We had had a show booked at the Relix in Knoxville for a month or so prior to this week, only to have it canceled on Wednesday when we emailed about our load-in time. (*I told Rob that he should send this to the woman who gave us the axe. Not sure if he ever did.)
Thankfully, we picked up a last minute show at Preservation Pub in Market Square, a nice entertainment district in downtown Knoxville. 3 floors at the Pub -- the second hosts a comedy open mic on Sundays, and the third is a rooftop garden which is a prime spot on warm Summer nights in the city.
The Pres' has a similar layout to The Vernors Room -- more or less a hallway with a bar and a small stage in the rear. We went on around 10 in front of a modest crowd (there was no time to promote in on our end, so the bar was full, and in the beginning, that was about it), so we decided not to go extra hype, and just play our more relaxed numbers.
Which brings me to Lovers Leap.
We wrote that song last year about being away from our ladies, and while we don't perform it live a lot, it felt like an appropriate song to play last night. Once the beat started, a couple in their 50's stood up (everyone was seated either at the bar or the booths) and slow danced near the front of the stage, which is a first for Passalacqua! After the song, everyone loosened up, we started talking to the crowd more, and it ended up being my favorite set on tour thus far. Intimate shows can sometimes be the best ones, at least for us -- our guard is completely down, and it ends up being more of a conversation piece with the crowd, with a few songs sprinkled in between.
After unsuccessfully finding a place to stay, we retreated to a Red Roof Inn, where I'm typing this now. First shower in days (starting to get mad sour, yo), and a full nights sleep (been averaging 2-3 hours so far) got us chompin' at the bit for Raleigh tonight. We're at The Pour House with A Possum Holler Family Jam, which features our friends from the BIG Something. Let's do this, North Carolina!
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