Once Upon A Time – 3rd ROAD BLOG from the “Timeless Tour”

The pop rock band, Once Upon A Time, is currently on the “Timeless Tour” with Hello Highway and Jocelyn. While they’re out on the road, they will be doing an exclusive blog for us. You can check out the band’s third and final update (with pictures), after the break.

“Hey guys! It’s Andrew from Once Upon a Time checking in with the FINAL road blog from tour. The past three weeks have accounted for some of the best days of my life, and I honestly can’t believe that this amazing journey has reached its end. But just as all great things must eventually expire, so must the Timeless Tour. As I sit here in the San Diego airport reflecting on the past few days, I’m overwhelmed by the people that made this insanely incredible experience possible. Between the guys in the other bands, to our fans, to anyone that offered us a snack, shower, or friendly hug, it’s been immeasurably appreciated. The last few days of tour have been a bit of a whirlwind, but I’ll recount them as best as I can to give you some final insight into the end of what you could call our life on the road.

Since Jamie last checked in, we played a stint of shows in the Midwest. Before our set, I hung out with the amazing host of this blog, as I had the honor of showing off our van for Digital Tour Bus. Our show in Iowa City represented a homecoming for our best friends in Jocelyn, as well as the birthday of our beloved, handsome, and heuristic bassist, Charlie. As always, Jocelyn brought down the house, and it was insanely cool watching them rock out in their true element. Following a hot and sweaty show, it was a relief to step out in an unseasonably cool Midwestern evening as everyone congregated outside of the venue. Iowa City is a college town, so with streets teeming with returning students, perfect weather, and our best friends, it was a flawless and ideal summer evening, and we couldn’t have been more pleased to have been a part of it. After the vehicles were loaded and the last CDs were signed, we addressed a relatively easy drive to St. Louis. Since Charlie and I share an apartment in the Gateway City, we opened our doors to the other guys on tour, and everyone set sail for our humble abode.

Although Phoenix is home, I’m originally from St. Louis, and my tenure as a student at St. Louis University made our show at the Firebird a bit of a homecoming. Plus, our touring members, Jack and Charlie, are from the area, so by the time we took the stage, the venue was full of friends, family, and familiar faces. We played an amazingly fun show, and afterwards we all returned to our apartment, where Once Upon a Time hosted the Timeless Tour in an unforgettable rooftop pool party at our apartment. We all hung out until dawn, and through the course of the night, songs were sung, pictures were snapped, and a few too many people were thrown into the pool. (Myself included.) Once everyone was thoroughly exhausted, we all retired to our apartment to catch some sleep. After some hardcore sleeping in, the guys in OUAT and Hello Highway ambled down the street to one of St. Louis’ greatest local diners, and we all spent the day hanging out and exploring the city.

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That night we tackled our most intense drive of tour: 1,500 miles from St. Louis to Phoenix. The band was anxious to get home, and we had a music video to film for our latest cover, so we mutually decided to take shifts and drive straight through the night. We switched driving roles every 4 hours, and by the time the earth had entirely spun on its axis, we made it to Arizona. We were able to enjoy two off days at home with our families, which was beyond cool. On Friday night, we all convened in Mesa for our long-anticipated hometown show. Although we couldn’t have been more excited, we had approached the night with apprehension, and our apprehensions were justified. The Nile Underground–the venue for the evening–is a classic punk venue: dark, damp, and totally without air conditioning. By the time everyone had packed in, temperatures were well into the triple digits, and the outdoor temperatures provided by Arizona in August were cool by comparison. But we persevered. We played one of the most energetic and fun shows of tour, and having our friends (and moms) at the show was pretty awesome, too. The following Saturday was a busy day for us in Los Angeles, so we departed straight from the venue. We were all pretty drained for the heat and excitement of the day, so we didn’t make it far. So after sleeping a few hours in a truck stop parking lot, we rolled into Sunny LA a little after 8 in the morning.

Our first stop in the City of Angels was at the studio of esteemed photographer Dirk Mai. After we made sure that we looked super swanky, he took some phenomenal promo shots for our new album. (Due out in early October!) After Dirk took some amazing shots and gave us a little sampling of LA, we headed to the legendary Chain Reaction venue. We were fortunate enough to play with Chantry (of the Cab) and per tradition, our final show of tour was replete with deliciously fun pranks. While I’d love to explain the complexity of our prank, I think pictures are far more expressive, so I’d encourage you to check below to see exactly what went down. Every band played a flawless set for their last night of our tour, and I really don’t think that any congregation of friends could have parted on a more positive note.

And just like that, the Timeless Tour is over. It was surreal and humbling, and I can’t thank Daniel and Hello Highway enough for giving some kids from Arizona the opportunity to make their dreams come true. Keep an eye out for our new music, and with any luck, I’ll be writing another tour blog for you guys sooner than you might think. Until then, stay safe and keep in touch!”

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