TOUR UPDATE (10/3/2016)

After last night’s triumphant return to the Tacoma Dome we now look forward to the final five shows of our 2016 summer tour. Def Leppard, REO, and Tesla the Band all play music that was in ways built for large arenas, and the Tacoma Dome is one of the first and longest lasting of its kind…an actual indoor stadium!

The dome itself is supported by huge wooden radius beams, with the giant lighting and sound systems rigged from an immense metal grid which in turn is suspended from those same wood beams. I find it an amazing marvel of engineering and rigging. I suppose I should, considering my implicit investment in the belief that this behemoth will hold up…after all, we performed underneath it last night!
An awesome audience, rocking out in a massive iconic venue, equals big fun for all the bands and all the fans. Thanks for a great night Tacoma 👍

Which brings me back to my original thought: We have only five shows left on this tour. It’s bittersweet because I miss my family at home so much…

Since this tour began in Spring 2016 my daughter Holly started college at USC, and as such no longer lives in the bedroom she had inhabited for the past 18 years.

My grown son Paris became a father for the first time, and in doing so, someone we know became grampa kc!

My twin boys Shane and Josh, (in no particular order:), have started a band which includes a talented young musician named Michael, whose dad just happens to be legendary Heart guitarist, and long time wearer of cool fringed suede jackets, Howard Leese. I have heard some of the music these guys are coming up with and I really dig it. I have offered to take them into our studio and work on a demo with them…if the boys keep up with their school work, that is.

Not to mention our puppy, Louie Louie, who still insists on “marking his territory” the old fashioned way. Question: When a dog reaches two years of age is it reasonable to expect the concept of house training should have been absorbed? By the dog, not the carpeting!

Meanwhile, my wife has been single-handedly steering the entire operation while I have been on the road. It is more than anyone should be asked to do, and yet I ask her, and Lisa comes through every time. My wife has the energy of 100 of me! I don’t know where she finds the strength and patience to do all that she does for our children, our family, and our home. Plus she is such a beautiful woman. I love you Lisa Cronin 😘

Back again to my original original thought…
This tour with the Lepps and the Teslas just keeps getting better. I have grown to love so many people we have met out here, and will miss them all when we scatter around the globe and return to our homes and families.

Everybody on this tour has survived the rock wars and thoroughly understands the rules of the road. We all know the drill…this lifestyle is not for the faint of heart, but it is life as we all know it. The longer we have all been together, the better we all keep getting along…How cool is that?

So yeah, we are in the home stretch. We can “smell the barn”…(or is that the back lounge of the crew bus?).

I am going to really treasure these last five shows, appreciate every minute under those tremendous lights, below that massive video wall, and in front of these amazing fans.

By the way, the Def Leppard guys are so generous with the production. Not all bands are so cool. They think like we do… give the audience the best possible total experience, which means all the bands need to look and sound great. I love and respect them for that mind set. Plus, I understand they all enjoy graham crackers.

“Five shows and a plane ride.”, as we say out here…and as they say, we are gonna “Rock It”!