From the Road Journal Archives...Pie Check

I was reminded today of a friendly competition between John and I several years ago: "Pie Check". I figuratively almost died laughing when I remembered the game. I had to dig through and find those posts from the Road Journal.

I can't find the post with the results, but the outcome was not nearly as rewarding as the contest itself. I seem to remember catching a Pie-less John on the bus, but I tend to alter my memories to make myself cooler than I actually am.

So here you go, a few blasts from the past, unedited and posted in their entireties (Pie Check updates towards the bottom of each entry):

***

August 9, 2003
CHICAGO, licensed to IL

Chicago, you blow my mind. I already love you so much, and then you go and pull a Saturday night. If you weren’t there, you missed one of the most intense John Mayer shows I’ve ever experienced. Not to get all hyperbole on you and all, but it’s like every song in the set was on steroids.

Why Georgia
My Stupid Mouth
Something’s Missing
83
Not Myself
Bigger Than My Body
3x5
Your Body is a Wonderland
Come Back To Bed
No Such Thing
Encore:
Daughters
Back To You

Why Georgia exploded to kick off the night. Bigger Than My Body is taking hold. Not Myself was super strong, right before one of the best Your Body is a Wonderlands I’ve ever seen – it had a great intro, break, and outro. Come Back to Bed was chilling – Buddy Guy was in the house but he might as well been on stage. He and John hung together before the show, and I can’t begin to fathom the idea of one of my heroes and influences coming to my show. Then again, I can’t really begin to fathom the idea of playing a show. Nonetheless, the song was powerful. Daughters sounded bigger than it ever has before Back To You tore the building down.

The Tweeter Center is a hulking mass of building. Unlike any other shed I’ve seen, it has skyboxes around the back perimeter of the pavilion, creating an atmosphere that I want to call intimate…it’s just odd to say that 30,000 people compose an intimate show.

We stayed in Chicago overnight and hit the town for some Saturday-I-guess-that-makes-it-alright action. There were good times until the sun came up, which only meant it was time to get ready for The Magnificent Mile. Chicago is just a wonderful wonderful place.

So wonderful that John and I had to begin (as he calls it) an exercise in Mental Endurance and Wit: Pie Check.
RULES: John purchased two 4.75-ounce Entenmann’s pies (one pineapple, one cherry). Each player must keep the pie within a 5-ft radius of himself at all times. If a player is caught without his pie, he loses.
EXCEPTIONS: The game placed on hold for both players when the House Lights are off – when John is on stage.
HOW TO WIN: The prize for the winner is $100, paid by the loser. An example: if Player 1 thinks he has caught the other pie-less, he calls “Pie Check.” If Player 2 does indeed lack a pie, the game ends. If Player 2 has his pie within the approved area, Player 1’s possible winnings are reduced $10 (e.g, from $100 to $90) for the false call and the game continues. Additionally, if any food product is found on the cellophane top of the pie-box, possible winnings are reduced $20. This eliminates the possibility of keeping the pie in a cargo pocket day after day.
NOTES: I have pineapple and John has cherry. Weekend at Bernie’s is on.

Prepare yourselves for a bumpy ride.

Where’s your little box?
Something’s Missing or is it?
Better not be pie

-Scotty

***

August 11, 2003
CLEVELAND, OH, Winston-Salem

The land of Cleve. The man who was the 22nd and 24th president. Home of Bizzy Bone. Drew Carey’s backyard. Indians. Browns. LeBron. See Level and Owe.

My Stupid Mouth >
83
Something’s Missing
Bigger Than My Body
No Such Thing
3x5
Come Back To Bed
Your Body is a Wonderland
Why Georgia
Encore:
Back To You

From the beginning of the show, the sound was great – The Unstoppable Chad had things just right. With the assist was the Blossom Music Center and its pup-tent-like cedar structure. 83 had a really cool intro that segued from My Stupid Mouth. After Bigger Than My Body, John introduced our new keyboard player, Onree. Onree played the rest of the set and kicked its ass all the way to Delaware. We’re riding 5 deep on the stage now and its rockin’. Back To You punched me in the face and knocked me down the stairs.

The BLC is a cool place – there’s a full on arcade and jukebox in catering, hardwood floors everywhere, and underground tunnels. It reminds me of Disneyworld. Yaaaay. Speaking of yay, Pie Check is still in full effect. There've been a few attempts at fooling the other person, but we give each other too much credit to call Pie Check unless we truly mean it. It's truly a game of mental and physical endurance. If you don't believe me, try carrying around a pie all day long.

Now we begin the roam to Buffalo.

Pie Check’s Second Night
Crumbs all in my computer
Smells like pineapple.

-Scotty