Forty nights in a borrowed van
What the first leg of the long tour taught us about sleep, setlists and the merch table.
Written by Nell Okafor, Vocals, guitar · · 2 min read · Updated
We borrowed the van from Teo's uncle with a promise to bring it back with the same number of dents. We are at three new ones and counting, and every one of them has a story.
The first week
Portland sold out, which still does not feel real. Boston was a Tuesday and somehow louder. By Brooklyn we had stopped writing the setlist before soundcheck and started reading the room instead.
The merch table is where we meet everyone. Wren keeps a notebook of the cities where the smalls sell out first. It is a strange and useful science.
Somebody in Philadelphia told us they wore the Basement Years tee to every one of our shows since 2018. We signed it. They cried. We cried.
Nell
What comes next
The second leg starts in Chicago. New song, new shirt, same van. If you see us at a gas station, say hello. We will probably be eating pie.
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