Fall Tour Pt. 5: Goin’ Blind
10.24.14 — 6:02PM — Friday evening — Mill City Nights, Minneapolis, MN
“…some cherry candies for desert.” [sic] — Carl Porcaro
Little things make a huge difference. Some cold water on the face. A protein bar when you’re hungry. Washing your hands. A private bathroom. Some fresh air and sunshine. Advil for sore feet or just general existential soreness. Talking to your significant other. It was a long drive today from where we stopped in Wisconsin last night to Minneapolis — and as I understand it, tomorrow is longer; there was some back and forth on cutting out of this show early, but I have my doubts it will actually come to that — but a good day overall. Part of it is stir-craziness from being in the van, part of it I think is the band getting the first show of the tour over with — also beer — but the mood was pretty relaxed today even with the hours put in.
We stopped outside Minneapolis at Hammerheart Brewing, which is run by Austin Lunn of the black metal band Panopticon — his most recent album, Roads to the North, was reviewed here. Lots of very Norse and Viking imagery around the place, bare wood, various smoky smells, elaborately conceived brews. The antlers-on-Mjölnir logo summed up a lot of the aesthetic. A poster for a forest-worship black metal fest said no hate and if you couldn’t behave you should stay home, which I thought was fucking awesome. Some asshole will probably still screw it up, but righteous of them to put it on the show poster anyway. I didn’t drink any, but the consensus was that the beer was quality stuff, and it was cool to see Lunn and company passionate about what they were doing at the place. He was kind enough to give the band three growlers with the stipulation that nobody would “drive tired.” It’ll be about three hours back the way we came to where we’re staying tonight — Steve pointed it out as we passed it on the way here. Pretty sure I’m slated to drive later, and pretty sure I’ll be tired when I do it, but I won’t be drunk, and I think that’s what the euphemism was aiming at. A fair trade in any case.
The land on the way to Minneapolis was beautiful and sparse. We got into Wisconsin from Chicago last night, so there was a lot that I couldn’t see — and, presumably, not a lot to see since there were no lights on — but houses dotting rolling hillsides, distant looming smokestacks, gas stations, trucks, intermittent sun and cloud cover, even just enough of a rain splash to give the windshield of the Sprinter a needed once-over, intermittent Heartland porno shacks and fireworks stores, KISS’ Hotter than Hell emanated from the back seat forward as we rolled along, and it was a good time, even if a long trip to Hammerheart and, by extension, here. Different 
trees up and around here than were in Illinois and Indiana and Ohio and Pennsylvania. I haven’t spent a lot of time in the Midwest, but even the people who randomly said hi at the gas station this morning were incredibly nice and conversational. I think I’m too much of a prick to live with it on a more permanent basis, but it’s nice to visit.
It’s my first time in Minneapolis, and by extension at Mill City Nights. I didn’t see any mills, or at least not current mills — unless The Old Spaghetti Factory counts — but a lot of office buildings, some pretty interesting architecture. The whole town looks new and clean, as if the snow every winter melts and takes the grime with it. The venue is huge on the same scale of Summit Music Hall in Denver, but like the city itself, it seems very new, very recently constructed. Smells like nothing. There’s a balcony that’s crazy deluxe with a full bar, a Red Bull bar, tvs broadcasting the stage, seats and whatnot, and the stage has to be about six feet high in the cavernous space, P.A. speakers hanging on the sides from the ceiling on supported chains. I’m sure it will be plenty loud when the time comes. Not too long from now, actually.
Tags: Fall Tour 2014, Hammerheart Brewing, Minneapolis, Minnesota
