Apart from one-off visits to nearby cities Sacramento or San Luis Obispo, or a couple of events back in my home state of California, I usually only play events in San Francisco. Part of this is because the SF Bay area is so lively, that there really is no reason for a musician at my level to tour around. Part of the reason is also that I simply haven’t taken the time to plan a tour. That is, until now.

My unofficial tour kick-off at Saturday’s ForageSF Night Market was a unique experience for me. Never before have I ever played a gig where there was a line out the door (and wrapped around the corner to the end of the next block!). Obviously, the line was not for me – it was for the delicious food that underground food vendors were serving up. But it was a great feeling. And the atmosphere inside Public Works SF was as crowded and as bustling as a Bangkok market itself! I had thought this might be the case, so I made sure to play lots of up-tempo tracks that could match the energy in the room. Apart from a couple of hiccups (wrestling with equipment and a few intonation slip-ups), I felt I really made a good outing and gave a pretty decent performance. So all in all, the new experience turned out great!

No amount of preparation can fully prepare someone for an experience they have never been through. I can only use my knowledge of what I need for gigs locally, and think about what that might mean on a week-long trip. Questions arise: “What will the vibe of each gig be like?” “Which songs should I play?” and “How many CDs should I take?”

But really, the questions most on my mind are “Will anyone be there?” and “Will the audience enjoy it?” I’ve done my best to try and make sure that the answer to the first question will be a firm “yes”. And I’m fairly certain that my audience will always be able to take something positive from the event.

I built into my schedule (today) a day to prepare and pack. So other than packing and preparing my setlists, what’s left to do?

Just wake up tomorrow and drive.