So begins the longest US tour in the history of The Exchange. Our grand debut in our country.
Having somebody plan the entire tour is a drastic change for us. We’ve spent the 3-ish years of our group running everything, booking everything, singing everything, and rarely being anything but hands-on with everything.
This time we had a LOT of help. Our good friend (and Sing Off choreographer) Kristin Denehy, despite being many months pregnant, flew out to icy Rochester early to get our dance moves on point. We rehearsed for a few days and stayed with Aaron’s family and Tina while Bama and Matt helped us churn our way through the $400 clothing allowance from the show. We looked good and drove out to Turning Stone to start the show rehearsals.
Deke came for a few days to get everything together, and we hit the rehearsals with the same gusto as the TV show. There, we also met Street Corner Symphony and VoicePlay, where all sixteen guys tested the waters of where everybody stood. But, hey, this is a cappella–machismo isn’t really in the lexicon.
VoicePlay‘s set was sharp, clean, polished. They spent most of their time organizing video playback and audio syncing on their boards, but to our ears, they sounded near-perfect. Their set was very “music theater” and walked the line of schtick and song. Their sound glistens and their voices are each remarkable. The planning and thought that has gone into their set makes each of them extraordinary professionals.
Street Corner Symphony is in many ways their opposite. Unpredictable, raw, and exposed. Despite or maybe because of their defiant resistance to a cappella norms in favor of what I love about rock and roll, their show was spectacular. There were moments of pure sublime that surfaced from the hearts of six beautiful souls. You hoped every moment to see it, and when it didn’t, I had no trouble waiting for the next time. In the next 56 shows, there would be plenty of opportunities!
The rest of the crew, with whom we’d be sharing a bus for the next few months, was on their game right away. Our sound guys were Tony Huerta and Thomas Breslin. I knew them both well from Denver where I sang with Tony in Urban Method on the 3rd season of The Sing Off and went to college with Thomas at CU. Our lighting guy Richard Jackson was also our Production manager, but we didn’t really get to know him until later in the tour with their prep in full swing. Robb Feinstein was the merch guy and coincidentally went to the same high school as Aaron. I met Courtney Christian up in the bar before our first rehearsals. She was there to assist Teresa Welc. Teresa, or T, was the boss, and you could tell she had everything on lock. When we arrived, she handed us each an 86 page booklet for the whole tour. Here’s the first month:
- Sun, Feb 15, 2015 Turning Stone Resort Casino-Rehearsals Verona, NY
- Mon, Feb 16, 2015 Turning Stone Resort Casino-Rehearsals Verona, NY
- Tue, Feb 17, 2015 Turning Stone Resort Casino Verona, NY
- Wed, Feb 18, 2015 Veterans Memorial Auditorium Providence, RI
- Thu, Feb 19, 2015 Best Buy Theater New York, NY
- Fri, Feb 20, 2015 Count Basie Theatre Red Bank, NJ
- Sat, Feb 21, 2015 Calvin Theatre Northampton, MA
- Sun, Feb 22, 2015 American Music Theatre Lancaster, PA
- Mon, Feb 23, 2015 The Town Ballroom Buffalo, NY
- Tue, Feb 24, 2015 Day Off Westbury, NY
- Wed, Feb 25, 2015 Westbury Music Fair Westbury, NY
- Thu, Feb 26, 2015 Proctor’s Theatre Schenectady, NY
- Fri, Feb 27, 2015 Wolf Den inside Mohegan Sun Uncasville, CT
- Sat, Feb 28, 2015 The Grand Opera House Wilmington, DE
During our rehearsals, Aaron was heard on mic complaining about the opening number not being sung to tracks, and the producers came down on the group as a whole. There were a few growing pains getting 16 guys to agree to the somewhat outdated group
numbers, the restrictive merch rules, and the input from the producers. But we got there, and the first show went off pretty well.
That night, we hit the road for the first time, getting to know our driver Tony Spencer, and the other driver Eddie Thornton. On the way we stopped at Walmart to stock up on towels, soap, humidifiers, in-bunk storage, booze, etc. Some guys in the 2am parking lot looked on as slippered miscreants filed from legit tour busses into the store and back.
The bus amazingly slept 12 people with common areas in the front and back. A bunch of TVs and food and drinks stored everywhere, I could get used to this! I even slept pretty well in the little bed. The curtain closed and you just have to wake up at the next venue! That’s WAY easier than waking up at 4am to catch a flight or even driving ourselves 6 hours after the gig.
The shows were simple. Courtney (and usually an assistant) would get the clothes ironed, we’d do a sound check with Tony and Thomas while Richard tested lights. T would take care of everything we could possibly need while Robb set up merch. When we first hit the stage with the group numbers, I remember feeling a little awkward in our big letterman’s jackets they got everybody, but I started warming up to it.
Everybody was really professional and we moved quickly. We hammered out 7 shows in a row to start the tour, and I got to see my brother and cousins in New York City. We very quickly got into the habit of finishing the show, selling merch, and seeing whatever sights the town had to offer. Then sleep it off on the bus, shower in the next place, and do it again!
So even though it was only 7 days, the first day off was more than welcome. Some of the guys went to see Kingsmen but I stayed in the hotel and chilled, talked to Maria, and slept. This is gonna be a long tour!
