The Final Countdown!

Greetings! How is everyone doing tonight?

Today was a lovely day, kicked off with a 2(ish) mile run. I have attempted several times in the past to fit in a run before work, and today was the first day this year I have actually done it! Felt great and I can't wait to do it again tomorrow.

The day was a blur of rock show planning and other work-y stuff. Nothing new to report :-)

Side note: I. Love. This. Song. My friends recently had this as their 'Grand March' song at their wedding. Awesome. But seriously, it's stuck in my head as I think about the Pikes Peak Challenge. I am starting to get really excited / anxious as it's just 16 days away (!!!). Literally, it's 'The Final Countdown'.

Since the big hike is getting so close, I am re-vamping my training program to include an emphasis on cardio, strength and stretching exercises in near equal proportions. There are two long-distance hikes, which are exciting to think about, in addition to my favorite form of cross-training: horseback riding!

Obviously I've improved as a rider since last year when this photo was taken. I am also gonna request a horse that's a bit larger next time.

Oh yeah, and there's a Lady Gaga concert and a very special wedding in there too. Gotta love dancing as cardio :-) Especially when it's high-intensity booty shaking like I'll be doing at Gaga!

(image source)

Yoga will also be important in leveling out my anxiety and getting in some much-needed deep stretching. I am not used to running so often, not to mention dancing in stilettos, so yoga should help immensely.

Here's le Grand (training) Plan for the final stretch:

DAY 16

Fri. 8/27 - AM: Run (30 min, 2+ miles) + Squats / lunges / calf raises (50 ea.)

(Point Fish Fry & A Flick - The Big Lebowski at work)

DAY 15

Sat. 8/28 - AM: Hike through Lapham Peak (~7 miles)

PM: Yoga (40 min.)

(Weird Al Yankovic, Trampled by Turtles shows at work)

DAY 14

Sun. 8/29 - AM: Horseback riding (~2.5 hours) + Squats / lunges / calf raises

PM: Rest :-)

DAY 13

Mon. 8/30 - AM: Run (30 min, 2+ miles)

PM: One hour walk / run (5+ miles)

DAY 12

Tues. 8/31 - AM: Run (30 min, 2+ miles) + Squats / lunges / calf raises

PM: 30 minute walk around Downtown MKE + Stairs at Riverside?

(Alice Cooper show at work)

DAY 11

Wed. 9/01 - AM: Run (30 min, 2+ miles) + Squats / lunges / calf raises

PM: One hour walk / run (5+ miles) + Yoga (40 min.)

DAY 10

Thurs. 9/02 - AM: Run (30 min, 2+ miles)

PM: 2+ Hours of DANCING at the Lady Gaga concert!!!

DAY 9

Fri. 9/03 - AM: Rest / Recovery from Gaga :-)

Throughout the day - Squats / lunges / calf raises

PM: Rehearsal Dinner / Jem's + Kevin's wedding

DAY 8

Sat. 9/04 - AM: Run (30 min, 2+ miles) + Squats / lunges / calf raises

PM: An entire evening of dancing and celebrating at Jem + Kevin's wedding

DAY 7

Sun. 9/05 - AM: TBD Wedding activities?

OR ~7 mile hike at Lapham Peak OR Horseback riding (2.5 hours)

PM: Rest / Yoga (40 min)

DAY 6

Mon. 9/06 - AM: ~7 mile hike at Lapham Peak OR Horseback riding (2.5 hours)

PM: Yoga (40 min) OR Squats / lunges / calf raises

DAY 5

Tues. 9/07 - AM: Run (30 min, 2+ miles) + Squats / lunges / calf raises

PM: 30 minute walk around Downtown Milwaukee

(Crowded House concert at work)

DAY 4

Wed. 9/08 - AM: Run (30 min, 2+ miles) + Yoga (40 min)

PM: One hour walk / run (5+ miles)

DAY 3

Thurs. 9/09 - AM: Run (30 min, 2+ miles) + Yoga (40 min)

PM: Squats / lunges / calf raises before hopping on a plane to Colorado Springs!!!

DAY 2

Fri. 9/10 - AM: (Hopefully) 3 Hour Horseback ride through Garden of the Gods!

PM: Pre-Hike Rally at the Olympic Training Center, then REST

DAY 1

Sat. 9/11 - 3AM wakeup call! 4:30AM - Pikes Peak Challenge hike begins!

It's now time for Jersey Shore, so I shall leave you with some food porn. In honor of my work showing The Big Lebowski tomorrow, I give you my signature White Russian Cupcakes.

Until tomorrow, friends!

Artist Riders: From boring to hilarious, and please - no brown M&M's.

Since this is a "Backstage Pass" themed blog, and a food-themed blog at that, I thought it appropriate to rap a little bit on the wonderful world that I work in: the entertainment industry.

When a musician comes to perform at our venues, they send us a document called a "performance rider." This includes stage and equipment specifications, contacts for the tour, and information about what kind of food and drinks they'd like to have in their dressing rooms and backstage.

Now, I will not be writing about any personal experiences I've had - sorry, this would break my confidentiality agreement - however it's possible to view real artist riders online. I love TheSmokingGun.com for its hilarious articles about celebs... another fun feature on the site is their compilation of artist riders, aptly titled "Backstage Pass."

Disclaimer: None of the artists featured in this post have appeared at any of my venues :-)

Here are a few highlights that I found:

Will Ferrell:

While promoting his movie "Semi-Pro," Will included the following requirements on his hospitality rider (found here on TheSmokingGun.com):

Stage:

- One (1) headset microphone (Janet Jackson style)

- One (1) electric mobility scooter

- One (1) rainbow on wheels

Hilarious!

Backstage:

- Raw almonds (kinda boring but at least he's into healthy snacks)

Lady Gaga: 

I just love Lady Gaga, and had to check out her required items. The items are pretty healthy but boring, dried mangoes and roasted chicken and whatnot, but I find humor in the large note across the top: NOTE: THE HONEY IS VERY IMPORTANT.

Wayne Newton:

This guy is, in my opinion, an American treasure. Why is it that Mr. Vegas asks for a cold deli tray and some lame carnations? Coors Lite, really? Can't this guy get a fancy steak dinner and long-stemmed roses? Danke Shoen, my foot.

My two cents about artist riders is that some promoters do not pay enough attention to them, and they often stiff the artist on their requirements. Famously, Van Halen's brown M&M story illustrates this discrepancy. The band didn't really need for the brown M&M's to be removed from the bowl in the dressing room, but had it on the rider to make sure the promoter was paying close enough attention to all items listed. Chances are, if they got to a venue and lo and behold, brown M&M's were in the bowl... a more important detail may have also been overlooked, perhaps on a larger scale like rigging, lighting or sound. The whole story is here on Snopes.com along with snippets from David Lee Roth's autobiography. NPR's Monkey See Blog has a story and some links here, as well.

Let's hear from you - leave some comments, please!

What items would you demand as a rock star?

Have you heard any crazy stories of artist demands?