I’m writing this in between dress rehearsals for the Special Olympics USA Games Opening Ceremony - we’re playing the new Al Stone Band song “Warriors” live on ABC tomorrow afternoon. Everything’s going, well, great. Anti-climactic I know, but the latest chapter of the Allen Stone saga seems to be defined by people being really good at stuff. Our tour manager Ryan “Bear” Drozd, infinitely capable as he is, has advanced the show more thoroughly than ESPN’s own show runner. Tim Burke, our new production manager, never lets his pulse rate rise above 70 while performing like a thousand tasks at once with cyborgish efficiency. The entire event staff's courteous and inexorably professional - even the jaded union guys aren't outspokenly wishing I go fornicate myself. And we’re playing Husky Stadium in Seattle, a bucket list venue. Not a shabby weekend.

When a large event’s run well, there isn’t much to do other than stay out of people’s way, which is harder than you might think. No matter where I post up to absent-mindedly scroll through Instagram, someone with a way more important job and much longer day would rather I be literally anywhere else than obstructing their path to craft services. So, here I am, huddled in our green room, drinking coffee and eating fruit snacks, aka The Dream.

In about 20 mins, we’ll run through the entire opening ceremony for the first time. The band sounds great. Tim Burke’s a cyborg. Just your average June 30th.