Bobby Rock

The Bobby Rock Newsletter #69 (7-30-22) - The Last 24 Hours

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My Friends - 

Once again, just checking in from the beautiful grind of the Lita Ford tour today, this time from a more remote part of Michigan. The past 24 hours exemplify the unpredictable nature of touring in the modern era. And since I’ve often heard that at least some of you guys are interested in the behind-the-scenes shit out here, I figured I would give you all a glimpse. 

And while an aspect or two of the past 24 are atypical, the “Embracing the Great Unknown” credo of road life has been very typical.

Let’s take a peek!

In This Issue:

 

• Drum Vid Vault: A little "drummer’s perspective" video footage from last night’s hit near Dayton, OH… during the drum solo.
   
• On This Day: Up at 2:30 AM and en route to Iron Mountain, MI… with potential trouble in paradise.
  
  
• The Show Must Go On… even if we are a little wounded. It’s what we do...

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About Last Night...

 

Drum Vid Vault:
Drummer's Perspective Footage...

 

Shot some footage last night while playing an impromptu triplet-based, hi-hat/double-pedal ostinato during the drum solo. 'Twas a spirited crowd at J.D.Legends near Dayton!

 

Click HERE, then scroll down to #15.

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On This Day: A Slice of Road Life

Saturday afternoons have become "Newsletter Day" for me, no matter whether I’m at home or on the road. We usually hit the send button late Sat. afternoon and, as is my idiosyncratic style, I’m kind of a last-minute, spontaneous creator when it comes to this thing. But I sure don’t make things easy on myself, especially when we’re on the road.

After last night’s show in Ohio, we got back to the hotel around midnight, with a 3:15 AM lobby call. (I got up at 2:30 to shower, and wound up with a whopping 1:20 of sleep. Plenty!) We traveled with our friends in Firehouse to the Cinci airport, where we all caught one flight to Detroit, then another to a small airport in Iron Mountain, MI. Aptly, it was called the Ford airport.

This was a “quaint” operation that, I believe, facilitated one flight per day from Detroit. You miss that one and you’re fucked if you’re playing a show that night. We did not miss it.

Once we collected our bags and cargo, we had a delay in ground transportation, so I just hung in the modest lobby area and worked on this newsletter (although much of the writing I did will turn out to be too much content for this edition and we’ll have to use it next week). At one point, Lita got a kick out of the scene and took this pic:

Actually, this isn’t just the “lobby” of the airport... it’s the whole fucking thing! And now, I’m in a hotel room about 60 miles away, putting (what I hope might be) the finishing touches on this bad boy before we all head over to the show around 6:30 eastern. It’s a festival, so that means… no soundcheck! 

But it’s all good out here. And I hope I never sound like I’m bitching about any of this. Just “reporting." In fact, I don’t think I heard anyone bitch about anything today. We are used to this shit and, most importantly, happy to be out here hittin’ it. 

The only issue today? The boss’s pipes. Lita came down with something yesterday and, in a rare situation, struggled with her vocals at the show last night. By the end of the night, her voice was history. We are looking for a miracle today, hoping that a few hours of sleep in her hotel room might facilitate a recovery. 

Onward!

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The Show Must Go On

We did not get that miracle. Lita did not even have a speaking voice by late afternoon, but still, she didn't want to cancel the show. So, in the alternative, we decided our guitarist Patrick Kennison (also a world-class singer) would take lead vocal duties tonight and Lita would still do all of her usual guitar pyrotechnics. We hoped the crowd will be cool with this… as an alternative to a last-minute cancellation.

Here’s a selfie that I stopped and took during the drum solo:

Sure enough, the show seemed to go over. It was announced beforehand that her voice was fried but we were still going to play. Everyone appeared to be okay with it. 

And then, on the way back to the hotel, at around 10:30 PM, it seemed like there were the last strands of sunset lurking over a big, tranquil lake. Had to grab this shot:

And now, fortunately, we will travel to Wisconsin tomorrow, where we will have a rare (but much needed!) three days in a row off. We are hoping for plenty of recovery time for the boss.

As for tonight… good night!

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Thanks again, everybody. Connect next week! Until then, BR _______________ For Your Quick Reference: My main website at www.bobbyrock.com is constantly updated with cool new stuff. Be sure and take a moment to sign up in the upper right-hand corner of any page on the site. It only takes a minute. This will give you a much more customized experience, and also grant you access to various members-only areas, events, etc. Tour Dates: If you are signed up to the site, you will receive an automatic email notification any time I'm playing within 150 miles of your crib. Newsletter Archives: Scope all the back issues here. There is even a Table of Contents reference so you grab an "at-a-glance" view of what's in each issue. News Feed: Stay in touch! Think of this as Facebook and Instagram rolled into one location, plus extra posts exclusive to the site. The Bobby Rock Store: Books, Music, BR drumsticks (stage-played and brand new), T-shirts, Signed 8x10s, Dragon Dirt and more... Dragon Dirt: My brand new custom superfood powder. Scope the site for tons of info!