Tag Archives: Nebraska

Slowdown in Omaha, NE

Posted on February 18, 2015 by Nicholas Weaver

At this point in the tour, things felt like they were beginning to smooth out and the guys and I were getting a little more comfortable with each other. Maybe even too comfortable? This is the 1st time Bailiff has had the extra room for a drifter like me to tag along on a tour and after a great night in Lincoln, NE we made our way to Omaha, NE. The land of 311.

The guys are by no means fans of 311 and they made sure to repeatedly remind me of that as we stepped out of the van and made our way to a local coffee shop to kill time. I had no idea how important these moments of downtime would be for me as we continued on the tour, but these were the moments when I got to really talk and connect with the guys! Like you can imagine, a sense of comradery begins to develop when you’re out on the road and in close quarters with other for extended amounts of time. Not to get all sappy, but the guys in Bailiff are some of the most sarcastic, genuine, insanely talented, and laid back guys I’ve met in a long time.

The Slowdown was easily the nicest and luxuriously accommodating venue on tour, we were given a green room with access to showers, laundry room, vintage record player, and several cozy, nicely broken in couches. This was one of two nights where we didn’t have a place to crash planned out, so Josh tried to convince the venue to let us sleep in the greenroom. Surprisingly, it didn’t work and we we’re extremely grateful to one of the opening bands, The Decatuers for letting us crash with them.

Omaha, I’ll miss everything about you, except for your unbelievably awful pizza!

Ren in relaxing in the green room

Josh, likely watching Netflix

Where is Josh?

Fender Strat

During their set

Sign

The Stage

Posted in See my life | Tagged 311, bailiff, Chicago, Coffee Shop, Music, NE, Nebraska, Omaha, Pizza, shows, Slowdown, The Decatures, The Slowdown, tour, Venue, Zoo Bar | Leave a comment

Zoo Bar in Lincoln, NE

Posted on February 13, 2015 by Nicholas Weaver

Day three of the Bailiff tour brought us to Lincoln, NE. The 2nd state on the tour in which I’d never visited before, the first being, Kansas. One thing about Lincoln I can say for sure, is that the folks there are working really hard to build, create, and encourage an art and music scene. In the short time we were there, I got to see several up in coming bars, venues, and meet some of the folks pour their time into that city. I also learned to never pull a conversion van into a tight alley and attempt a 90 point turn around simply to make loading in and out of the venue more convenient. Oh, the things you learn on the road. Here are some shots from the historic Zoo Bar…

Zoo Bar

Bar Patrons

Setting up and checking the gear

Song leader

Spotlights

Owen listening to his rig.

In the pocket

Rim shots

Posted in See my life | Tagged bailiff, Bailiffmusic, Bands, Bass, Chicago, Drums, Guitars, Josh, Lincoln, Live Music, Music, NE, Nebraska, Owen, Photography, Pictures, Ren, tour, Zoo, Zoo Bar | Leave a comment

Bailiff Tour Day Five

Posted on January 27, 2015 by Nicholas Weaver

After a great experience in Omaha, NE we hit the road for Des Moines knowing that things could get weird in Iowa and surprisingly enough, thats exactly what happened. Ren got behind the wheel of the van and led us to your standard middle of nowhere truck stop! A magical place where only the stallions and deer graze together. Tonight we are at Gabe’s in Iowa City and we’re really falling into the groove of things! Excited for another show tonight, then an off day in Iowa City!

Ren in the captains chair!

Josh, Owen, & Ren wearing their new sweaters!

Posted in See my life | Tagged bailiff, Bailiff Tour, Deer Sweaters, Des Moines, Fleece sweaters, Horse Sweaters, Iowa, Nebraska, Omaha, Ren Matthew, Road Trip, The Slowdown, Traveling, Truck Stop, Van, Vaudeville Mews | Leave a comment

Bailiff Tour Day Four

Posted on January 26, 2015 by Nicholas Weaver

As the tour goes on, I’m finding it hard to remember which day is which. Time seems to be going faster and faster as the tour progresses. As a result, my current feeling is that I could get used to this lifestyle for longer stretches of time. I’m curious if these feelings will change over the next few days!

We arrived in Omaha, NE and really enjoyed our time there. The Slowdown was an amazing venue and had an incredibly hospitable staff and greenroom, equipped with showers, laundry room, plush couches and vintage record players. No question, if the opportunity arises to play there again, it would be a go for sure! Omaha, was one of the two stops on this tour, we didn’t have sleeping accommodations lined up! Despite the odds, Josh (Bailiff’s lead singer) persuaded some gracious folks (The Decaturs) who performed a set just before Bailiff, to offer up their cozy couches to us. The rest of the tour we are good to go on crash spots so it should be smooth sailing from here on out. Tonight, we are in Des Moines, Iowa at the Vaudeville Mews… Lets do this.