Mashantucket, Connecticut 10 October, 2015

Turned in early last night, no hi-jinx at the bar, so it was a 7 o’clock waking.  Scrambled eggs and coffee sent to the room then off to the gym.  I was back in the room by 10:30… now what?  Always plenty of practicing to do, working on a couple of new tunes and on the home stretch of a book called The Burden Of Proof by Scott Turow.  That was my day until we left for the Boston airport at 3.

A thirty minute flight to Groton, Connecticut and another 30 minute drive to Mashantucket.  It’s beautiful country up here, particularly this time of the year with the foliage turning red and gold.  We drove through several towns before arriving in Mashantucket and the MGM Grand at Foxwoods Casino.  A massive complex that seemed grossly out of place in this New England rural community.  Apparently we played here back in April of 2010.  Guy’s diary proves it.  I went back and my diary proves it as well, but I’ll be damned if I can remember one thing about being here before.  It’s a beautiful, modern theatre that seats nearly 4,000.  An Italian dinner was sent out for after sound check and one of the most delicious items was crispy veal meatballs in marinara sauce.

Our old pal Rudy Pensa came to the show tonight with his wife Fran and a friend.  Rudy has a legendary guitar shop in Soho and is the man behind the fabulous Pensa Guitars.  Great seeing him tonight and we look forward to seeing more of him when we get to New York.

It was a cool audience, a ‘casino’ audience that was polite and attentive but had to be won over.  That’s fine, that’s our job and we did it.  A cheering, standing house by the end.  A particularly focussed show tonight.  We really never have a bad show, but the difference between a good show and a great one is when everyone is completely focussed on the same night.  That was us.

A runner back to the Groton airport.  Since the flight back to Boston was so short, our top man Pete Mackay arranged hot dogs from Johnny Rocket’s for the half hour drive to the plane.  Foot long and smothered in relish, onions and mustard they were devoured.  Debby had drinks on hand when we boarded and before you knew it we’d landed back in Beantown.

Off to Albany for a show tomorrow.  There’s a rumour of Legal Seafood crab cakes on the flight.

So long,

Richard