We entered Tennessee via Memphis sometime midday with Chattanooga still around 300 miles away. We were wishing we had more time so that we could stop in Memphis and check it out for a little while, but alas, we settled for some whirlwind sight-seeing from the inside the Ghost Ghost as blew through town -- giant posters of Elvis and faux pyramids whizzing by. We drove through the Volunteer State towards the end of our fall U.S. tour, but besides an afternoon goofing off in Nashville, was mostly in the dark and we didn't get a chance to see much of the Tennessee landscape -- or maybe it just didn't strike us then. 
We were really impressed with the what the state has to offer, especially in between Nashville and Chattanooga, where they have some pretty good size mountains and some impressive lakes and other waterways. According to the locals, kayaking and other whitewater sports are really popular in the area as is the bass fishing -- not a whole lot of trout out this way -- but other than that was reminding us a lot of Idaho. Chattanooga in particular, as it was nestled in the hills and lakes, with a nice downtown area that was super mellow. It was a sunday night. Sunday night before St. Patrick's Day. And upon arriving at JJ's Bohemia we learned that the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga was on spring break. Luckily, we do a good job of maintaining low expectations. It was our 12th show in a row, we were all a little spaced out from lack of sleep and showers, but we were all pumped to be sportin t-shirts in the startlingly perfect weather, and the vibe at JJ's upon arrival was instantly good. Rad murals on the walls outside and all kinds of goodness on the inside -- including a Kissing Booth.
This turned out to be a real darkhorse of tour. A sleeper show if you will. We ended up with two stellar and enthusiastic locals on the bill in Antebellum and Coy, both of which were quite different from each other but really talented and tasteful in their own ways. Antebellum reminded me of the experimentalism of Radiohead or more so My Morning Jacket or Wilco with the folk elements and sections of their set. Their friend Ben did video projections during their whole set and they overall did a great job of setting the vibe for the evening and getting folks pumped up. Coy followed with a high energy set of upbeat and funky pop, slightly reminiscent of early Ben Folds Five. Really fun tight set. Even through in a cover of the Beastie Boys' "Sure Shot" which was pretty cool. Definitely had the crowd riled.
Already we were really impressed with the turnout considering all the factors, but curious how many would stick around for us Idahoans in town for the first time.First of all, huge thanks to all the guys from Antebellum for leading the enthusiasm charge during Coy's set and then carrying it over during ours. Some more folks left before we started, but considering that it was 12:30am on a Sunday night, there were a lot that stayed. A posse led by the Antebellum boys (John Michael, Stratton, Eric "the Croatian Sensation", Travis, Jeremy, Leif... and others) brought the fire throughout our entire set with some of the wildest dance moves we've seen in years. Including a point during DeTamble when they were all on the floor writhing ecstatically. It was quite the scene. And made for a really really fun set and a lot of energy in the room in general. Their friend Ben did projections during our set as well, which increased the visual experience of the whole happening. Truly a dark horse show, and despite better overall turnouts at some shows, probably the best show of tour thus far -- a great way to end our first 12 days leading in to our first day off. Other folks deserving our thanks: Coy, Ben, Mandi, Zach and the rest of the JJ's staff.
We went out to some great american diner in downtown Chattanooga after the show with the Antebellum crew then made our way to the comfy confines of Stratton & John Michael's place. Nice to have a clean place to stay again, and a shower awaiting us in the morning.
Reporting from a laundromat in South Carolina for all of us Finn Rigginses --
--gilbert
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