The amphitheater at Millenium Park, Chicago
Day 31 – Off day in Chicago: We ate more Harold’s Chicken, checked out Pineapple Express (funny but not as funny as expected), hit up a mall that was literally 2/3 shoe stores (no finds) and checked out Millenium Park downtown (super cool).
Day 32 – Madison, WI: I had a bad time in Wisconsin courtesy of a $186 ticket for going 80 in a 65 (laaaaame!!!) and hands down the nastiest hotel on the tour. I will say this though, the show wasn’t bad and cheese curds are fantastic. The next stop in Minneapolis made up for it though.
Me, Von Pea dressed up as a lego storm trooper & Donwill at the Mall of America
Von & me at First Avenue in Minneapolis
Day 33 – Minneapolis: We made a quick stop at the Mall of America before heading downtown to playing at the legendary First Avenue (as seen in Purple Rain!!!). We were all geeked to play at a venue with so much history and hopefully our set didn’t embarrass the purple one’s legacy. Also, I got a chance to spin a little bit to set things off to and I’m still buggin out to think that Prince has played on that stage that we did.
Me & TM rockin onstage at First Avenue
DJ Torae from Hiero under the purple lights
Hiero at First Avenue
Nebraskan jukebox classic Donuts (not pictured but in the same section, 36 Chambers and a Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings album)
Day 34 – Omaha: Nebraska was surprisingly cool. From bumping into my Red Bull Music Academy homey/DJ/promoter extraordinaire Brent Crampton before the show and grabbing a (free!) delicious dinner at a fancy Spanish spot where he was spinning to catching up with some friends from CO to the enthusiastic crowd, everything in Omaha was better than expected. After the show I ended up at Brent’s super dope after hours spot dancing (yep, me…dancing, just a little bit…ha!!!) til super late. Fun night though, too bad I had to wake up super early for the trip to CO, luckily I was excited for CO so sleep didn’t matter.
Day 35 – Boulder, CO: One the second half of the long ass drive from Omaha to Denver we were hit with some of the craziest rain I’ve ever seen (and of course I was driving when it dumped rain). Nevertheless, we trudged through it and made it to my apartment in Denver with enough time for me marvel at how weird home felt after being gone for five weeks and pack up records for the show’s afterparty at my weekly party, the Solution, before rushing up to soundcheck at the Fox. The show was DOPE, the spot was PACKED when we went on and the crowd showed mad love (check the youtube clips), except for when Von gassed them up about me wearing a tux (like I said, check out the clips).
Bonus – Freshly Dipped Afterparty at the Solution w/DJ Low Key, Sounds Supreme, Tanya Morgan & the Blue Scholars: We hung out at the venue for an hour after the show to sell some merch then we were off to Denver to hit up the afterparty at the Solution, alongside my partner on the night, Sounds Supreme. Despite the unseasonably cold/wet weather, the rooftop patio was still PACKED tight with heads and cute girls (gotta love it). I hopped on the tables, TM rocked a quick set and we kept the party moving as the Blue Scholars showed up and we winded down the night. Being gone and coming home definitely made me appreciate the CO hip hop scene, heads were buggin out all night and it was a great way to cap off the tour.
I woke up the next morning at my spot hungover and tired, Don & Von took off to ultimately end up in the Bay and it was back to my “normal” life of DJing, promoting events & all the other random music iddish in Denver (for now at least). Big up TM & IM for bringing me along, everyone involved in the tour, all the fans who came out to the shows, everyone we met along the way and a special shout to the homey Shannon out west. Stay tuned as I get back on my mixtape grind with some projects that I’m extra excited about for the fall (I think you will be too), dope new club nights (of course), some crazy events (just wait) & more.
