More than playing our thirty minute set and being generally affable, our job as first of three on this Train/Goo Goo Dolls run is staying out of people’s way, and in that capacity here we are, hanging out in the parking lot of the White River Amphitheater, watching truck after truck expertly slalom through an obstacle course of concrete dividers, mobile lighting fixtures, and disheveled personnel.

The first day or two’s always a little interesting, as camps get used to each other and respect’s earned, and fortunately I’ve been doing this long enough to know what everyone’s job is, what their day looks like, and when it’s best, say, to peck away at a daily email newsletter rather than hunt down the barista station.

It’s summer in the PNW, which means it’s cloudy and in the 50’s with a chance of thunderstorms throughout the day, but my floral shirt’s all the radiance I and about 15,000 others will need. A preemptive “you’re welcome” is in order.