Damian La Grange – CRAZY TOUR STORIES

In this Crazy Tour Stories segment, the alternative artist, Damian La Grange, talks about some of his crazy moments from touring. You can check out the feature, after the break.

My first band toured Canada in a blue Ford Freestar minivan nicknamed Lopez. Lopez was not only our transportation from one dive bar to the other, but it was also our home. One night, in particular, stands out to me, I remember my three bandmates and I sleeping in a Walmart parking lot in Grande Prairie, Alberta. It was the middle of winter, and it was -20 below Celsius. I had to start up our van every two hours just to get the heat going so we could sleep; it was a humbling experience. Hotels were a last resort for us, spending money on hotels meant skipping out on recording time, not ordering more band merch or delaying our next music video.

I’m not sure if that qualifies as a crazy tour story, but sleeping in a van for months at a time can be an insane experience. You learn a lot about yourself. I was just grateful to be playing music every night. Whether it was performing in front of 11 people or 1100 people, It made it all worth it.

As far as performances go, the craziest show we ever played on our tour was with one of my favorite bands, the Dirty Heads. They were a staple of my high school years. They inspired me to mix genres and not stay in one lane or put myself in a box. A year before opening their show, I watched the Dirty Heads perform at Boonstock Music Festival in Gibbons, Alberta. It was this performance that I jumped the barricade, hopped on stage and high-fived Jared, the singer. Maybe it was deserved, but I got my ass kicked by three angry security guards and thrown out. So when I had the opportunity to open for them a year later, it felt like sweet redemption.

Initially, we were only supposed to play a short 20 minute set right at doors, but the co-headliner was stuck at the border and couldn’t make it to the show that night. So they bumped us up to the 45-minute direct-support slot. By the time we went on, the venue was packed, and the energy was insane. Our 45-minute performance felt like 45 seconds. It was one of those turning points in my life where I realized my youthful passion for music would turn into a life-long pursuit.

https://soundcloud.com/damianplagrange/life-is-strange-1/s-xKV2j

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(Photo credit: Shae Paterson)