Show Day in Nurnberg

Today we're playing the Rock Im Park Festival, the sister show to Rock Am Ring. It's a slightly smaller crowd – 70,000 vs. 85,000. Still massive by any standard. And like the gig yesterday, it's been sold out for many weeks.

This is such a fucked up place to hold a concert. Here's why -- do you recognize the structure in the background?

Behind our two green buses, you see what's left of the reviewing stand upon which Adolf Hitler stood during those enormous Nazi Party rallies held on the Zeppelin Field outside the city center.

This next photograph I pulled off the Internet, because I didn't want to go up on the structure to take it. It shows the Zeppelin Field as Hitler saw it when he stood at the speaker's stand. The field that stretched before him was filled with 100,000 marching soldiers and there was a capacity crowd of 340,000 spectators.

You can read more on this HERE and HERE.

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Our office is about ½ mile from the stage, so even though I went to the stage for the beginning of Rage's set, I didn't go back for the encore like I always do.

Here's the stage at 9am:


And again at 9pm:

Check out the two streams of fans coming over the hill from the second stage in the other part of the park. This is about 10 minutes before the band went on:

A few of the guys onstage just before the band went on:L-R: Slim, Pete (kneeling), Spragoo, Andy

I'm getting caught up on my blogging now because bus call isn't until 3am. I hope to be in my bunk by 2, though. We have the day off tomorrow in Berlin and I want to be up early…

Show Day at Rock Am Ring

This is the 15th anniversary of my first show here at Rock Am Ring. It was 1993, and I was in Europe for only the second time in my career. Cry Of Love was the band, and we were the second band onstage that day, at the un-rock-like time of 10:25am. Those poor fuckers in Jackyl were on just before us at 10 sharp. I remember it like it was yesterday.

And just like the weather was that day, it is again today -- cool, with periods of rain and fog.

Before I checked out, I got a couple of shots of the hillside across the way, where some of the 85,000 kids in attendance are camping out:


Remember this shot from yesterday?

Here's what it looks like just before Rage went on tonight:

That's what 85,000 drunk Germans look like.

Here's Slim's guitar boat on stage left:

"So?", you say. Indeed, take a closer look:

Wha? Who is that?

Even closer:Click on the photo to enlarge it if need be.

Looks like Raleigh's own Jimmy Shoaf to me. Jimmy was the band's LD for several years and also happens to be the Godfather to Slim's oldest daughter.

Monitor Engineer Mike "Spragoo" Sprague on stage:

Bass Tech Pete Lewis and Guitar Tech Martin "Slim" Richardson:

Drum Tech Andy Veasey:

Our buddy and former Drum Tech Sean Bates:

Me and my old friend Ivan Copelan (Serj Tankian's Tour Manager):

Killer crowd shot that I got from a pro photograher:As with any photo on this blog, simply click on it to enlarge.


During the show, Molly and I went upstairs to the other end of the building to get a few shots of the stage and the crowd from a distance:


The band at the end of the show:

Rained like hell after the show was over. Made it to the bus about 2am. Off to snoozyworld. Gotta get up at 8…

Day Off in Nuerburg, Germany

Got to the hotel shortly after 9 this morning. We're staying at the Dorint, located AT the Nurburgring, the famous Formula One racetrack here. Ring area map here:Click map to enlarge.

From my room on the fifth floor, I've got an amazing view of the track, and the back of the stage the band will be playing on tomorrow. The view for now:


And here comes the fog:

And now it's so thick you can't see the stage:

We all met in the lobby at 4pm to walk over to the stage area to load in and set up the office. I jumped up onstage and got a shot of the empty venue, which will look considerably different tomorrow with 85,000 people in it.

Molly and Robert snagged a couple of scooters to take a lap around the track:Left to right: Molly, truck driver Jerry, Sooner, Robert.

After we got done, we walked back over to the hotel, where most of us changed into the custom tracksuits that the promoter gave to everyone in the Rage camp. They have the band's name, the promoter's name and Europe 2008 embroidered on them. Black pants, white jackets. When we all showed up in the bar wearing them, we looked like a bunch of dorky track coaches. It was pretty funny…Left to right, back row: me, Andre Lieberberg (our German promoter), Mark Wise (security) and Drew Goodman (security).
Front row: Pete Lewis (bass tech), Molly Brickson (production coordinator).

Spragoo refused to put on his tracksuit:L-R, rear: Spragoo, me, Robert Long (production manager), Sooner Routhier (LD), Mark Wise.
Front: Pete Lewis, Molly

And another:L-R, rear: Pete, (some nice lady from the promoter's office, Sooner, Robert, Mark.
Front: Molly, me.

Truck driver Jerry, sending a message:

Me and Drew, with our white drinking gloves. Don't ask, because I have no idea…

A white-gloved shot:

Spragoo:

Sooner dissing Spragoo for not wearing his track suit:

Bass Tech Pete Lewis:

Me, wearing long pants. Wait, are you SERIOUS???I think Molly's in shock!

Me and Molly:

Molly and promoter Andre Lieberberg:

Molly gets a spanking from Robert:

Molly and Robert, after the lovin':

Old friend Sean Bates, me, Sooner:

Sean, promoter person, Pete:

Another night of getting to bed at 3am…

Show Day in Paris

Ah, the lovely Bercy. The only arena in the world with exterior walls covered in grass. Check out the maintenance crew mowing the walls:Click on photo to enlarge.

Lots of guests at the show tonight. Bandmembers from Linkin Park and Incubus were in attendance, as was John McEnroe, who's a good friend of one of the Rage guys.

Out to the bus shortly after 2am. Day off in Germany tomorrow…

Day Off in Paris

Totally relaxing day off here in Paris today. We're staying in the Bercy area, outside the city center. The venue for tomorrow's show is 5 minutes drive from the hotel.

I've stayed here before, so I know where a few things are. Early in the afternoon, I went wandering around Bercy Village, about a block from the hotel.

Bercy Village is an urban-renewal project in the 12th arrondissement, next to the modern Parc de Bercy and the Seine (you know, the river). It mostly consists of small wine warehouses from the late 19th Century that have been saved from decay by conversion into shops and restaurants. It's a great place to spend a few hours, especially if you're interested in urban design, cool architecture, or even just shopping. There are boutiques, pubs, restaurants, cafes and more.

I didn't feel like sitting down, so I grabbed a sandwich and took it back to my room to chow down while I checked email and worked for a while.

Molly called me to see if I wanted to go hang out with her and her French friend Helena. Helena lives in Lille, and had taken the train into Paris to visit Molly. I really did have work to do, so I had to take a pass. After later meeting Helena, of course, I coulda kicked myself for that one – she was lovely, and really cool.

Met up with Spragoo around 6 in the lobby bar, and had a couple of ($7.20 usd) Heinekens. Then we headed back over to Bercy Village to scout out dinner. Found a killer table along the cobblestone walkway, at some brewpub (can't remember the name). It was the perfect spot for watching all the day workers heading to the metro station on their way home. And later, the early and mid-evening diners and drinkers coming out.

The beer was awesome. I tried something I didn't like at first, but then switched to their Blonde, and stuck with it. We sat there for probably 3 hours, people watching and talking.

Spragoo (Mike Sprague to the outside world) is a riot; he's always got me in stitches. He's been on the road for a million years and has worked with everybody. But it's usually his Aerosmith stories that put me over the top. Whatever you may have heard about Steven Tyler's antics is just the tip of the iceberg. Best that I say no more.

I was quite buzzed and back in my room around 10pm. In bed by 11…

Show Day in Landgraaf, Netherlands

Woke up at 5:30 this morning. I guess my sleep deficit has equalized for now. Lobby call was 8am, then off we went to the Pinkpop Festival.

One of the cool things at today's site was this gigantic crane lift. Spragoo and I had taken a walk out front to explore the site, and went over to check it out. It was five Euros to take a ride. You'd cruise for a few minutes on the way up, then spend five minutes at the top, then a few more minutes coming back down. I would have spent the money (about $8 usd), but Spragoo has a thing about heights and I wasn't going up alone. The lift:

While we were out there, Gavin DeGraw was onstage. My buddy Brian Dennis (from Chapel Hill) plays guitar in Gavin's band. You might know him as the guitar player from Dag, or before that, Mr. Potato Head, who were probably the Triangle area's most popular cover band of the late 80's and early 90's.

I had my camera out just as Gavin was introducing all the band members, so I got these shots of Brian on the big video screens:


Also got this shot of him from the other side of the field:

And here's a shot of him shot from behind, showing the audience, some 63,000 strong:
Homeboy doing well for himself.

As for my guys, Rage played much earlier tonight, going onstage at 9:30. It figures, since we only have a 2 hour bus ride tonight to Antwerp. I finally headed out to the bus a little after 1am…

(As always, click on any photo to enlarge.)