It's 8:30 am when we arrive to a parking lot full of buses and trucks waiting patiently for the building to open. Good morning, Goo Goos!
As we open the doors to the loading dock letting the sun shine in, the crew begins to trickle in following their noses to the breakfast burritos and, most importantly, fresh coffee. Michelle Branch stops in for a second to say hello and tell us how excited she is to finally play Wolf Trap before returning to her bus to prep for "morning TV." I wonder what she watches until I realize that she's going to be on morning TV with Voice of America. That's why she looks so great at 9 am!
First order of post-coffee business is laundry. Fresh laundry is one of those luxuries that traveling Artists and crew can only enjoy when they've stopped driving for the day. We see a lot of nice buses come through Wolf Trap, but we have yet to see one with a washer and dryer. As the bags of dirty clothes drive away in an Escalade, the Goo Goo Dolls Production Assistant comments, "That may be the nicest car we've had all tour." (Thanks to GM for your continued support and sweet rides!)
At 4:30 pm, there is not one single ticket left to sell! The "Sold Out" sign goes up on the marquee. We have a sold out show, a great crew, and the best weather we've had in days. To no one's surprise, it's shaping up to be a fantastic day.
At 7:15 pm, we have a line at stage door waiting to meet and greet with the Goo Goo Dolls. How did these folks get so lucky as to score a wristband? We have some winners from 94.7 Fresh FM, some from Mix 107.3 and some very committed fan club members. We have 56 guests. One photo and one autograph each later, they are out of the building within 30 minutes.
The work backstage doesn't stop once the artists have taken the stage. The next order of business- more food. Food is always a hot topic around the theater on show days. We are lucky to have so many delicious and reliable restaurants to choose from in this area. Tonight, artists and crew choose food from some of our favorites: Silver Diner, Tara Thai, Church Street Pizzeria, and Papa John's. Yes, it does sound like a lot of food, but after rocking for close to 4 hours, you'd work up an appetite, too.
It's now 11:55 pm. We've been at work backstage for 16 hours. All the exhilarated patrons and backstage guests have long left the building. Load-out is wrapping up. We've loaded 4 trucks and a trailer in just under an hour and a half.
We're almost into a new day, and it's this time of night that one reflects on the events of the day. There are many personalities in this business. With about 100 shows a season, you truly appreciate certain ones. Today is one that is filled with wonderful, friendly, talented, and organized people. It was a good day.
A big thanks to the Goo Goo Dolls, Michelle Branch and Parachute- the artists and their crews! Come back soon!
Here's the set list:
And some amazing photos by Traci J. Brooks Photography.
Virginia boys Parachute make their Wolf Trap debut.
After the show, Michelle Branch tweeted: Really amazing crowd tonight @Wolf_Trap Dare I say, best of the whole tour so far?!
Johnny Rzeznick smiles at a sold out crowd.
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