In between sound checks, I have been sneaking around the artist trailers, trying to get the lay of the land. Since I have the right “credential”, or “pass”, this makes it perfectly legal for me (but not for anyone else—sorry!) The sighting of a 10-gallon hat and the smell of spicy chili makes it obvious that this, the Farm Aid concert, is a different type of event for the Tweeter Center—or at least I think so.
First, I wanted to pay homage to Willie’s bus, since it had been in the headlines lately. As I mentioned earlier, these buses and trailers are parked so tightly that it will take a surgeon to move them. This is all thanks to a gentleman named Mudslide. As buses and trailers arrive, Mudslide jumps into the drivers seat and navigates them scrape free.
The crew is busy jockeying their equipment for position backstage and prepping for the quick stage changes during the day-long sound checks. The boxes have everything from drums to special microphones. 
I was walking all over the stage, pacing with some slight fear about tomorrow’s Webcast. I went to the Webcast production trailer to meet the crew—Aaron, Ben, Phillip and Dave—to set my mind at ease. My fear is that my truck driver vocabulary might slip out during an interview, so I wanted to make sure the cast was somewhat time delayed. I never got that question answered because I got distracted. The crew that is in charge of the Webcast and your viewing pleasure, have a giant Staples “easy button” in the middle of their audio panels—do they really think this will work?
I was reviewing the line-up of interviews and the one I am most excited about is New Jersey’s 2006 Peach Queen. I am compiling a slew of trivia about peaches to see if she deserves this title…plus I am creating a list of peach puns for my interview for light-hearted transitions.
