Man, air travel ain’t what it used to be!!
Last week was my yearly trip to Anaheim for the NAMM show. Bunch of wankers playing at top volume in a large drum that we were all standing in! Marching bands walking through the aisles. Yikes! Don’t think I will ever hear the same again. Went out to the airport to find out that my flight was canceled. Went back to the hotel and checked into the same room again. Half hour later I got an email from American telling me my flight was cancelled! Thank you very much for the 80 dollar cab trip!!!
Got on the phone with them, and figured out that my best option was a 6AM flight out of LA the next morning. So I hopped on the Disneyland Express bus and headed to LA. Checked into a hotel across the street from LAX and left a 4AM wake up call. Got to Chicago at noon.
Left last Wednesday morning for Hershey, Pa. to photograph the touring company of Million Dollar Quartet. That involved an 8AM flight to Philadelphia, and a small plane to Harrisburg (after walking across the entire Philly airport- and taking a bus to a far distant terminal that might have been in a different state!) That flight was a flight to remember! 25 minutes of terror. I can only remember one similar flight. In 1983, I was asked to fly to Florida and accompany Tom Petty on his triumphant Gainesville, Fla. Homecoming. The short flight from Miami to Gainesville was like riding an out of control roller coaster. My only though during the flight was- if we die, my name won’t even make the obituary news story. It will say “Tom Petty and a bunch of other guys died in a fiery crash yesterday.” A few people got on their hands and knees on the runway and kissed the ground when we got off the plane. When we landed in Harrisburg, I felt like doing the same thing! When I got on the same plane to go to Philly Friday morning, the flight attendant smiled at me and said “Don’t worry, this won’t be as bad as the last one!” Reassuring.
Back home to watch the Super Bowl and then off to Las Vegas Monday AM to shoot the Vegas cast of Million Dollar Quartet. Hope it is warm out there!