As we were planning this tour, I was surprised to see that Charlotte is much closer to Richmond than I expected. The four-ish hour route set us up for a healthy, but not overwhelming, travel day. Max said they’d be cool to drive for yet another day on the road. We are very thankful to them!
We took a recommendation from Jack to start our day with breakfast at Maria’s Grill, a short drive from their apartment in Charlotte. It’s a classic-feeling diner with all the egg, pancake, biscuit, and other breakfast options you’d want — and at least one option you might not. I got a call shortly into our visit and came back to find that the server had brought us a sample of livermush, a dish that tastes as good as it sounds. We were happy to have a culinary adventure but even happier to dig into plates of more normal breakfast before heading onto Interstate 85.
I actually wrote a travel story about a trip to High Point and Greensboro, which sit along the interstate heading east from Charlotte, for my old job at INDY Week. I immediately agreed with Serena’s recommendation to go to the World’s Largest Chest of Drawers while we were passing through High Point, the Home Furnishings Capital of the World. We paid tribute to the record-setting piece of furniture and carried on, driving along Interstate 40 near several spots in Durham. “That’s near my old job,” I said as we passed an exit to downtown Durham. “That’s where my dad got a concussion playing in a Filipino basketball league,” I said as we passed near the Museum of Life and Science.
Felix Tandem Fun Tour Fact for True Fans #10: Did you know that Cole is from North Carolina and likes it there?
We got to Richmond with lots of time to explore before our show — or so we thought. We forgot that we were in the South on a Sunday, so most things closed around 5 p.m., and we were limited in what we could check out. We still had enough time to roam the very cute streets and pop into Halcyon Vintage Clothing and Deep Groove Records and make conversation with an old UNC alumnus who noticed my Tar Heels sweatshirt.
FTFTFTF #10: did you know Cole is from North Carolina?
We headed to Bandito’s Burrito Lounge, our venue for the night, in time for dinner. I unfortunately missed the first two acts, Skyler Foley and GLOWR, as I was catching up with my college friends, Carson and Aiden, who had an early morning scheduled and were unable to stay for our gig. I enjoyed the tail end of GLOWR’s set and was shocked to hear it was only their third time onstage together.
We had a pretty average set. The only thing I have of note is that, taking inspiration from Warren of Dead Billionaires, I played a rock gig with glasses on for the first time since college. It was fine! I didn’t feel like I could trash around as much because I didn’t want my glasses to fall off! Warren is much better at putting on a good show with glasses on, and I always love seeing Dead Billionaires play. You can check out their debut album, Disaster Preparedness Coloring Book, to get a taste of why.
It was a pleasantly early night. We left Bandito’s to settle in at the apartment of Max’s friend Deanna, who graciously hosted us, and for the first time all tour, none of us had to sleep on a floor. Luxurious!
