JEFF PIKE - ABBA MANIA - FALL 2021 TOUR BLOG - DAY 3

October 30, 2021
The Grand Theater
Wausau, Wisconsin
www.grandtheater.org

Check out the TOUR page for all venue and ticket information for upcoming dates. 
​
So with our first night under our belt, we pulled into the beautiful Grand Theater in the quaint and lovely town of Wassau, Wisconsin. Most of us were more rested and quite ready for a better experience. Like the venue the night before, we have played here previously, but the weather was much different from what we pulled into this time. Our previous visit to Wassau was in the dead of winter, and there were several inches of snow and ice on the ground. There wasn't a cloud in the sky this time, and it was a beautiful, crisp fall day. So already, things were looking up.

The Grand Theater is gorgeous and a joy to play, and it is always lovely to return to a venue you have performed at before. Providing your last time, there was a pleasant experience, of course.  After settling into our comfortable dressing rooms and having a nice healthy lunch, we started an early soundcheck. We made sure to give ourselves ample time to troubleshoot any problems that needed to be fixed and any other problems that may arise. While there was a lot to give detailed attention to, Sean had done his homework, and progress was quicker than the day before. The majority of the problems lie with the in-ear monitor mixes of each individual onstage. We have a new app that allows us to control our separate monitor mix from our personal cell phone or iPad. This is a fantastic tool, but it did not come without bugs and gremlins, as you can probably tell by now. 

Dinner like always was wonderful, and the show was much better than opening night. Yes, there were still some hiccups and technical issues that still needed to be worked on, but all in all, it was a better performance all around, and the sold-out crowd was highly energetic and positive. 

I have to tell you that these first days wore on me pretty bad, and I was utterly exhausted by the end of this show. (Of course, boarding my flight from Atlanta drained and tired probably did not help matters either.) After the show, I cleaned up, got dressed in my tour sleep clothes (Meat Loaf baseball jersey and sweat pants), and walked through the cold weather to the bus. I then proceeded to go directly to my bunk for the evening. Quickly bypassing the cookies, sandwiches, and after-show pizza. This time feeling a little better than the night before and, as always, hoping that sleep would find me. Next day....HALLOWEEN.