Friday, March 30, 2012

Five Finger Death Punch tour, part I



So…here we are..
  We lit out of Seattle a few days back, as usual "tour blur" syndrome has set in and I don't know what day of the week it is or what city I'm near. I just know I'm with my gang and we're barreling down the road headed for another show. I should clarify "gang": Of course…Windowpane, Mark, Tony, Kevin and I, as well as Aaron Greenriech, Jesse Akins and Nate Kellum. Aaron, Jesse and Nate are here working our merch, counting in and out each night, settling our soundscan, managing our day to days, etc etc etc…they are working their asses off trying to help us make this run a success.




  It's 7 of us, crammed into Mark's van..picture a bunch of sardines, you'll get the idea…10 minutes outside of Seattle the wipers on the van broke..no big deal…except for the goddamn monsoon we drove through for about 4 hours…finally around 1am, Mark took shotgun and I got behind the wheel….within 5 minutes the monsoon turned into a full on white out blizzard..we climbed some crazy assed mountain, elevation 5200 feet..Mark and I staring into the snow and trying to find the road, ass end of the fan slipping left, then right…as we pulled up this endless mountain range.
  The blizzard lasted all night, yielding around 6 am….I drove us until about 9 am..and then mark and I crawled back with the other "sardines" and Tony took the wheel…Mark and I slept for maybe 2 hours and awoke…in the desert…the endless goddamn desert..Mark took another shift..and then I pulled us the last 4 hours into Las Vegas…  total time? 26 hours…non-stop…no sleep..as we pulled into Vegas we were all delirious…
  We got rooms at The Hard Rock and Mark and I headed down into the casino to have a victory drink with Nate…we ran into Tyler from Portland's "The Slants" and "Silversafe" and much laughter ensued "dude…what the hell are YOU doing here??"…small world..Tyler and his boys were there celebrating Tyler's up coming wedding. Congrats bro!
  After we parted  ways we instantly bumped into Brandon; 5FDP's tour manager, Spike; Lighting Tech and Darrin; a guitar tech. More drinks were had as we all got to know each other..great guys who are really looking out for us. their primary concern is that the ENTIRE show kick ass and come off perfectly. You cant beat that kind of care and support.

  The next day we were up bright and early and off to FOX 5 Las Vegas for a TV appearance set up for us via Gibson. We performed "House of Cards" live in the Gibson studio and the performance aired on the news that night. Patrick Todd and Rachel at Gibson treated us like absolute gold. Thanks again guys. We don't have links to the performance yet, but as soon as we do, we'll get them up.



 After that was another night in Vegas…we were treated to an AMAZING dinner by our long time buddy Joe "hairball" McGaffrey. Had some more drinks and laughs, and then headed up to bed.

 Bam…show day…the "Joint" in Vegas is attached to The Hard Rock and is a KILLER venue…sold out…4,500 people…we met our engineers; Pete on Monitors and Jordan on Front of House..great cats who are killing it for us sonically…thanks guys..you rule. Saul, the stage manager, Bruce; 5FDP's Front of house guy…and many more…all great, great cats. We were a little bummed to find that the casino demands 100 percent control over all merch sales…and so our aggressive sales team was replaced by a little lady from planet "I don't care"…but we didn't let that ruin our night.



 before we knew it we were on stage, the lights went down and our "Cash Highway 61" intro fired up…and the room exploded in cheers…no one knew who we were…but they knew a rock show was about to start..and the room went wild…that first night the 4 of us really had to kick the rust loose, not to mention the overwhelming fatigue of such a long, cramped trip…but we threw down our hardest and that room went wild…they loved us. It was a hell of a thing for me, as I REALLY like to lock eyes with fans as we play..work those front rows like no tomorrow and make it all very personal….i.e. "you are a part of this…we are in this together"…but on a stage that size and a room that large…all I saw was black…it was like playing to outer space..until the lights came up at the close of each tune and you'd see that blackness transformed into an ocean of cheering faces…we killed it.





 Afterward was the usual strait to the merch area to meet any and all fans…photos, autographs…people were so blown away… between meet and greets we'd bounce in to watch Soulfly and then of course the 5FDP guys…and goddamn what a show…what….a…..show…these guys CARE…and it shows..there is no holier than thou ego shit at play here…NONE…these guys are there for their fans…every ounce, every moment…and you can feel it in the air when they play….see it in every pumping fist. They had my  complete respect as performers within 2 measures.. 


  the next morning we were up at 6:30 am to head to Pamona…the Pamona show was smaller…I think capacity 2,000….and sold out again….we hit our stride right away in and killed it..we had the crowd fast and ran with it like no tomorrow. Again we watched Soulfly deliver their crushing set and the 5FDP get up and OWN….met many new fans,,,signed anything we could, took endless photos…always the same gracious comments "I cant believe you guys would stay out here all night and take the time to meet all your new fans.." of course we will…why else are we here? It's always and amazing thing to see the effect you had on someone, and know that they are so excited to meet you and capture that moment in time. It's such an honor and an indescribable privilege for us.



  That night…Nate ran off to the mall to buy some shoes..and ran into Ivan (5FDPs singer)…he invited us all to come meet up and have some drinks, get to know each other etc at his hotel…so we pulled our tired asses together and headed over. Spike was there as well, I had a long great chat with him, what a great guy. Then ended up talking for quite a while with Ivan…I gotta tell you with zero bullshit… I've been doing this a long time, and have met some amazing musicians and some of my heros…this guy? This guy is among the most down to earth, genuine, cool and caring people I've met in this crazy industry. Within the first 30 minutes, the advice, business pointers, and concepts he laid out for us was jaw dropping…his attitude is truly "whatever I can do to help, here guys…let me hip you to some shit"…man…fucking wow….that's all I can say…the evening drifted from serious business to pure hilarity and back again, lots of laughs..amazing compliments (he loves windowpane….damn bro….thanks)…it was over all, just one hell of a good time. Toward the end he said "where are you guys sleeping man?" I explained that the 7 of us had one room…3 on the floor, four in beds…he said "I'm getting you rooms tonight, you're a singer..and you need your rest.." of course I said "dude…you don't have to do that brother..really…you've given us enough by way of your experience and knowledge already…" or something to that effect…but he'd have none of it…  he said "look man….years ago when I was in your shoes, Jonathan Davis of Korn did this for me…now I'm doing it for you…the only thing I want you to do is pay it forward when it's your time…that's how you thank me..and if you ever meet JD, you tell him I did this for you." …..fuckin hell… I gave my word and my thanks.. and again…I gotta tell you all…this guy cares..he cares about his fans, his friends, and even total strangers…he explained that we all came from mud…so we have to prop each other up….it was like listening to myself talk…the same shit I always say to other bands and my friends…expect this guy is at the top of his game….and it hasn't tainted him..that's a rare thing…and honestly….I think it's a huge part of why 5FDP is doing what they are doing…their fans sense and know that this is genuine..real..and that's rare in this world today.


   The conversations ran from personal to emotional, family, relationships…the whole gang had a great time and was treated once again like pure gold.. so…enough's enough…lol….simply put: Thank You Ivan.



  Again with the blur…..we played Fresno last night..and per Ivan's request, via a conversation about fun and cool covers we like to do, added AC/DC's "Let Me Put My Love Into You"….the crowd loved us again..another killer show…



  We're in Modesto tonight…and gearing up for another show….  there is a LOT more to tell…..but these are the broad strokes…time is hard to come by out here….so…  I'm out for now….more to follow…much love ~ Glenn

(If you're following our tour, you can see that this is several days old as we've been in & out of wifi areas and busy as hell... but have a TON more stories & photos on their way ;)