Home Stretch

We've arrived at that point once again: the final week before a tour's end. Tonight finds us sealed up in a hotel room in Montreal, trying to let the weather system snow itself out before we continue on to Ottawa. Of course, I say "snow", but what I mean is that sludgy, wet, cold substance that doesn't quite communicate a festive sense of the season or even allow for sensibly coherent motion. Venturing out for lunch, we joined the natives downtown in a sort-of waddling, wobbling, motor-skill-impaired form of movement that left us with wet shoes, cold feet, and a aching desire to get back inside.

Thus, I wish I could report that this city is as beautiful as it's been accommodating to us, and I'm sure that it is, but the weather has kept us from any kind of exploration we might otherwise have pursued. Alas, I've relegated myself to getting some reading done, playing some nonsense games on the iPad, and getting caught up on Lord of the Rings before I go out to see The Hobbit (Netflix being, of course, disabled north of the border).

But, I must say that our Canadian audiences on this tour have been some of the most enjoyable for which to play. We all feel very welcomed and appreciated here in the Great White North and it is a truly wonderful privilege to get to perform our music this far away from our home.

I was once told by someone in the music business that a successful band is one that can go out on tour and have people come out to see them play. By that definition, it seems that we've made it, despite all the things we would still love to accomplish.

And, in a mere four days, this page in the history of the Tyler Ward Band will turn and we will go onto newer things; new music, new performances, and new experiences of all kinds await us in 2013 (given that the world doesn't come to a screeching halt on Friday). As for me, I can't wait to see my wife, my dog, my family & friends... this tour has been truly great to us and I feel better now at the end of three months than I have before at the end of our first two 30-day tours. But, with as good as its all been, we're still finding ourselves wearing a little thin and fraying a bit at the edges. Even the best tours are in at least some way survived, and I'm glad to report that it looks like all of us are going to make it out of this one alright.

So, a deep thanks goes out to everyone who's helped to make this tour special for us - the audiences, the tech crews that have made us sound good, the hundreds of people who have helped to accommodate us both at venues and at hotels - so many people contribute to these experiences. And even if they do so only in some small way, we are still thankful. We've had off-nights and nights where things have gone wrong technically with equipment or with travel or with some other unforeseen variable, and I'm sure there were some jaded people who left thinking it was all a crock because of such things. But, we've worked hard on this tour to make sure that the concerts were both enjoyable and memorable for everyone who paid their hard earned money in order to come and see us perform. Hopefully, the next time will be even better than this one.

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