Day Off - Charleston, SC

With all the days off and nights in hotels and motels the general feel of the trip has gone from a tour to a road trip to a vacation. Two nights in a row of partying in Wilmington has only heightened the mood and we are all anxious to keep discovering new things we like about the South.

So on our way to Savannah, Georgia to stay with one of Colin’s friends we decided to stop at Charleston, a beautiful old city that at one time brought one third of all African slaves through its ports. A fact like that is difficult to comprehend, but seeing two hundred plus year old buildings that lived through the days of buying and selling humans is even more so. The civil war also began here in Charleston, with the famous Fort Sumter in the cross hairs. All these uncomfortable historical facts do not take a thing away from the palm tree lined avenues that make this city one of the most picturesque American cities I have ever visited.

For our evening outing we managed to find a Metal Karaoke night, which at first seemed like it would be a bit of a bust. Since this would also be our third night in a row of listening to cover bands, I was skeptical. Even though the last two bands we saw were incredible, I had to ask myself, could a Metal cover band really be that good? Well, yes. They too were a talented and enthusiastic lot, playing Judas Priest, Queen, and Twisted Sister flawlessly while intoxicated college students and hipsters imitated the 80s front-men and women that will plague popular music for generations to come. Mike and Colin took the stage for "Breaking the Law" and hammed it up in front of the largest crowd they’ve gazed upon this entire tour, they looked like they had a lot of fun, which is a all too common here in the South.