Day 13: San Francisco, CA
Nau mai
Yesterday we played at the Filmore in San Francisco, California.
The drive took most of the night and when we all began to rise Lavonda was slowly approaching San Francisco on a busy freeway; at least that’s what I surmised was happening from the sensorily limited confines of my bunk. We parked outside the venue and had a couple of hours to spend before load-in, which was plenty of time for a meal and some light exploration.
I breakfasted with our manager Jacob Snell, who had joined us on the bus the night before, taking the last free bunk, a challenging-to-reach berth up in the top row. We headed to a spot called Jane on Fillmore where I ordered the Spring Pea Toast, with spring pea and green garbanzo, preserved lemon, poached egg, pea shoot and radish salad, and seed sprinkle.
Since we last played the Fillmore they had upgraded their elevator, which was a huge relief, and something we congratulated the venue crew on having achieved. Everything was rolled down the accessway behind the theatre and transported in a comfortable and reliable carriage up the couple of stories to get to the loading door, right next to the stage.
Everything was just as we had remembered in this iconic San Francisco venue. The chandeliers, the carpeted floor, and the walls covered in framed posters that reminded you that you were performing on hallowed ground.
We were in the privileged position of getting to spend two nights at the same venue and so after playing a very enjoyable set and spending ninety minutes of high quality time with this top tier San Francisco crowd we treated ourselves to a slow wind down that didn’t involve a single bit of heavy lifting.
Phoebe Rings play The Fillmore.