Pressure In Peoria

Friday February 22nd, 2008 - East Peoria, IL

It’s been a long time since I’ve been out on the road and I can’t say I missed it. Not after a hectic day like today. I got a late start because I was in a groove doing stuff at home and I made the stupid mistake of thinking I had time to get my mail in Chicago before heading to Peoria for the shows tonight. It’s a Friday and I got stuck in traffic and screwed myself.

I should have known better. Fridays in Chicago can be hellish and today was the perfect example. Traffic wasn’t moving so I got off the tollway and that was even worse. I did get my mail but it cost me way too much time and I was trapped like an animal with no hopes of bypassing the total gridlock on I-55. All I could do was tap dance on my brake pedal.

This is when the stress builds by the minute. I tried to back time the situation and see if I had any chance at all of making it there for the 8:00 show. I would be cutting it close but there was a chance if traffic would just MOVE a little. No such luck. It was constant stop and go (mostly stop) and I felt my window of opportunity slam down hard on my fingers.

It’s my own fault and I admit it. I didn’t think I’d get caught in the traffic and I assumed it would be clear sailing. Mistake. I should know better by now. I’ve had years of being in situations like this and to go back to it now was just plain unnecessary. I take full blame. I also needed to get there so I had to make some time when I finally did get past the city.

That’s even more dangerous. I don’t have a fuzz buster and I was doing 95 down I-55 in hopes of making up for my miscalculation. That could have been a huge ticket and I knew it as I gunned my little Honda for all it was worth. The miles flew by but not fast enough.

I called the club at 7:00 and let them know I’d be cutting it close. They gave me a route to take that’s allegedly a shortcut and that’s always a red flag. It was through small towns and involved a lot of turns and I didn’t feel confident about taking it but I did anyway. It’s their club and they should know the area. I got off I-74 where they said to but that was it.

None of the roads were marked and I stopped and asked at gas stations and it made me a lot later than I already was. I called the club again and they told me some directions that turned out to be completely wrong. It was SO frustrating to be wandering out in farmland hoping to find the turn off and it never came. Finally they sent someone to come get me.

I finally got there and had to go right on stage and of course there were about 16 people in the audience. It’s always like that. NEVER is it where there’s a full crowd waiting as I rush through cornfields at 95mph. It’s always a small drunk rowdy crowd who don’t care what kind of day I had. They want to drink and talk to me and that’s what happened here.

I made the best of it but it sure wasn’t what I expected. I’ve been playing some nice gigs lately and coming back to this was not what I was hoping for. I did the show and then got back in the car and checked in at the Super 8 Motel. My toilet doesn’t flush and there’s no remote for the TV. Welcome back to the minor leagues. This will surely keep me humble.