Farewell, Toronto (Now w/ Addendum)

As it goes, we had to leave Toronto just as I was starting to sniff out the good parts of town. But on the upside, we're back in Fairmont country, where the internet is free and the DND signs actually have meaning.

Also on the upside, I get to leave behind what was personally the most harrowing show to date. It all started when some demon jumped into my wireless mic setup, robbing me of amplification at less-than-opportune moments. I derailed in the first 30 seconds, and never quite got back into the groove for the rest of the night. But the icing came at the very end when I picked up my shaker to start “Gimme Shelter” and realized that it contained none of the little beads necessary for qualifying a plain metal tube as a shaker. If you look closely at the photograph, you can see many sparkley silver beads ground into the carpet of my station, where they look pretty but don't contribute much to shaking.

I didn't see it happen, but by all accounts, the shower of beads issued forth when I picked up the shaker proved both humorous and visually spectacular.