Three weeks and over 6,000 miles… I cannot believe that I joined one of my favorite bands on tour.
Pelican played 17 shows in 21 days throughout the Midwest and West Coast, some places which they haven’t visited in quite some time. It was a pleasure getting to know the band and hearing stories of previous tours, as well as seeing the reactions of so many fans. Not to mention hearing a lot of new songs and older favorites every night. We drove through a dust storm, up and down curving slushy mountain passes, and constant wind gusts that rocked the van. Only stopping for coffee. …and Record shopping. …and Ice Cream.
The legendary riff lords are about to unleash their seventh full-length album, ‘Flickering Resonance,’ due to be released on May 16th via Run for Cover Records. To support the forthcoming record, Pelican accepted an invitation from their long-time friends, Russian Circles, for a tour that would be quite special for all involved.
Thank you Pelican and Russian Circles for a surreal experience of a lifetime. Feels like the most rad fever dream ever.
Currently working on going through all the photographs and notes taken.
Day 1
Louisville, KY @ Whirling Tiger
Departing Boston in the morning, I got to Louisville around 2pm. With time to kill before meeting Pelican at the venue, I snagged a bite to eat at Feast BBQ then a beer at Akasha Brewing.
At the brewery, I was served a “Fehr’s Cheer,” a classic Kentucky Common offering, by Captain Pepe (check out his surf rock band Tsunami Samurai) and met Roxy the resident elder street cat that has lived in the building even before the brewery moved in.
Jaye Jayle, who printed the shirts for the tour and designed the “Skull” tee, booked a gig for the band to not only pass off the shirts but to also break up the drive to St. Louis where we will connect with Russian Circles. Evan would perform solo followed by Pressions and (ohlm) at Whirling Tiger.
Met Trevor, Brian, Larry, Laurent, and Elliot the Soundguy outside the venue and started loading in. And so it begins…
Day 2
St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall
Today we meet up with Russian Circles at Delmar Halll, but first, breakfast. Swinging by Full Stop Shop in Louisville, we were joined by Coliseum vocalist/guitarist Ryan Patterson. After eating and doubling down on the coffee, we set out for St. Louis.
Arriving with some to kill before soundcheck, I joined Larry and Laurant for a pick-me-up at Blueprint Coffee, then dipped into Vintage Vinyl for some record shopping. While loading in, a strong wind gust caught the back van door swinging it wide, right into the corner of a U-Haul box truck, shattering the window. While Trevor handles setting up for the show, Bryan is tracking down a repair shop. Luckily, a glass shop was found not too far away, however, the only kit they had for this model was missing a piece. The repair will have to wait until morning.
Not sure if the concert sold out, there was a low ticket warning that afternoon. I believe if I heard Trevor correctly, this would be the first Pelican performance in St. Louis since 2006. With a nine-song set, the instrumental titans would perform six new tracks from their forthcoming album and three others from three different albums spanning their career.
Day 3-4
Oklahoma City, OK – Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves
We met up with the glass repair company in the parking lot and got the window replaced. It’s an off-day today but we have a long drive. If you take Interstate 44 out of St. Louis and head toward Denton, TX, it would take about 10 hours and roughly 666 miles.
After Laurent joked about going to a waterpark along the tour, Trevor actually found a brand new indoor water park, the Okana Resort, that just recently opened in Oklahoma City. While we could push to get to Denton, we all decided it would be better to race to the water park. A nerve-racking, several-hour drive being pushed around by wind gusts along the highway the entire way, and then rain when passing through a small community known as Devil’s Elbow, we made it in time to enjoy the water slides and have dinner together. I was pleased to see they had Coors Banquet available.
A late breakfast at Sunnyside Diner, then we set out for Texas. Tonight the band plays a sold-out Rubber Gloves in Denton, just north of Dallas. With a much shorter drive, some time opened up for us to wander out for coffee, beer, and food before having to get back to the venue.
Rubber Gloves is a pretty cool venue with a large outdoor area complete with a stage with string lights cast about. Inside, there is a smaller stage, bar, and a cozy lounge. As the crowd caught on to the new songs, slowly finding the new rhythms to headbang and move along to, they also lost their minds when the band would get to “Dead Between the Walls” and “Ephemeral.” While to my dismay, “Glimmer” did not make the setlist, “The Creeper” did.
With the return of Laurent back in the band, ‘Flickering Resonance’ reminds me a lot of 2009’s ‘What We All Come to Need’ (the last album he was a part of before departing), and feels like a continuation from that record. And I am totally here for it.
Day 5
Austin, TX @ Mohawk
Pelican and Russian Circles play a sold-out Mohawk in Austin, TX tonight, a quick 4 hour drive. That means more free time, which means seeking out coffee, but first, laundry. We pulled up to a Washateria, threw our clothes in, and looked around the area for something to kill time as we wait. Larry and I spotted Amy’s Ice Cream across the street and almost immediately decided to get a couple of scoops while we waited for our clothes. Drummer boy got a scoop of coffee and chocolate, while I went with two scoops of strawberry.
Settling into the venue, I dipped out while the bands loaded in and setup for soundcheck. Took me a few days to catch on, but this is pretty much the only time I have to explore, grab a beer, and/or get something to eat, depending on how much time is available. A Stubbs BBQ joint is a block away and a quick plate of smoked brisket with collard greens and potato salad, with a Estrella Jalisco Mexican Pilsner to wash it down.
The venues keep getting cooler, Mohawk has an insane outdoor space with multiple mezzanines, giving fans (and photographers) numerous vantage points. St. Elmo Brewing supplied both bands with brews, “Hazy” an IPA with notes of citrus, mango, and pineapple from Strata and Citra hops and coconut from the Sabro hops, and “Carl” a very drinkable Kölsch, as well as some refreshing hop water. Glassing guitarist Cory Brim and his wife found Trevor and me by the merch area to say hi. Time for the show to begin.
