The Perry's Concert

Last night, I went to hear the Perry's ... They are bar none, one of the best groups in Southern Gospel ... and pretty much my very favourite group. If you have heard the Chapelaires CD Even In The Valley, we sang two of the Perry's songs ( Damascus Road and Calvary Answers For Me )...

anyway... the concert was unbelievable.... I bumped into Tracy Stuffle ( the bass singer ) before the concert... I'd gone in, through a side door, hoping to record some interviews with the group members, for my dad's Southern Gospel Show on the Christian Radio Station in Belleville.... ( which I didn't get done, by the way ) ... anyway, I had a wonderful visit with Tracy before the concert ... he is SO funny... and down to earth, and the second best bass in ALL of Gospel Music today ( a close second to Gene MacDonald from the Florida Boys )

While we were visiting back stage, we got to talking about the Canadian Border crossing, and the exchange rate on Canadian Dollars etc etc... Tracy mentioned that their bank in Tennessee, will no longer exchange Canadian Money (that is apparently becoming more common, the farther south you go.)

They were hoping to get to the border in Niagara Falls early enough to exchange the money at the Duty Free shop .. but were afraid they wouldn't get the bus loaded in time.... I said to him : Why not send one of the group members ahead in a car? he said.. oh no, I couldn't ask anybody to do THAT ....

I said.. well I'd be glad to do it... if you change your mind, let me know...

and sure enough, they did..... it was SUCH a thrill for me.... After the concert was over, I got to drive to Niagara Falls with Tracy and Libbi's 14 year old son Jared and their bus driver, Steve Rabbit Easter ( no really, that's his NAME! )... Rabbit is a legend guitarist, in gospel Music ... he is Jeff Easter's older brother. Rabbit has played for the Oak Ridge Boys, the Goodman Family, Jeff and Sheri Easter, and tons of others...... anyway... it was an incredible thrill for me... and it was all going SO well..... until........

Let me start at the beginning...We left Mohawk College just after 10 ... and got to Niagara Falls at about 10 minutes to 11 ....with just enough time to exchange the money, and then grab a quick bite to eat before we met the bus and they headed on to West Virginia....

We found the Duty Free shop, right by the bridge .... I saw the building, and the Left Turn arrow, right in front of the building.... so I turned.... we pulled ahead about 400 feet, looking for a parking spot and realized.... this isn't a parking lot.... this is the Bridge already.. WE ARE ON THE BRIDGE .......heading for the U.S. ... oh CRAP!

SO I did a quick U turn, and headed back through this little narrow pathway, and found myself inside the RV/Bus compound of the Canadian Customs.... we drove around the building, and the gate was shut... crap again!
I did another U turn, to go back out the way I came... only to come face to face with oncoming RV/Bus traffic... coming into customs... crap AGAIN...

another U turn... This time, I parked, illegally and went IN to the customs office..... the cop guy that talked to me, came out, explained that I had to go OUT the IN, and turn an IMMEDIATE left... and go through the Customs booth, just as if I was entering Canada....

But I didn't LEAVE Canada.... apparently, I had... Jeepers.

So we head out, facing oncoming traffic, hoping no busses came in..... turned an immediate left... and pulled into the line of traffic, waiting at the booths.....

and there we sat.... coming back into Canada, with all of the other New York plates...... Jared, mean while is in the back seat, sweating buckets! American Music groups live in fear of the Canadian Custom's ... and with good reason.... they can be pretty snarky to Gospel Musicians coming in to Canada....

at this point, I started to worry.... I looked over at Rabbit Easter and he goes.... uh... My birth certificate is in my wallet, which uh.... is on the BUS ( that'd be the bus that was back in Hamilton, loading up the sound equipment ) .... oh CRAP!

So there we were, still waiting to enter Canada, me with Ontario plates, and two Americans, with little or no ID.....

I wanted to crawl into a hole and DIE..... Anyway... to make a long story short, after explaining the situation in great detail to the guy in the booth, he let us through... THANK YOU GOD!!

We got through the booth, turned left ... and this time, pulled into the RIGHT parking lot for the Duty Free Shop ........at 11:02 pm.... ANDDDDDDDDDDDDDD they closed at 11 ....
FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!! *****

Sigh....... I turned around in the parking lot, and went back to the gate... and couldn't get out... NO EXIT ..... oh mannnnn... why me?


We pulled up to the building and spotted an employee that was leaving :

Where's the exit?

over there....

where does that go?

onto the Bridge, to cross into New York...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! we already DID that!!
How do we get OUT of here ???????

well... you have to sit by the entry gate, where it says " no exit " .... and wait for somebody to come in... and then you dash out while the bar is up.........

so.... it's 11:05... why would ANYBODY COME IN?? YOU GUYS ARE CLOSED already.....

sheeesh.....

I back up, turned around... and spotted the gate opening.....

I hollered "HANG ONNNNNNNNN!! " ....screached my tires, and went through the gate almost on 2 wheels........ poor little Jared was in the back seat, about to recite the Lord's Prayer!! how you guys enjoyin' canada SO FAR? EH????

Rabbit is laughing, by this time and he said : " Y'all realize we done used up our EATIN' Time !!!"

who cares... I'd lost my appetite anyway!!

sigh..... so then, we headed up Clifton Hill, found a money exchange shop still open.. but the maximum they would exchange was $200 Canadian... so much for THAT idea....

As a last resort, we pulled into the Casino.... Jared and Rabbit jumped out and headed in to exchange the money..... I double parked outside... and waited... I was really starting to get frantic, I was worried that by NOW, the bus would be loaded, and they'd be waiting for US !!!

After about 10 minutes, Jared came out.... alone...

Because he is only 14... they wouldn't let him IN!!

so here I am.... waiting on the curb, with a 14 year old kid, at 11:30 on a Saturday night at a Casino in Niagara Falls... watching all manner of people coming and going into the casino.....I'm sure this is NOT what Tracy and Libbi entrusted me to do with their son!!

Finally after what seemed like AGES, Rabbit came out... smelling like he'd just smoked 200 cigarettes...... but he got the money exchanged!!!!

sigh..... I don't know if the Perry's will ever let me drive them around again or not....
I do know that I won't soon forget their visit!!!!