26th August, Day 2 - Sea Salt Beach

26th August, Day 2 - Gig at Sea Salt Beach
On Tuesday morning at 9 o'clock we say 'Let's go'. In traditional Bavarian dresses and lederhosen, we storm the next Walmart to buy breakfast, causing quite a stir. Many people ask why we look the way we do, where we come from, and what we are up to. Apparently, we are quite popular as a photo motif. Meanwhile, Franz, Basti, and Aaron organize our drum set for the next two weeks - we didn't bring it from Germany.

Then we continue to Sea Salt Beach, where we play our first gig. But first, everyone goes straight to the sea and some already get their first refreshment.
As Franz promotes us as if we were the celebrities among German youth bands, we go on stage at 1 o'clock - yes, right, 'go on stage'. We have 3 hours of gig ahead of us, unfortunately with only a few people in the audience, but a lot of wind, sun, and of course a lot of fun.

At 2 o'clock, we take a small break for lunch. To ensure that it doesn't become too long, a small polka group, consisting mainly of our supervisors, takes over the entertainment during the breaks, before everyone comes back on stage.

One advantage of having only a few audience members is that you can connect with them more quickly. So we met a native German who has been living in the USA for 35 years and played the birthday march to another listener for a special occasion.

After our performance and once all the instruments are loaded back into the trailer, the traditional Bavarian dresses and lederhosen are quickly exchanged for bikinis and swimming trunks, and we head back to the sea. The cool water is a pleasant refreshment, and the constant wind ensures that the temperatures remain bearable.

At around 6:30 pm, we all sit back on the bus back to the hotel - everyone is pretty exhausted, there is sand everywhere and you can still taste the salt on your lips, but everyone agrees: playing a gig directly on the beach is something special!

Back at the hotel, everyone quickly puts their things in their rooms before we have dinner at the nearby McDonald's due to the (vegan) lack of options.

Afterwards, the hotel pool is perfect for some late-night swimming action, but then everyone is definitely ready for bed.