Waiting for Waits

In the past few weeks, a friend and I have been emailing each other comparing notes on the shows we were missing while we were on tour. I missed Steve Earle. He missed Dan Hicks at a local club. I missed Wilco at the Burton. But then it happened, he emailed with a show that he actually had tickets for. And it wasn't Dylan or some other perpetually touring act, it was Tom Waits.

Waits has had a career spanning over 30 years and he's performed only 12 tours. Somehow I missed a chance to see him in Minneapolis when I was in University. Some friends drove down for the show but I was too cool to notice. Waits is on my very short list of live shows to see before I die.

According to Waits:

We’re going to the deep south where they still love a man who wears red pants and they make him feel welcome.

The video of the press conference posted online is hilarious. In it, he explains the astrological significance of the tour and provides an acronym to help people remember: PEHDCJMBA.

Ticketmaster is also using the opportunity to try out a new paperless ticket system. His label explains:

In keeping with Waits’ longtime desire to allow fans the best possible access to his shows, the Waits’ organization is again implementing an anti-scalping program to assure patrons that their tickets can only be purchased at face value.

Oh yeah, and most if not all of the shows are sold out. My friend lives in Phoenix but missed getting tickets to the two shows in that city. Instead, he's driving to El Paso, Texas. Do flights from Winnipeg to el Paso seem excessive?