We are officially back on Canadian soil after an incredible autumn trek through the U.S. Midwest! It was a whirlwind of beautiful scenery, packed houses, and even a little bit of “backstage shenanigans” that reminded us why we love being on the road.
Our journey began on a gorgeous, sunny morning on October 6, as we loaded up the trailer in London. With the piano strapped in and our t-shirts on, we crossed the border and headed north on I-75 through Michigan. The autumn colors were absolutely stunning. The trees were every shade of orange and red imaginable under big, puffy white clouds.
The music kicked off with a bang at the Odawa Casino in Petoskey, Michigan, where we played to a fantastic full house. From there, we traveled to the historic Egyptian Theater in DeKalb, Illinois. It was a truly special night; a fan even showed us a photo from our 2017 performance there, which included a wonderful picture of Braden. Seeing him in that photo before the show made the evening even more meaningful.
On October 9, we were up at 6:00 a.m. to catch a beautiful sunrise on our way to New Bremen, Ohio, for a matinee concert at the Lock One Theater. Since the venue was at a school, we discovered a music room backstage filled with instruments. In true McCartney Years fashion, Dave found a giant drum to play, and we had some fun getting into the right mood before the show! We did run into a technical snag when our Hammond organ “gave up the ghost,” but Scott was a total pro, managing to play all the organ parts on another keyboard for the duration of the concert.
After the show, we enjoyed some celebratory beers and food before heading toward Chicago. We got to see the iconic Sears Tower as we headed into a couple of well-deserved days off, which we kicked off with a massive pizza from a local mom-and-pop shop.
Things got a little “wild” on October 12 when a tornado warning was issued in the town where we were staying. We had to take shelter as wind, leaves, and branches went flying everywhere! Luckily, the bus and all our instruments remained safe, allowing us to make it to our two sold-out, intimate shows at the Belfry Music Theater in Delavan, Wisconsin.
We wrapped up the tour on October 14 at the Al Larson Prairie Center for the Arts in Schaumburg, Illinois. It was a high note to end on: the load-in was a breeze, the green room was stocked with all our favorites, and, best of all, the Hammond organ was fixed and back on stage! Scott was thrilled to have it back for the final performance.
