Brian and Peter woke up elated to see Andrew, and ran around excitedly making a sign to hold for him at the airport. They were so keyed up that a disagreement about whether they should tape the hot dog sticks to the back of it for stability sent them to opposite corners of the campsite for a while.
We started taking down the tent with Jonas still asleep inside.
Three big guys in 10 gallon hats walked past the Teeth’s table at the Tex-Mex truckstop where they were having breakfast tacos. The cowboys were talking about doing their morning crossword, and for some reason it made the whole band burst out laughing. Since we were sans marshmallows the night before, Aaron felt sugar deficient, so he bought an ice cream bar to augment his breakfast.
The Mr. Jones sign never saw the inside of the airport because Andrew was waiting on the median and jumped straight into the van. Austin was only another hour from San Antonio so the band was checked into their hotel and out in the festival streets by 3 in the afternoon.
All over Austin thousands of people in crazy outfits with guitar cases and drumsticks tight in hand were milling. At the end of our first hour on the hot, crowded street we found National Eye with Chris from Park the Van. Brian, Aaron, Rick and Will went to be interviewed for a podcast while Peter and Jonas ran off with Corey from Pattern is Movement, and the rest of National Eye headed back to the condo to rest up for the night.
On the couch sitting in piles of instruments, merch, and laundry, Rick and Will started up a little banjo and guitar jam. I was so unbelievably worn out from tour, so I couldn’t even imagine how tired the bands must have been. It felt good to shut my eyes and listen to the guys play gently.
Austin was overrun with Philly bands. Of the 2,000 groups registered, twenty-some were from Philadelphia, and that first night National Eye and The Teeth got to support both of the Make a Rising and The Capitol Years shows.
Rumors flew by text message about secret shows by The Flaming Lips and Beastie Boys and Neil Young sightings. Every person we passed on the street was on a cell phone rushing between the hourly shows. After The Capitol Years finished their deafeningly loud set in the upstairs room of an alt-country bar on the main drag everyone headed home to sleep. Thursday was going to be the biggest, most important show of the entire tour for both National Eye and the Teeth, the Park the Van showcase.
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