8/26/10 – Denver, CO

We make the epic drive to Denver for our final show. At some point, I realize, holy shit, we’re going to make it through this.

We permit ourselves several dawdling stops, including Gothenburg, Nebraska, where we all buy souvenirs at an old Pony Express station. Last summer, we played Gothenburg Sweden, and now we realize that this town was actually founded by Swedes, in honor of their hometown.

We’ve grown a little quieter around each other, realizing our separation is imminent. Real life means lots of comforts, but it also means contemplating things we’ve shoved into the dark corners of our minds for the last three weeks. Money, work, dishes, taxes–the list is endless.

The folks in Denver are just lovely. The final band, Hindershot (containing two ex-Nebraskans!), is having so much fun onstage I swear we could all leave and they’d just keep playing. It’s a rare quality in a band. I suppose it helps that the music is great.

My battered keyboard stand, which was being held together by a wedged-in Allen wrench, gets abandoned at a dumpster. It is our final farewell. It feels like a viking funeral, watching that spindly thing recede as we drive away.