behind schedule, tooting loudly of course. Bell’s Eccentric Café was a beautiful setting for our final headline show of the tour, a perfect summer evening shared with this warm and supportive crowd.
Yesterday I had the best hotel experience of my life. After loading our van and trailer we drove a short distance to the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Kalamazoo and were met on our arrival by a friendly and helpful night clerk who had already gone to the trouble of checking us in and having our cards ready to go. It turns out that the Kalamazoo branch of this popular hotel chain has a IHG Points wheel of fortune that you can play on check in and have the chance to win up to 2000 of these valuable loyalty points. As a massive fan of points I couldn’t wait for my chance to spin the wheel and see how many milestone rewards came my way. I didn’t do a good job. I landed on 500 but the night clerk was such a good sport that she rounded me up to 1500 and punched that into the system.
Art corner struck twice last night, first in the form of a pineapple stencil on rustic whitewashed boards. The second installation was hard to comprehend, a sensory experience that has managed to present texture in a visual medium. The soft and furry feel of moss is juxtaposed by the rugged lines of tree bark, and then the cold smooth surface of concrete.
Tristan has been busy and has another video ready with some great footage from the last few days. If you haven’t watched them all make sure you check head over to his channel and catch up because they are a brilliant watch.