We were joined by our friends Gabe (Danger is My Middle Name), Mike and Chris on this fantastic voyage to Central Illinois, where we played a show with Jack's Mannequin, learned about Frank Lloyd Wright, frozen trailer locks, who's got the Mott's and Casper's deep dark secret.
We embark on the 26-hour trek to our first show of our spring tour with Yellowcard, The Spill Canvas and PlayRadioPlay. We introduce a new character to our revolving cast: Mike "The Rac" Racanelli, our new tour manager. Dirty gas station bathrooms, Wal-Mart trips and salad bars galore. Plus, Phil unexpectedly reveals his true identity.
We enter the home stretch of our Spring tour and visit the West Coast. Dan reads and responds to fan mail, JVal and Neal, Yellowcard and Spill Canvas' merch guys, have their moment in the spotlight, Phil talks some trash to a fellow Halo 3 gamer, Chris gets molested and we play a classic 80s song in honor of Mike's birthday.
Here is the much talked-about video we showed during our set at our 1-5-08 show at the Metro in Chicago right before returning to the stage in tuxedos.
The tour continues as we make our way into Boston and Philadelphia. We hang out in Guitar Center, take part in some backstage pranks, go bowling and eat some tasty cookies.
The Yellowcard tour begins. Phil does push-ups and dances like a robot, Brandon and Dan go bowling, and Mike (aka X-Vat) sings with The Spill Canvas in Chicago.
We braved a snowstorm and an treacherous overnight drive to play a sold-out college show with Jack's Mannequin. Augie Schmidt from The Last Fast Action filled in on guitar for Dan, who was recovering from shoulder surgery.
The tour grinds on as we visit Bourbon Street and the Best Wurst. Brandon shows off his hackey sack skills for the camera and Phil just shows off. Ooh wa-ah-ah-ah!
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