[This is Part 6 of our September 2017 BORN TO THE STARS USA TOUR blog]
Sept 20, 2017
It was extremely nice of our hotel to let us check in super early. We were able to get a ton of work done, then work out and shower - all before 3pm! Thanks, Graduate Lincoln!!!
Graduate is a small chain of student/school-themed boutique hotels. Everything is retro Americana and brightly colored. This is the very happy front desk:
And this is the awesome green couch (and the silly lamp!) in our room.Can't help but be in a good mood at this hotel!
After our eyes couldn't take any more of our computer screens, Nick and I went to explore. One of the reasons we chose to stay at the Graduate was its incredible location. It is in the heart of the historic Haymarket District. Having been to Lincoln only once in the past (very briefly, on our 2014 US tour), this was our chance to get to know this town. The first thing I noticed was the diversity. Within 2 blocks we walked by Irish, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Thai and Spanish restaurants (just the ones I recall). And I saw a Russian shop! We bought some Russian chocolate, of course!
A couple of hours later, we ran into Beth Hart and her husband, Scott! We didn't even know they were already in town. It was such a surprise walking down the street and seeing them. Delicious Surprise (Beth lyric reference, haha)! Beth & Scott & their band/crew were staying at a hotel a block away from ours. We all happened to be looking for a bodega/convenience store. Nick needed blueberries. He explained to Beth & Scott his blueberry philosophy: since Nick doesn't eat salads/greens, one of the ways he stays healthy is by eating blueberries each day while on tour. Blueberries are full of antioxidants, vitamins and all that "good for your health" stuff. Superfood! At home we make smoothies from spinach, carrots and blueberries, but we didn't bring our blender on tour this time (we did on the last few tours - if you saw our 2014 C Minor To Shining Sea Tour Documentary, you'd know :)). Sadly, the bodega (the only store in the walking distance) didn't have any blueberries (booing sound from me) :) We parted ways with Beth and Scott and went to our hotel. Nick and I had some more work and writing to do. We bought a bottle of wine at a local wine tasting room and were going to eat leftovers from the night before + Russian chocolate, sip our wine and write, write, write!
An hour later, I got a text from Beth & Scott asking to come down to our hotel lobby. They had taken an Uber to a grocery store and bought us blueberries!!! Wow! Now THIS was a truly delicious surprise! (If you don't know this song, look it up, it is a great Beth Hart song). But seriously, we felt so loved and were really grateful to have such good friends. Thank you, Beth & Scott!
For the rest of the night, Nick & I wrote, worked, did laundry at the hotel (yay, tour fun!) and went for a quick swim. I usually swim with a swimming cap & goggles, but didn't want to scare you - that is why we took this photo without :)
In the morning, we woke up at 9am, worked, worked out, had lunch (split a takeout cheeseburger from Green Gateau) and before we knew it we had to be at the venue to load in at 4pm.
The venue was beautiful: the historic Rococo Theatre. Built in 1929, the theater's architecture is Italian Romanesque, with a slight Moorish influence (according to http://rococotheatre.com)
Here is a photo that Nick took during one of my solo songs (he played on 4 out of 7 songs, as our set was only 35 minutes):
And here is a mirror selfie from my green room. There are only 2 dressing rooms in this old theatre, and Beth gave me hers (she stayed on the bus). It was nice to have a place to do my hair/makeup and relax/gather my thoughts before performing.
As per usual, I immediately ran to the merch table after my set, greeted fans, sold and signed CDs before Beth's set at 9pm. Then Nick & I took turns watching her concert while selling merch. In the end of the night, we took this photo outside the theater - it was windy!
And this one at our hotel lobby:
We had an amazing time in Lincoln. Such great fans, wonderful Haymarket District, super cool hotel, great venue, amazing everything!
Thank you, Nebraska!!!
(to be continued)