Friday, July 19th, 2002 - The Merritt Mountain Music Festival:

We had such a blast at this festival last year, we're all looking forward to this one! I'm wondering if the weather will be a factor again... last year, in the middle of Tomcat Prowl, it started pouring, enough that it was pulling the tarp down in sections and I was getting left in the open and rained on... four stagehands came over and shuffled me and the keyboards over - into the middle of the stage, while I continued to play... that was a first...

Well, the weather is certainly a factor this year as well, but about as opposite as you can get... very hot, very dry, very dusty... and all that's okay, but it's also very windy... so the wind is picking up the dust and hurling it everywhere... you actually had to walk around with your eyes closed sometimes; some of us do that anyway, I guess...

We arrive stage-side, about half an hour before we go on, by the time we've picked up our passes etc... there's a Bee Gees tribute act onstage as we pile out of our vans; I have to say they sound excellent, regardless of the fact that I'm not the Bee Gees biggest fan... but there's only one dressing room for all the bands on the beergarden stage, and they've got the use of it until after they get offstage... so we change into our stage clothes beside the vans (too bad girls, you missed it...)... I can't help thinking that's kind of a weird thing; the band onstage has the use of the dressing room (who could need it less?), and the band about to go on has to wait for them to get out... this can't help the festival to run on-time... It's over wa-a-ay too fast! We're onstage rocking, and people are dancing and having an awesome time, and then it's over - it feels like only half an hour - it was actually fifty-five minutes, but for us that's extremely short; they are, in fact, running behind, and we have to make room for the mainstage to start up... but it's a riot! Doug has a dance contest onstage between a woman probably in her late twenties, and a man who looked around sixty-five... neither of them are wearing much, and the man wins! That doesn't happen in real life... It's a great stage, the monitors are amazing, and what's even better is the man behind the monitors, Jeff, is on top of his game... great job Jeff, thanks!... Mike Pacholuk (Trooper), is doing sound for us - he's at this festival all week doing sound for anyone smart enough to want him to... as usual, Mike, it's really a great feeling to feel confident onstage about the sound out front... thanks...

It's amazing to be onstage here, in the very dry heat, looking out into a sea of bikini clad women (okay, there were some guys there too, but I didn't pay much attention), and beyond up the hill, to the army of campers and tents up there... what a gig! But like I said, over far too quickly... we finished our set, packed our gear into the vans again, had dinner in the VIP tent, and only a few hours after we drive in, we're driving back to Vancouver... short and sweet... Thanks Merritt! You guys rock! Next stop, Parksville, BC...

Bye for now...

Marc