Montgomery visits Sandusky on “50 states in 50 days” tour

What: Kevin Montgomery with guest act Kaci Bolls
Where: Lucky’s Lounge at Cedar Lanes
When: November 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Info: moronbrosconcerts.com, kevinmontgomery.com

So – what can you do with $2,494.70, a Chevy Suburban and the goodwill of numerous folks scattered throughout the US?

Country musician Kevin Montgomery’s done the math, and he’s driving cross-country with one goal: to perform 50 shows in 50 states in 50 days and answer that question. He chronicles his world-traveling ways with a travelogue that’s part blog, part video on his website – which also invites visitors to make “gas tank donations.” 

The tour’s beginnings are deeper and more convoluted than one might guess. At age 15, Montgomery read Peter Jenkins’ “A Walk Across America,” which chronicles the first half of Jenkins’ five-year journey across the U.S. on foot. In it are the people and places he finds along the way. 

Jenkins’ adventures loosely inspired Montgomery’s thirst for travel and 2006 tour, with shows held solely in the homes of fans and friends in Europe and the U.S. Though the goal was to complete 364 consecutive concerts, unexpected family matters halted the tour after its 71st show. 

But a chance encounter three days after the tour ended would prompt a revival of the tour, this time reincarnated as “50 States in 50 Days.”

The setting is a small, nearly empty Mexican restaurant in Montgomery’s hometown of Nashville, where a stranger sat down next to him and opened up a United States map.

“I’m thinking, why did this guy just sit down next to me when there are all kinds of empty tables available,” recalled Montgomery. “Then I decided to be nice and I asked him if he was just starting his journey or passing through.”

The man explained he was preparing for a seven-week motorcycle ride across the West with his son. Montgomery, who at this point was well-versed in travel thanks to his extensive touring history, offered his assistance. But what he quickly found after suggesting a visit to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, taking 666 to the Grand Canyon and taking the 550 down through Telluride and Montrose was this: the man had traveled the same routes and ended up at the same destinations as Montgomery himself.

“I told him that it sounded like he’d traveled everywhere,” said Montgomery. “And then the man explained about 30 years before, he walked across America – and once he reached the 550 just below Montrose, he lived for a year and wrote a book about his experiences.”

The man in the Mexican restaurant and the author who had inspired Montgomery years ago were one and the same.

“We both were taken aback by what had just occurred,” said Montgomery. “Finally Mr. Jenkins said, ‘Well, there is a reason why we met today.’ My task was to figure out why.”

And so in 2008, the troubadour dubbed his new tour “50 States in 50 Days,” inspired by his unintended participation in an exchange that carries echoes of Americana folklore. 

This year’s “50 States in 50 Days” will see Montgomery and guest act Kaci Bolls in Sandusky for the Ohio stop of the tour. The performance is at Lucky’s Lounge in the Cedar Lanes Bowling Alley on November 10 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 and are available at the door.
 

Comments

yeah!

Submitted by Jimmy Ego on November 11, 2009 - 8:14am.

There are no mistakes, and there are no miracles...

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