Almost Famous … with Minus the Bear
A day on tour full of laughs, drinks, and plenty of great music
By Kelly Mellott
Published: October 19th, 2006 | 12:30pm
October 5, 2006
2 p.m.
After we met up with Che, Minus the Bear’s tour manager and sound tech, we waited around for Chicago’s Logan Square Auditorium to open its gates so the band could start loading in. The rest of the band arrived, done with their lunch at Johnny’s Grill next door. By 2:45, the venue opened up and everyone carried their equipment up its many flights of stairs. “Someone should really think about installing an elevator in this place,” said drummer Erin Tate as he tried to catch his breath. The band continued setting up once inside. Adjusting guitar pedals and assembling a guitar stand were among the more complicated tasks, at least judging by the looks of vocalist-guitarist Jake Snider and guitarist Dave Knudson’s faces as they struggled.
4 p.m.
Now that setup was complete and everyone had brought their belongings upstairs to the private dressing room, it was time for sound check. Technical tweaks were made as the band played through selected songs from their set list. Since it was the first show on the tour, the band worked out opening and closing sound effects with Che on the soundboard.
The other bands started trickling in and I started to get really excited for tonight’s performances. The bill was amazing. Unlike most tours with small bands for opening acts, Minus the Bear chose to featured talented indie-rock outfit The Velvet Teen, up and coming hip-hop act P.O.S., and Chicago natives the Russian Circles. Merch started setting up tables and sorting through shirts, buttons and new posters.
5 p.m.
P.O.S. stepped up for sound check and the Minus the Bear guys exchanged hugs and high fives with their fellow tour-mates before making their way up to their room. Feeling discouraged by a rough sound check, everyone settled down for some relaxation as they waited for their rider (the bands chosen beverages and booze supplied by the venue) to arrive.
6 p.m.
Bassist Cory Murchy stepped away to chat on his cell phone while keyboardist Alex Rose, Minus the Bear’s newest member, passed out cold beers. The band gathered around the big, circular table in the room to go over their set list for the night. Around 6:45, the show’s promoter delivered the band’s dinner. My stomach growled jealously as Rose consumed his tofu burrito. “It’s a cornucopia of vegetables,” he assured me. Snider devoured his chicken wings, hands covered in buffalo sauce. Napkins weren’t much help. The doors were about to open as the Velvet Teen did a last minute sound check downstairs.
7 p.m.
While Concertgoers were starting to fill the auditorium below, I was introduced to the hilarious banter among the group, who all seemed to share a witty and oftentimes ridiculous sense of humor. Topics discussed were Rose’s new mustache (“I like it, man, but if you’re going to rock the mustache you have to own it. It’s all or nothing.”) and Tate’s adoration for cheese (“I like cheese. I mean, it’s good…you eat it…”). Everyone seemed to be in high spirits as the rider arrived and the upstairs room became a blur of people and excited conversations. At 8 p.m., the Velvet Teen took the stage for an overwhelmingly impressive performance. Russian Circles followed soon after with yet another amazing set.
9:40 p.m.
P.O.S., the only non-rock act of the evening, started their set. Everyone was interested to see the crowd’s reaction. As expected, the audience was definitely feeling P.O.S.’ set as they kept the music spinning and frontman Stefon Alexander worked the crowd. A little before 10 p.m. Minus the Bear started heading down to the stage, grabbing towels and beers to take along. Thinking ahead, Murchy hid two beers in his sweater and tucked them behind the heater in the dressing room — a secret we would keep between us. “Everything will be gone by the time we’re over,” he justified.
10:45 p.m.
Minus the Bear made up for their sound check in the performance. They took the stage and had the audience dancing at the first hint of their infectious melodies. They played a balanced mixture of new, old, and really old favorites, including their hit “Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Warehouse”. The audience seemed to know every word to every song as they danced and basked in the overall good . They closed with “Let’s Play Guitar in a Five Guitar Band,” leaving the audience begging for more. The encore seemed to be one last surge of energy from the band’s already high-energy performance. They finished the set off with “Pachuca Sunrise,” sending satisfied fans out into Chicago’s chilly night.
12:25 a.m.
After catching their breath and checking in with everyone upstairs (it’s true, there wasn’t a drop of alcohol left!), the band began packing up and carrying their equipment back down the dreaded stairwells. Everyone was sweaty but excited that the first show had gone so well.
1 a.m.
The band finished loading everything, packing the trailer in an impressively efficient fashion. The whole group, including members of the Velvet Teen and Russian Circles, headed around the corner to Dunlay’s, a local restaurant and bar, for a drink. Last call was shortly after our arrival, so everyone finished up their beers and mixed drinks while discussing the upcoming tour. Rose and Tate explained their goal to “tone it down” in regards to partying hard, at least for now. We also discussed Venus Zine, revealing that Minus the Bear reads the magazine whenever they get a chance. Finally, around 2 a.m., the tired bartenders sent our haggard bunch out the door. Back at the van, everyone said their farewells and called it a night. The van pulled off into the city streets.
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