Legally Blonde Tour: Did I just drop out of school to go on tour? With Legally Blonde? Yep.

Herro. I just got done with my first day of playing guitars for Legally Blonde the musical! It went very well too, which is pleasing. Explanation:

I was having a great year at North Park. Great friends, great connections, some great gigs (thanks Steve Kelly and Brian Wu), and great classes...ehhh maybe not the last one. Anywho, I was sitting on my butt/eating rice (as is my custom) between classes on Thursday September 23 when I got a call from a Maryland number. Turns out that this touring company (troika entertainment) needed a guitar player for the Legally Blonde National tour that was happening...their other guy had an accident (I just found out it was a rollerblading accident...how odd). Felton Offard, my funky guitar instructor, had been kind enough to pass along my name to the music contractor that set up the band for the musical. She told me that if I accepted I would start the following Saturday (Oct. 2nd) in Columbus OH. Oh, and they said they would pay me BANK. Naturally, I was bewildered and had no idea how I would pull it off.

So I said yes!

I dropped out of classes the same day, and had to purchase three new instruments (Mandolin, 12string, and Classical). I had no idea how to play mandolin. Shedding commenced, as well as a frenzy of activity regarding logistics (at one point they wanted me to take the greyhound to the gig with 5 guitars, pedalboard, and luggage...I rejected that idea). Either way, everything got arranged (man that sucked) and I arrived in Columbus on Wednesday (September 29th) in the afternoon. They gave me a pimpin' hotel room all to myself in the Hyatt.

That same evening, I finally got my hands on the guitar book and some decent tracks and went to TOWN. Then I audited (sat and watched the guitar player filling in until i got there) for two shows (Thursday and Friday). Here's the theater.

And here are some pics of the orchestra pit, it's a little cramped. They have a Mesa Mark V for me (that is a killin amp)! The lighting is bad, but you can get the idea.