Wow! What a great feeling, walking on stage in front of 12,000 screaming people. It seemed like we went over very well. Nobody threw anything hard or pointy at us. Thanks to all of you that emailed us to tell us that you enjoyed the show. Email is a good form of communication for us right now since our eardrums exploded the first time the crowd yelled and we're all now legally deaf. Montreal was a great place to visit, lots of nifty architecture and a five-story laser tag place. We played against the Hansons and all of the road crew and business managers. We didn't come in first place. Somebody must have cheated. It's a conspiracy. There's no telling how far up it goes so we better say nothing further about it.

At the show, we were delighted to find out the following::

1. all of our equipment arrived intact.
2. there was yummy catered food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
3. we got a sound check even though Hanson was running late.

Another thing worth noting about Montreal is that the people spoke a weird variant of English that they call "French". What will those zany Canadians think of next?

The fun never stops on the Albertane Tour. Last night's show at the Molson Amphitheater was crazy. Sold out (16,000 seats), the venue roared like an army of screaming cheetahs when we took the stage. Unfortunately, the crowd shrieked all through the Hanson show as well, making misery for the sound technicians. Anyone attending further shows be warned: earplugs are a prerequisite. Thanks to all those who've emailed or posted saying good things about our shows. We've been pickled tink over how well we've been received at these concerts. It's great to have such a large and responsive crowd to play for.

The venue filmed the show last night with fancy cameras and we got a tape of it so we're looking forward to watching it. By the end of the tour, we might have enough good footage to put together a little tour video. Last night also revealed a marked increase in people that either recognized us or had signs for us. We don't mind being underdogs but it's gratifying to not be totally anonymous to the crowds. Fans are good. Speaking of filming, we were also at the Much Music taping of Hanson and we also video taped ourselves on Speakers Corner so watch for that on Much Music or wherever else they show such things.

Toronto itself is pretty crazy. Kind of like a smaller, Canadian NYC. Supposedly it's the fourth largest city in North America. Very multicultural. The first day we were there, Iran beat the US in soccer. Nothing but a tiny blip on our mental radar, but Iranians were hootin' and hollerin' and ululating up and down the streets, honking their horns, driving cars while cradling huge Iranian flags on poles out their windows. Back and forth. Honking. Waving flags. Ululating. More honking. Up and down. This went on pretty much all day. Well, hey. I guess it's not every day you get to beat the Great Satan in soccer.

Tonight was the Great Woods Amphitheater show. 19,900 people, or so we've heard. We couldn't see any Admiral Twin signs from stage, but we got a swell care package of goodies from some fans we've previously met. Thanks for thinking of us! It was better than one of those gorilla singing telegrams. All in all a good show but it was so hot that Dancing on the Sun (one of our songs) took on a whole new meaning to us. The crowd looked pretty sweaty by the end of the night as well. Brad tried to convince the Hanson's to hire a helicopter with a water cannon to come spray the audience. No luck.

Of course, Boston is great but we've been here before and so we knew what to expect. Our flight tomorrow isn't until evening so we're going to do some more exploration hopefully. We hope the heat doesn't get any worse in D.C. and Atlanta but our hopes are most probably in vain. By Atlanta our stage attire will have probably downsized from our black wool suits to simple loin-cloths.

Just kidding.

Last night we played Pine Knob near Detroit. The venue was sized and shaped not unlike Toronto's. Both seat 16,000 people. Tomorrow's show in D.C. should be close to 25,000. Paltry numbers.

We tried to go out and meet fans before the show, but it was difficult during the day. A lot of you have emailed asking how to meet us or give us presents or whatever. Well, we're trying to get out there and meet you. Sometimes before the show, sometimes after. Security people get scared though, and think we're starting riots. In Toronto, the guard kept saying "It's not funny! Can you go away? These girls are..." He was drowned out by shrieks from a group of girls that were pressing up against the barricade on a bridge, wanting autographs. He was clearly scared. How bizarre. You wake up one day and suddenly people want to meet you and so, of course, it becomes impossible. Life is funny like that.

We only actually stayed in Detroit last night. Most of the time, we were in Toledo and on Lake Erie with family from these parts. It was a very nice time, skipping rocks and BBQ'ing and everything else you're supposed to do where there's water. We watched the sun set over the Great Lake. We didn't actually go boating there, although in Boston we were able to go sailing on the harbor our last day there. The weather played dirty rotten tricks on us; steaming us alive the first two days and then switching to the Cold, Wet, and Windy setting for the last day. Brad claims his teeth were chattering so violently in the 40-ft sail boat that he almost bit his tongue off. Our flight to Detroit was delayed by four hours. We were quite annoyed. We didn't get into Toledo until four o'clock in the morning. Rock and roll.

Incredible. Nissan Pavilion was by far the best show yet. The crowd was insanely loud, full of Admiral Twin posters, and very excited to hear us. They stood up while we played. They jumped up and down. They clapped and yelled. They even chanted "Admiral! Admiral! Admiral!" as we were leaving the stage. Of course, after a few seconds they switched to "Hanson! Hanson! Hanson!" but that's ok, too. We have to say that Hanson has a great crowd to play for. Some newspaper reported that our music didn't fit in with the Hanson show but the crowds seem to disagree. Hanson fans are ok with us. Speaking of Hanson fans: tonight we ate dinner with Ozzie Osbourne's daughters and Zac and Taylor. Rumor has it the daughters paid an exorbitant sum for a backstage pass to the show at some auction. MTV was there to interview them and the Hansons.

While in the D.C. area, we stayed with one of John's relatives. She lives in a beautiful house that was built by a milner in the 1700's. You can still see the original beams and stone in the basement. Reminded us of the Paul Revere house in Boston. Of course, the house has been expanded and updated since then. Either way, it sure beats Motel 6. She also took us around to see the Smithsonian buildings, the National Archives, and the Lincoln Memorial. We saw the Star Wars exhibit, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, fancy art, and all sorts of other great things. D.C. is a great place to visit. We wish we would have had more than half a day to see all of that. We'll just have to come back here. That night we had dinner at the Austin Grill with some of the alt.fan.admiral-twin newsgroupers. They had come from as far away as Florida and Boston to see us. 

All-in-all a good trip if you forget the fact that we left our credit card in a taxi cab. It took us a day or two to figure out where the charges for fuzzy dice and Hooters restaurant were coming from. We tracked them down mercilessly and had them terminated scant moments before they bought the Taj Mahal. If people only knew what we've been through...

We've got to say that this can't be the Unlucky Tour because we're having a lot of "luck". So far we've almost missed four flights. We've misplaced plane tickets, luggage, credit cards, and heaven knows what else. We've been lost, broke, and very confused but somehow it's all worked out. Must be our manifest destiny. And let's not forget all of you. Yes, the fearless fans who brave the sprawling confusion of the internet, the huddled, muddled masses at the the concerts, the heat, the screaming and everything else to hear our music. Thanks.

Oh, this was supposed to be about Atlanta. Well, we were quite pleased to note that the response at Atlanta was similar to D.C.--Admiral Twin signs were in abundance, fans called out greetings, people gently threw presents to us. And many people stood up and danced about during our set. Immensely gratifying, it is. While in Atlanta, we stayed with Brad's family and did the traditional American Fourth of July activities: BBQ, parlor games, fireworks, etc. It was quite comfortable and refreshing. It's nice to be taken care of by family after being "in the woods" for a while.

P.S. To those who are asking how to meet us at the concerts, the answer is "try, try again". Sometimes we venture into the audience before the show, sometimes during the Hansons show, sometimes after. It just depends on how busy we are backstage. If you have a note or package for us (and it isn't ticking) you can possibly give it to a security guard or other official to pass on to us. Also, we're receiving a lot of email and we are reading it and we're responding as fast as we can so don't give up hope...