|
 2008
European Mindcrime 1 & 2 Tour
Sala Santana 27
Bilbao, Spain
Friday May 30th 2008
We took a ride from the Hotel to the Industrial area in Bilbao. Scott,
Stone and GT had missing luggage and the airlines did not know where it
was. Scott went out and laid down some cash on new clothes, then later
on during the day after sound check they got good news that the bags
showed up. The music side of the show was fine, but the acting part was
very sloppy. Many of the new personnel did not know the show that well.
Light cues were completely wrong. Set changes did not happen or were
seriously late, and GT had problems with his headset mic. The crowd was
great and rocked regardless of the first show blues. One other thing
that happened was a truck carrying Hughes and Kettner equipment showed
up. I guess they must have got the memo that we were hiring Marshall.
Electric Weekend Festival
Madrid, Spain
Saturday May 31st 2008
This was the first of the open air festivals to play. There were 15-20
thousand people there. We lounged in the backstage area and I got a bit
of a sun tan which I badly needed. We were right next to the Machine
Head guys. They are huge down here in Spain, as metal is huge here. We
went on at about 8:00 p.m... We waked up to the stage and plugged in.
All of a sudden Stones guitar rig disappears. There is widespread panic.
His guitar turns on and then disappears. Then it comes on. We have to
start the show. 30 seconds into the 1st song Stone disappears. So
basically for 4 more songs I am playing by myself which sounds a bit
strange. The crowd senses something is wrong. Stone pops back in for 30
more seconds, and then he is gone again. I had to concentrate super hard
and keep my composure. When our show finally ended we actually go a good
applause. The mood in the ride back of the van was very somber. We drank
our sorrows away and I walked out to see Machine Head. All along the
fence barrier was port-a-potties. But the people in Spain just peed thru
the fence. When we got to the stage the crowd was ready for Machine
Head. They hit their first song and the crowd went crazy. I watched 4
songs then went back to hang out with the guys from Metallica. Kirk came
into our dressing room and told me his Wife was ready to have a baby. He
was a bit of a nervous wreck. A few more people backstage said the show
was amazing and didn’t know we were lacking a guitar player. Anyway you
look at it, it was a crazy day.
Aula Magna
Lisbon, Portugal
Sunday June 1st 2008
Jet lag has taken its toll. Everyone is complaining about the bus. There
is a fractured barrier of communication with the local hands. The show
is taking extra long to set up. We play to a sit down audience. I notice
a lot of phones in the air taking pictures and quick movies. The crowd
is split between hard rockers and semi conservative dressed folk. All in
all the show went pretty smooth and looked great on a good stage. I met
some cool people at the after show. They were so pleased for Queensryche
to perform in Portugal.
Industrial Copera
Granada, Spain
Tuesday June 3rd 2008
Another beautiful day, but a shit hole of a venue. Some greasy Chinese
food kind of set the mood for the show. ˝ hour before the show and
nobody’s in the venue. They are all outside in the parking lot whooping
it up. We start the show and the venue is about 1/3 full. But during the
MC 1 show they were loud as hell. I had a few hotties in front of me. MC
2 people looked bored, kind of the “deer in headlights thing”. They
picked it up from the encore and cheered as loud as a packed theater.
The after show was pack it up and get the hell out of there. On the bus
for a beer then on our way. I really didn’t think the bus was going to
make it when we left. Everything began failing on it. A most
uncomfortable ride.
Sala Razzmatazz
Barcelona, Spain
Wednesday June 4th 2008
A hell of a long drive but the scenery was breathtaking. Something I
will remember was the huge cemetery cut into the side of a small
mountain. Thousands of glass mausoleum columns reflecting sun light in
the 100 degree day. The equipment was an hour late so there was a scurry
to get the full staging up. Our new bus arrived and it is quite an
improvement. The show was the best so far. The crowd was amazing,
singing and shouting the songs. For our last show in Spain it was a
killer. We had a small 5 person meet & greet, one which was from Hughes
and Kettner amplification. As well as the leader of the German Empire.
We drank a bottle of Russian Vodka then it was party time on the bus.
The apple Device was being passed around. That’s the last I remember.
Rock Sound Festival
Hunttwil, Switzerland
Friday June 6th 2008
We get to the gig, unload, and a huge explosion happens. Our trucks air
suspension system exploded. It definitely scared the shit out of a few
people. The show was Altered Bridge, QR, then Europe all inside the
venue. Outside were a bunch of local bands. The crowd was a bit mellow
compared to Spain, but we got all there hands in the air after the last
song. One of the Europe dudes was on my side absorbing some Whip guitar
craft. And all the VIP’s were in front of the barricade on my side
taking pictures and whooping it up. After the show we sampled some of
the Swiss Vodka that the record guy gave us. Then we said goodbye to the
Promoter and his assistant. By the time it was time to go I heard the
song “Final Countdown” which I had not heard in a very long time. Time
for a Tylenol PM..
Alcatraz
Milan, Italy
Saturday June 7th 2008
I walked around the area where Alcatraz is. Nothing too interesting,
except some super hot Italian chicks driving expensive cars!!! Stone and
I did an interview for the Italian equivalent of Guitar Player. It was
super muggy in the backstage area. The catering was amazing. The cook
cooked all day. The show was incredible!! The fans were so supportive of
us I had some girls from Barcelona in front of me. Maybe some new
Whiptress’s! At the meet & greet I signed 2 Soulbender CD’s! I told them
about the new one coming soon. I took the usual pictures, then vacated
to the dressing room were a bunch of us polished a vodka bottle. At 2
a.m. there were still fans outside the bus, that’s dedication…
Le Forum
Vaureal, France
Monday June 9th 2008
What a beautiful day in France. We were to play the hit set to a small
audience as a quick gig on the way to Belgium. After managing many
roundabouts in the suburban city of Vaureal we arrived at a strange
small building. The venue was part performance center part police
academy and part day school. They set up a nice long table with white
linen and brought dishes of salmon and rice. Luckily it was delicious.
This French lady who was the cook wanted to keep feeding us bringing out
cheese dishes then whipped cream desserts. We politely said no thanks,
but I think she was offended, so someone sat there and ate her dishes to
make her happy. The burnout factor is very high today. And there is a
shortage of Red Bull! They brought us their equivalent which was called
“Dark Dog”! It tasted like Formula 44 cherry cough syrup. We pounded
through a quick soundcheck on the very tiny stage. It was a tight loud
sound check. I made sure I had a small fan in front of me because I know
it was going to be a scorcher. The place held 450, but there were 800
people outside. It was manic, stuffy and sweaty hot. After the first 3
songs there were pools of sweat in front of me. And the fans were arms
lengths away were dying as well. We hammered through the sauna gig and
wrung our wet cloths out in the dressing room. We proceeded to drink and
sample the amazing cheese and interesting deli meat. The after show was
interesting, with some fans that I recognized from the last tour. There
were still fans outside on the way to the bus. I had a guard to protect
me..
AB
Brussels, Belgium
Tuesday June 10th 2008
I woke up to a hot sunny day. As I got off the bus I had the pleasure of
seeing a dude peeing on the side of the wall right by our bus. How
uncouth!! I noticed a lot of the restaurants and bars had rainbow
colored flags. When I got to the venue they said our bus was parked on
the gay street. I got something to eat then I went and did a quick walk
around the venue. Everything was pretty damn expensive. The city was
bustling for a Tuesday. Edbass and I did an interview for an internet
magazine. Then I ate a horribly salty dinner. The audience was a little
subdued but again they cheered heavily for the end of MC and the encore.
The M & G had some repeat fans from the France show. I was hanging
outside the bus talking to fans when I got the eye from a gay guy coming
out of a club. We moved the bus and I waited outside for our tour
manager. A gay couple walked past me and one growled and blew in my
ear!!! That was it. I got on the bus and went to sleep!
Waerdse Tempel
Heerhugowaard, Holland
Wednesday June 11th 2008
Where the fuck are we? The local dude said we were 1 hour north of
Amsterdam. It was chilly outside, but nice and sunny. I ate some good
food and recharged my battery. I was getting these pre-mixed pseudo
RBV’s in tiny bottles, which they sold at the bar. The crowd was
livelier than Belgium, I noticed some die hard fans in the crowd. I had
a very good show.
Waerdse Tempel
photos by Leah Kennedy
Academy
Glasgow, Scotland
Friday June 13th 2008
We just took on a whole new semi truck and 4 or 5 new personnel. Now our
busses are crammed full. It took and extra long time for the show to be
put together, since we had to hang our own lights and sound. Talking to
some of the locals we found out we had not been there since 1994, wow…!!
We did a quick sound check because they had to open the doors. I was a
bit brain dead for the show. And in the middle of “mary” I lost my place
in time when a dude from the audience screamed and startled me. After
that I drank some Gatorade for sugar to the brain. The second set was
going great until the end were Junki Blues goes into the clean pant. I
lost time again due to an audio dropout. I guess some security guard
decided to turn on his walkie talkie. Just my luck. The meet and greet
were full of Irish people. These 2 girls were taunting me to go to
Dublin. I did talk to a young rocker, a cool future guitar player. I
told him to keep it up and save for an ESP guitar.
City Hall
Newcastle, England
Saturday June 14th 2008
I went for a pleasant walk around the city square, it was quite bustling
for a Saturday afternoon. Our long time bud Ian took a shit load of
pictures of the show the night before and they look pretty cool. My days
are pretty simple. Just stay active and practice as much different music
as possible. After every meal a heavy sedation comes over most of us. So
we try not to eat too heavy especially around show time. Before the
first song one of the cameras lost power so Edbass and I were not to be
featured as much. The crowd was very into Mindcrime 1. Mindcrime 2 some
people in front rows knew the songs but beyond that I saw folded arms
and confused looks. Well by the end of that set I think they got it as
much as they could. I had a flawless show, and it was quite fun to
perform to an unfamiliar audience. The encore they came alive as usual.
The meet and greet was quite vigorous. Especially these Irish girls who
kept asking why we did not come to Ireland any more. There were also
some young rocker lads there as well. They thought we were cool. That’s
what its all about when the kids think your still cool! On the bus I hit
the apple and floated into la la land.
Leeds University
Leeds, England
Sunday June 15th 2008
This is the legendary Leeds Hall where numerous bands from the 60’s,
70’s & 80’s have all played. I think it must be a prestige gig because
we are here in a college cafeteria. The dressing rooms are very old and
dingy, but I was still excited to possibly playing on the same old stage
that Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend and Jimmy Page performed on! As well
as being Fathers Day it was also Scott Rocks birthday. Also, it was 3 of
4 in a row, but it seemed like 6 since there really was no day off in
London. The show started and I noticed I had a big tripod in front of me
on the right side of my stage. Also I seemed to be in the dark most of
the night. Still, I pulled off one of the better shows as far as
technique in considered. During the encore, Pamela brought out an
x-rated birthday cake for Scott. Pamela’s assistant Lea brought out
balloons and tied them to Scotts drum set. After the show it was RBV
time. We partied till 2 a.m. I went on the VIP’s bus and did some shots
in honor of SR. I did catch my eye on a plastic sex sheep in Jason’s
bunk.. Well well….
Academy
Manchester, England
Tuesday June 17th 2008
We had played the Academy before and it was a bit of a shit hole
backstage. This time it was renovated and comfortable. Backstage we were
considering changing the encore songs. I think some of us are already
getting bored with the set. We played our asses off but it was another
sit down and stare audience. They stood up for the ending of “eyes of a
stranger” then the end of MC2 and all the encores. The after show was
full of happy backstage rychers. They said it was one of the best shows
they have ever seen. One rocker metal kid apologized for the lame
audience and said that I shredded..
Civic Hall
Wolverhampton, England
Wednesday June 18th 2008
Wolverhampton was another sit down gig but they were one of the better
audiences. There were plenty of colorful characters in the audience. Not
many new about MC2 but they got into it regardless. And they came alive
for the encores.
UEA
Norwich, England
Friday June 20th 2008
We had super long bus ride through the beautiful suburbs of Norwich,
then onto a university campus that was full of summer school kids. We
all had to eat lunch in A cafeteria with the students. I had a bit of a
beer hangover from the night before, but the sunny day cured that
instantly. It was a super tight stage with my tech Geno actually on the
stage. I had a killer night some of the other guys had monitor issues.
Afterwards at the M&G we were greeted by some of the Greek contingency.
I noticed a few in the audience because they were cheering the loudest.
I got some more of the beads they give to nervous people. I had a little
Chinese food then went to the bus for a nightcap.
Con Exchange
Cambridge, England
Saturday June 21st 2008
This was one of the most grandiose buildings we played in England. The
show started and it must have been 20 degrees hotter on stage. About the
fourth tune I felt my head getting super hot. Then nausea came over me.
I drank a whole Gatorade in one song. The second set I had a garbage can
on my side of the stage because I thought I was going to hurl. I stayed
pretty cool most of the set until the end of “AIC”. I immediately ran
over to the garbage can and did a few dry hurls but nothing came out.
Fortunately I got a cold towel on my head for a bout 10 seconds the
finished the set. Afterwards I did not eat anything and went to the bus
and went to sleep. Even though I was feeling ill Ian the photographer
friend took some great shots of me and the rest of the show.
Con Exchange
photo by Leah Kennedy
Indigo
London, England
Sunday June 22nd 2008
The day started off just fine. We were at an almost brand new venue.
Hardwood floors and state of the art lighting were among some of the
features. In the dressing room everyone was concerned about me but I
felt fine. I was really starting to feel like something was wrong with
me but I didn’t know what it was. Fozzy and Geno made sure there was a
chair, a fan, and a garbage can ready for me. The show started out fine
and I was rockin. Then suddenly by the end of “Mission” that feeling
started and I began to get hot as hell. During “Mary” I felt a tingling
sensation go up the back of my neck and then FUCK! I got dizzy and
disoriented. I rushed to the side of the stage where Geno was waiting
with an ice soaked towel. He felt my forehead and said, “Fuck dude you
are on fire”! I played the rest of the song with a fan on my face. I
cooled off and played the rest of the set. After the finale of Mindcrime
1, I went to my side of the stage and nearly fell over. Fozzy grabbed me
and said there was a medic that was going to take me for a diagnostic. I
sat down in a room feeling like shit. Pandemonium was happening back
stage about me. The medic did a bunch of tests then took my blood
pressure and his eyes went wide open. He said I was over 200 and advised
me to get into an ambulance if my blood pressure does not go down. I
drank a ton of orange juice and had my blood pressure taken 2 more times.
I started to get angry with myself and said “the show must go on!” the
2nd went flawless and I drank gulps of orange juice between every song.
And I felt fine. After the show he asked me if I have been taking any
medication. A light bulb went off in my head, sleeping pills (Rozerem).
He said stop taking them immediately. You've become addicted to them and
you are having adverse affects from them. FDA approved? well no more for
me! The medic followed me around the M&G. Everyone said it was a
phenomenal show but the VIP’s were concerned because they heard what
happened. I started to freak out a bit thinking what had just happened
to me. Anyway I went right to the bus and to my bunk. No partying for
the Whip..
Colston Hall
Bristol, England
Tuesday June 24th 2008
Bristol is a quaint vibe of a city with cool architecture and nice
people. I really enjoyed walking around. I was told to purchase a
portable blood pressure machine, so I found one in a sundry store. I
took it back to the room and it did not work, so I walked all the way
back to the store. The manager took the machine and plugged it in and it
worked. Boy did I feel like a fool. Anyway I took my blood pressure and
it was normal. Thank God. I could definitely still feel a tingly
sensation in my head, but everything seemed clearer. The show was in an
old church like building. The stage was cool, that was a good sign. When
I hit the first chord everything sounded amazing, almost 3D like. Wow, I
felt like my old self and had a kick ass first set. During intermission
the band said it was good to have the Whip back. The 2nd set was a piece
of cake and near the end these two lesbian girls came down to the front
row on my side. They were hilarious. One was butch and one feminine.
They were the high point of the sit down crowd. GT said he had nothing
left so we gave them a 2 song encore. The M&G was cool, I met one dude
who brought one of my ESP ltd’s. He had everyone sign it and then told
me he was going to acquire the signature model. I told him good choice..
Guildhall
Southhampton, England
Wednesday June 25th 2008
WE were playing a hall that was part of a civic center so the general
public could walk through the back stage were our dressing rooms were.
People in business suits kept coming into our dressing room, then a dude
said he was a repair man demanded that something needed to be repaired.
Not today fella. The stage was a true down stage because it tilted
forward down so a balance adjustment was needed. The stage was so hot
when we started that my guitar went flat by the 2nd song. Even though I
was hot my head was cool. I definitely sweated the last of the Rozerem
out. It’s good to be back. The crowd was a good size but they were a sit
down crowd until the last song of each set and the encores, which we did
only 2. The after show was done in a bar and I made my rounds and left.
I hammered a VRB and it was off to the bus. A few more autographs and I
was bed bound because we had to get up at 5:00 a.m. for a ferry ride to
France then the 15-hour drive begins.
Bang Your Head Festival
Balingen, Germany
Friday June 27th, 2008
Fucking unbelievable. The promoter said the night before that 15,000
tickets had been sold and that was at a week ago. The backstage area was
full of band dudes that I did not know except for the guitar player from
Great White. During the afternoon there were some drunken Scandinavian
dudes playing in a blow-up pool. Needless to say they were a bit shit
faced. They would get out of the pool and their pants would fall down….
Yes it was probably one of the grossest things I have ever seen. These
douche bags then let all the water out of the pool and flooded the
backstage area turning the dirt into mud. I guess that is typical for a
rock festival. There were reports of massive passed out people getting
seriously sun burnt from the hot day. If you can imagine looking out
from the stage the area is surrounded by vendors in shacks selling
everything you can imagine. After White Lion, Great White, came Iced
Earth and they were very cool heavy metal band. By this time the place
was packed. I was seriously rushing when we arrived to the back stage
area. Photographers were snapping pictures as we ascended the stairs. We
had a German drum core for the Anarchy X march. When I went out for the
first chord I went – YES! This crowd is mine. We had no screen behind
us, but we piped all the media into the 2 giant 40 x 60 Trinitron LCDs.
I heard it looked amazing. We gave them a 4 song encore. All in all, one
of the best QR shows ever!!! Rock Hand Magazine had filmed the whole
concert. So hopefully this one will be preserved for everyone to see.
Basinfire Festival
Plzen, Czech Republic
Saturday June 28th, 2008
It was quite interesting being in this country. The people are quite
different but the girls are pretty. The festival was a 3 day event with
3 stages. The music started at 10:30 a.m. and just about every band was
thrash metal. So were to be the lone beacon of melody for the festival.
It was another hot day but the weather kept changing every hour. We were
scheduled to play at 11:00 p.m. and it was getting very cold. I met the
singer of the band Primal Fear. They were from Germany. In fact we were
the only USA band. When we started we had a technical glitch. Some
stagehand had rolled a heavy case over one of our cables and caused a
short break in the line. They got it all fixed by the 3rd song and we
proceeded to give a 1 hour 15mn show. The crowd was obviously young and
had never herd of us. But by the time some of the Mindcrime 1 started,
the came alive until the end of the show. We were called back for an
encore and blasted “Empire”. We took our bows then left the stage. Then
the crowd began to chant our name. We defiantly left our mark in this
country and gained some respect among the metal crowd. No aftershow so
it was pack it up and go fro a 30 hour from hell trip to Bucharest.
Travel Day
Plzen to Bucharest
Sunday June 29th, 2008
*****THE BUS RIDE FROM HELL*****
Upon wakening on the bus, I asked where we were. They said some where in
Budapest. The air stopped working on the bus, so It was steamy and
uncomfortable. The drive turned out to be longer then estimated in the
Itinerary. We were mainly on 2 lane highways often getting stuck behind
horse and buggy wagons. We made a pit stop at a Hungarian truck stop.
The 2nd bus had been apparently drinking heavily and one of the super
fan s erupted vomit on one the crew guys. My guitar tech Geno had
fainted due to heat exhaustion. When we got to the Romanian border the
heat had gone up a few degrees. They detained us for 30 minutes. When we
finally made it thru I noticed that there was at least a 5 mile queue. I
could only imagine the drive back!!!! As dusk came upon us we made our
way through the hill of Transylvania. An eerie fog or mist was clinging
in the valley. I saw beautiful stone houses that had mini graveyards
attached to them. Then I saw it “The Bank of Transylvania”. I felt a
feeling of disarray. How surreal it was to drive through that town. The
night time came quickly and progress was slow going. There was a
plethora of nighttime truckers which made the drive dangerous on the
windy 2 lane roads. The drivers were toast and pulled over at a truck
stop 3 hours out of Bucharest.
Arenele Romane
Bucharest, Romania
Monday June 30th, 2008
Another bus ride from hell. No air conditioning, only sun roofs that
were letting in 90 degree weather. We ended up at a truck overnight
parking. Then woke up early, to get our weary bus drivers back on the
road. The problem became apparent that whoever wrote the mileage was on
crack. It took us 3 hours once we were in the city just to get us to the
venue. We were 4 hours late and our promoter Dragos Vlad (who we thought
was going to be a Vampire) was making our life difficult. The problem
was we had to leave by a certain time to make the next show in Budapest.
So we agreed to play all of Mindcrime, and 4 songs from Mindcrime 2.
Then 5 encore songs. The venue was unreal. I looked like an Olympian
arena with huge Greek columns that went around the venue. I imagined
visions of gladiator once happened here. The show was amazing, and the
crowd was incredible for a place we had never been. After the show some
of the press people from the preshow said it was one of the best shows
ever. Afterward we were all feeling exhausted and I sensed that the
super fans were wearing thin. We embarked on another journey. The bus
ride from hell continues on.
On this bus ride when we went thought Slovakia, I got a the bug and had
to have the bus pull over and make a much needed pit stop. I slept like
shit with a fever running through my veins. I just had to grin and rise
above it.
After the show in Bucharest we took off that night. I awoke the next
morning in a long line at the Hungarian/Romanian border. Since we were
on a bus we could bypass the long 5 mile line of trucks awaiting in the
truck line. But that meant that the truck could not follow us. So our
tour manager got on the phone to the Hungarian promoter. And told him if
we can put the truck to the head of the line, we won’t be able to make
the show. So the promoter called in a police escort for us. With a
little payola we bribed the guards to let the truck through. They said
we would cause a riot. But our 2 Hells Angel drivers went for it. When
they pulled out of line all the trucker started flipping the bird to
them. Then, all of a sudden a driver jumped out of a truck and pulled a
knife. Our driver got out of the truck and walked up the him and punched
him in the face and knocked him out. They then pulled up to the border
station and took care of the paperwork. They tried to stiff us for 2,000
pounds because they said we needed another day visa. Our guys said no
fucking way. They said 1,000, we said no fucking way. They said 500 , we
said no fucking way. They said some Queensryche T-Shirts, we said OK!
Then it was see ya, off to Budapest!
Arenele Romane
photo by Leah Kennedy
Petrofi Hall
Budapest, Hungary
Tuesday July 1st, 2008
After the hell bus ride from Bucharest we barely made it in time for
load in. In fact, we were 4 hours late. Out tour manager was on the cell
phone non-stop trying to determine if the promoter was going to cancel
the show. Once we got into the city, one of the promoter assistants
flagged the bus down and guided us to the venue. When we arrived there
was a plethora of fans yahooing at all the outside bars. Unfortunately
we had to drive through that. When we got to the back entrance our crew
jumped off the bus and busted ass to get a 4 hour set up in 2 hours. We
were fed an extravaganza of Budapest food. Some of the crew were feeling
a bit ill, so tensions were in the air. We played the whole set and
ended after midnight. The fans were incredible. We rocked and so did
they. After, we were supposed to drive to Warsaw. But we cut a deal, so
we could sleep in the local hotel. And have a nice day off.
Stodola
Warsaw, Poland
Monday July 3rd, 2008
After another long bus ride we arrived at the venue to find out there is
only 1 bathroom working in the whole venue. After a torturous night that
was not what I wanted to hear. I found out that this was a press day for
Geoff. But he decided to go shopping, so Stone and I did 2 interviews.
One with “Burn”, and one with “Rock Hard”. I was very careful with what
I snacked on. We had a great show. The polish audience was amazing. They
were loud and passionate about our music. After the show our tour
manager started selling bits of our staging for backstage passes. We
ended up selling the couch, the table, the garbage can and some other
misc stage props. We ended up throwing the rest of it away. WE did toast
to the end of Mindcrime 1 and 2 in its entirety..
Waldrock Festival
Burgum, Holland
Saturday July 5th, 2008
We got in a van at the hotel and drove about 20 minutes to the festival
grounds. There were a shit load of fans and bands in the backstage area.
We stayed in our corner with Angry Anderson form Rose Tattoo. Then we
talked with a guitar player from a British metal band. As we walked to
the stage, the beautiful day had turned to rain. We are last as usual,
getting all the gear hooked up. We play the first three tunes, then
there is a big bang. The whole stage went dead. Also, there whole
backstage catering and dressing rooms were dead. We are dumbfounded as
we just realized we blew up the festival. I am hanging on the side of
the stage watching crew guys stressed out of their minds racing around
trying to fix the problem. Finally the lights go back on. Geoff says to
the crowd, “sorry for blowing up your gig”. I start the song NM156, it
was a fractured set but at least we did not get booed off the stage. In
fact some fans said it was the best we ever sounded. Afterwards I hung
out with some fans and took some pictures. I packed and sorted my gear
for Rocklahoma. Then it was on the bus for a long drive to Heathrow
Airport. It seems every “throw and go” festival, something always
happens to us. It’s not even a surprise anymore. All you can do is just
go with the flow and improvise. I need a drink!!!!!!
|
