Jeremy Porter Road Blog

Road Blog: Monday November 10, 2025 - Jacksonville, FL

Road Blog
November 10, 2025
Jacksonville, Florida

We had a hard 10am checkout from our AirBB in Gainesville and were on the road shortly after that. Our first destination was the Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park in search of some alligators. There weren’t any to be seen in the park, but we had a couple nice little walks to some lake shores and observation towers. There is a roadside observation boardwalk off the highway back into town that the nice lady at the ticket booth recommended and we saw a few gators there, including one especially photogenic fella and his buddy, a blue heron a few feet away. A bald eagle flew overheard just as we approached, which is always a good tour omen.

From there we headed northeast towards Jacksonville where we saw our second bald eagle fly overhead just before a stop for some gas and Bojangles at Love’s. We took the expressway into Jacksonville, through the city, and down to Jacksonville Beach where we walked the boardwalk, saw some pelicans and some man-o-war, and took a good group shot. Down on the actual beach there was a cute little crab feeding on a dead man-o-war that was just washing up to shore, another great photo-op.

After a little down time at the AirBB we headed to the venue. Crispy's Jax is a pizza joint/bar and grill where our pal Jimmy helps touring bands out with shows. There’s a tiny state against the front widow just big enough for Kernel and Adam to occupy, and a long bar along the south side of the long room. A little out of our comfort zone perhaps, but ya take what ya can get on a Monday and it was perfectly fine. There was a small group of people gathered, including my old pal from my Marquette days Jason and the former fire chief of Jacksonville, who I talked some NFL with over a couple whiskeys.

The set was loose and fun, starting with some mellow stuff and gradually picking up in intensity as the night went on. One dude bought us a couple pizzas, which was super nice, and the staff was top-notch friendly and cool. It was great getting caught up with Jimmy, who I haven’t seen since The Tucos played Jax in 2015, and Jason, who I haven’t seen probably since the 90s. Mondays are always weird, and we all felt ok about the show.

After the set we gulped down our pizzas and loaded out. We were halfway up the freeway when a couple in the touring party realized we weren’t heading back to the AirBB. Despite their protests, and my insistence that we were all on the same page, and Tommy, my silent partner in crime, sitting there letting me take the fall, we went to The Jug, the very location of the classic Lynyrd Skynyrd song “Gimme Three Steps.” Despite the hemming and hawing, there we were, up to our necks in cigarette smoke in the same room where Ronnie Van Zandt got in a fight after a harmless dance with Linda Lou. The bar was pretty much exactly what you’d expect: small and rough, corrugated metal, and a single pool table. They don’t have whiskey, which was disappointing, but we enjoyed our visit – even the naysayers – and after watching the Packers lose (YAY!) in the last seconds, we headed back to the AirBB where we had a nightcap and crashed out.

Big thanks to Jimmy and everyone at Crispy’s for the cool Monday night. I’m already out of the shower and one (possibly decaf, not sure, yuk) coffee in at 7:30am. We’re leaving Florida today at the ripe early hour of 8am after a pretty great few days here and heading to Asheville, North Carolina, where we’ll play at Sly Grog Lounge with Galen from the_40_20_10s opening up. THANKS Florida! See ya tonight North Carolina! Xx