If We Can Stay Awake

I have been sitting on my couch for awhile now trying to get some idea, any idea about what to write about. This is not common for me. Usually over the course of the week, I come up with many ideas, but not this one. I blame my lack of sleep. The sleep deprivation I have been experiencing has been forming over weeks. It isn’t that I didn’t get enough sleep last night (although I didn’t). I haven’t gotten enough sleep in days, even weeks. Then, the days have been packed with events and long lists of things to do. This results in not great sleep when I can get it as I am over-tired and stressed.

I am actually a really big fan of sleep. Most people, most adults, I know are. Yet, I have fond memories of times when I have gotten anything but. Strangely enough, many of those experiences surround touring. I wonder why. Here are some of my favorite highlights or lowlights or most sleep deprived moments or however you want to call them.

Is That Sunrise I’m Hearing?

My first real Duran Duran tour happened during this time of year in 2005 as part of the Astronaut Tour. I was extremely fortunate in that the tour swung through the Midwest at the exact same time as my spring break. This meant I was able to see five shows over the course of the week, including Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, Moline and Detroit. It was definitely one of the best spring breaks ever, if the best.

In many respects the first weekend of that tour was the most fun. That weekend included the Chicago and Milwaukee shows. Like many others, Rhonda flew in for the weekend and it felt like a party from the very beginning as Duranies filled the hotel bar until the wee hours of the morning. Even after it closed, Duranies packed hotel rooms to chat, to laugh, to ponder everything and anything Duran. I believe that the first night of the tour, which was the night before the show, we got to sleep about 4 hours of sleep. Turns out that was a good amount.

The next night featured the Chicago show and an even later night. Again, the hotel bar was hopping as fans and the opening band enjoyed drinks until late. By the time our heads hit the pillow, it was very late or very early, depending on how you look at it, bringing our sleep total to about seven hours for the entire weekend. Then, Saturday night hit, proving that all things Duran are worth it or so we thought.

On Saturday, we drove up to Milwaukee for the show then did the obvious by driving back to Chicago in hopes of seeing the band after the show at their hotel. (Of course, who wouldn’t do that?) As the hours ticked by, we sat in the hotel bar, chatting, waiting, uncertain about what to do. At which point, I knew that I would need caffeine if I would be able to get us back to our hotel, resulting in a visit at an all night diner where Rhonda and I started laughing hysterically and couldn’t stop. If I had seen us, I would have thought we lost it, for real. By the time we got back to the northern suburbs, the sun was rising and there wasn’t really enough time to sleep before friends needed to be dropped off at airports. This means that we literally got a hotel room that we never slept in. All it did was store our stuff. Yes, we are geniuses.

By that Sunday afternoon, Rhonda and I found ourselves killing time by walking around a mall, waiting for her to be dropped off for her flight. We only had about 7 hours of sleep in three nights and had been up for well over 24 hours. At this point, we swear we started to hear “Sunrise” playing in the mall. Was it? We don’t know. Maybe? Maybe not? After all, it could have been an auditory hallucination. After I dropped Rhonda off, I began making phone calls as I ventured north to Madison. I was that worried that I would fall asleep at the wheel. Despite my exhaustion, I loved every minute of the weekend.

We Might As Well Stay Up

In 2011, we had one of our most favorite tours, which was doing a few shows in the UK in November/December. Initially, we were just going to do the shows in Brighton, Bournemouth and Birmingham. Then, we noticed great seats for the show in Glasgow for sale online. It would mean traveling up to Scotland and arranging a flight back to London but that show seemed to be calling us with the amazing seats available. On top of that, my friend was living in Scotland and could offer us a place to stay. We jumped at the opportunity.

That show in Glasgow was amazing. It was well worth the additional travel cost and money on top of the ticket price. Honestly, it remains one of my favorite shows of all time even if we didn’t stay too long after the show as we had to get back to my friend’s place in Edinburgh through the light snow that evening. Still, by the time we arrived back, there were only hours until we would have to turn around and get our ride to the airport. Right then and there, we decided to just stay up. After all, we didn’t want to miss our flight back to London, which would mess up the right of our travel plans or so we told ourselves. In reality, the show left us with such a concert high that we spent the few hours we had searching online for any videos of that show or any of the other shows we saw.

Touring Is Tiring

I have so many pictures of Rhonda and myself at the beginning of a tour looking refreshed and healthy. I have an equal number of photos of us looking beyond exhausted and that we had partied hard. I distinctly remember a sign I saw at O’Hare one time coming back from a tour that said, “I’m ragged. I’m raw. I’m a rock star.” I think it was an advertisement for shoes or something but that phrase sure felt fitting. Touring has always meant little to no sleep. While I do love sleep, the fun that we have had makes the lack of sleep totally worth it. I’m sure the heck hoping that I feel the same lack of regret come April 2nd, Election Day. Then, like any post-tour, I’ll recover and get ready for the next time. That said, anyone know how to bank sleep? Anyone? Anyone?

-A