One Road Out of Vegas – Wayland Tour Log 2/16/14

The club last night was awesome. Great sound, great stage, wonderful staff.

You know you're in Las Vegas when there's more leather, studs and sequence in the crowd than there is on stage. We were opening for a well-known local Vegas cover band.

These nights are always a challenge because when the audience get themselves in the mindset to hear a cover band, they don't want to hear a bunch of original music by a band from Michigan that they don't know.

I was nervous. Then again, I get really nervous every night before we play. We knew we had to throw down hard to keep their attention.

During the first song, "Fire Down Below," I went to jump off a stage box and totally fell down in front of the drum riser. Quick recovery, though, and never missed a note. I've fallen down a few times over the last two or three years that we've been touring. I've never once felt embarrassed about it when it happens.

One time, I even had my pants rip completely in half during a tumble. When I give it all I have on stage about 300 nights a year, things are going to happen, and it won't always be pretty.

We aren't a band that has ever "planned moves" on stage. We don't believe in being careful or playing it safe when it comes to performance. We just play. I consider the band to be the energy between the music and crowd, and that can be a dangerous place to be sometimes! Haha!

It was great to see some Wayland Warriors out last night. Little did we know, pornstar Alura Jenson is a Warrior! Her and her husband drove a long way to see us last night and showed up late as we were loading out. They were such sweet people. I think that's the first pornstar I've ever met.

Mitch drove us 3 hours after the show last night. I'm the first one awake, and we seem to be in the middle of nowhere at a desert gas station. There is nothing around us as far as I can see. We have a 4 hour drive into Reno once everyone wakes up. I'm looking forward to seeing all our friends in Reno, and I'm hoping to get time to practice the new arrangement on "Follow." Dean and I sat down and sang some Oooos and Ahhhs practicing our background vocals yesterday.

– Phil Vilenski

Guitarist Phil Vilenski from Wayland is a touring contributor to WGRD.com. So, keep an eye out for more tour stories from the band!