University of Illinois, Springfield

We only had to drive 3 1/2 hours today - plus we GAINED an hour back into Illinois. SOO awesome!!! It helps so much when it is a short drive... all the way around. Just enough time to get some phone calls, emails, a short nap and some 30 Rock into the drive!

We played at University of Illinois, Springfield tonight. They have a great room where they set up a whole lighting rig and stage with couches and nice chairs... all in a dorm building!!! You definitely didn't feel like you were in a dorm when the show was going on. The Student Activities was offering hot chocolate and coffee for students... and... well... US!

David opened the show and even played a beautiful new song I hadn't heard, yet. And then we had an awesome set. My fiddle bridge collapsed on my new fiddle, though. That wasn't so awesome... I thought the E string broke again - which I have had some issues with... and it's been in the shop for. But tonight, the bridge just collapsed! SO STRANGE!!! That has NEVER happened before. Thank goodness I always have a spare now. I play 3 different fiddles in the show these days. :) It happened during the solo in "You Know Nothing" and so I had to finish out the song and then just switch to another fiddle.

Thank you to Ricky, a soldier who saw us at Ft. Gordon last May, for coming out tonight! Sorry I didn't have my camera yet to get a pic of us. :(

Here's everyone that helped put the show together!!! They had posters up all over campus, facebook events, and a clip of us playing on their college tv station. :)


My new friend Kristin! She liked my "big country girl hair" :) And we sang "This One's For the Girls" together after the show because it's one of her favorite songs.


This guy was part of the committee that brought us to Western Illinois (where we opened for Gloriana), but he couldn't be at the show... He had to fly to Oklahoma for an interview that day. So he drove down to UIS tonight (where his girlfriend goes) to see the show!







Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie