Jagermeister Music Tour Fall 2006

October 19 - December 9, 2006

Anaheim, CA

As usual, I flew in a day before the first show. The first day is generally so hectic that it is much better to have a fresh start on it. Jack Carson, our intrepid tour manager was already at the hotel and met me when I arrived. The fact that I arrived was not a given and invlovled a number of delays and near misses due to severe weather at the Houston airport. Once I did get there, Jack and I went to a nearby Hooters for some food and a couple beers. Jack had taken over for Jimi who left the company after the spring tour with Staind, but he wasn't a complete stranger. I knew Jack from the 2003 tour when he was tour managing for Systematic. Jack did have a surprise though - his right hand was broken and in a cast. How did it happen? His one word answer: jagermeister.

The hotel was right across the street from the venue do the morning trip wasn't very far - but before we could go the bus had to be loaded with the gear and POS (thats the swag). Since Jack was one handed and I was the only other person there, do the math on how it got loaded. Our bus was a little older but nice and came setup with the bunks condo'd (less bunks but more space). It also had prtholes which were exciting until we realized that condo bunks means the portholes are blocked.

The first show went off pretty much without a hitch. Our crew was well experienced, being myself, Weaver, and Dave the new guy. Weaver and I could do most of the work in our sleep (and we probably have) and Dave was a fast learner.

The crowd reacted well to the corkscrew and condom along with the jokes I told. It was a little weird working without Dr. Grift but it all came together.

Bakersfield, CA

The fox theatre in Bakersfield has a sign on their loading doors which I found rather amusing. You can make up your mind about it. I found the 'unless in use' to be rather redundant.

The show went well again and did a lot for my confidence concerning the tour. I had been unsure about how Pepper & Slightly Stoopid's fans would react to me. On previous tours I knew the bands well already and had that in common with their fans. This time around I was just learning about the bands. Fortunately, they were all really cool to tour with and were nothing but welcoming and respectful of what I brought to the show. I can't say that I have been converted from metal but I definitely appreciate their musicianship and I couldn't have asked for better people to be with for two months on the road.

San Francisco, CA

Once again we return to the Warfield in the tenderloin. Previous visits have seen the photo-documentation of crack sales and use, public urination upon tour trailers, venue issues, and much much more.

This time around was not so much an exception as it was simply easier to cope with due to expert work of Jack as tour manager in dealing with the venue, the relaxed but professional attitude of the the bands, and the incredible San Francisco crowd which always makes you feel you good for putting on a show.

Early in the day I got serenaded by a crackhead singing 'lizard, lizard, lizard'. Exploring the venue a bit more than on previous visits I found a boiler room straight out of a Nightmare on Elm street movie and half expected Freddy to be right around the corner.

Throughout the day we watched crack smoked casually and many a deal go down at the convenience store across from the bus. That night Weaver put on an afro wig and actually went into the store. His account of the adventure was highly amusing and we're pretty sure he was almost killed. There is a video of it shot from the back lounge window somewhere.

Notice the add for JC Cognac (another Sydney Frank product) outside the store below the 'thank you for shopping' sign. As for the sign listing things not to be done, we witnessed all of them occurring in or in front of the store. We also saw the man in the hat almost run down by a car when he chased a small rubber ball into the street.

Eugene, OR

I didn't take any pictures in Eugene but there were some things I wish I had captured on film, memory card, whatever.

Weaver literally kicked a guy off of our bus. He had gone back to the bus to piss and left the door unlocked, when he heardit open he assumed it was one of us coming back. That was until he stepped out of the bathroom to see a kid absolutely wasted sitting on the front lounge couch (this was before the doors were even opened for the show). The kid would not leave and Weaver had to manhandle him off the bus finally kicking or pushing him with his foot out the door. That would have been enough but later he saw the kid in the show and informed security who ultimately ejected him. The kid then decided to kick and damage the door he was put out through which brought a swarm of security down on him, pinning him on the pavement and holding him their for several minutes before eventually sending him on his way - he got off lucky not being arrested. This occurred in full view of our VIP section.

The show went well but I wasn't allowed to have the jager bottle onstage, though I was allowed to drink. To work around this, Dave would fill shot glasses and run them out to me onstage. It was amusing and something we ended up doing in a couple of places with tight liquor laws.

Portland, OR

I have a good history with shows in Portland. I always like seeing it on the routing. The venues are good, the crowds are good, and something cool almost always seems to happen.

Russ (on the right) came out for the day to relive being a tour carny and he brought us all gifts: knives! You might think further arming us is a bad idea but we like knives and Russ has gone on to carry a gun, well he had the gun(s) and now he has a badge to go with it. That's right, he went from touring crew to law enforcement - thats a leap. It was great having him back, if only for the day. He even made a cameo bringing me the corkscrew onstage.

If you want to know what cool thing happened, ask Weaver. Here's a hint - some Portland girls can't tell the crew from the band...

Park City, UT

Once again, I wasn't allowed the bottle but shots onstage were deemed ok. The club was small but the crowd was good and it was 21+ so we could get away with almost anything. At one point a guy climbed the balcony to grab one of the vinyl banners that we hang at every show which pissed off security. We hang the banners expecting them to be taken, I even tell people to go ahead and grab them. This is what irked security, who thought it was my fault for saying that that the guy climbed th balcony instead of using the stairs a couple feet away. Perhaps this is just a matter of opinion but I don't fell responsible for the dumbass actions of some guy in a crowd especially when all I said was that people could have the banners - I never suggested climbing instead of using stairs to get to them. Further, I would think that it is security's job (and there was a staffer right next to the guy) to stop such antics, not the tour host's job.

Aspen, CO

This one was a little weird since the tour split fopr the night. Pepper went to Vail and Slightly Stoopid went to Aspen. Weaver rode with Pepper to work their show and the rest of us stayed with Slightly Stoopid. It was another small but very nice club. Unfortunately the bus had to park a couple miles away which can be a headache but ended up not being too bad. Again the relaxed atmosphere of the tour made up for a lot. During the show we tried to set up a shot for a billboard with the band, something that would be attempted throughout the tour. I assume we got it one of those nights.

Denver, CO

I really like the Fillmore in Denver and its only better when its sold out. Our opening jager band was dealyed and ended up not playing, which meant I got an extra 15 minutes to do a bigger set and open the show. The crowd was a lot of fun and got into it.

Omaha, NE

I think this was the smallest venue on the tour but the parking lot billboard was on point. You can see the light rack in the picture below - it was more than adequate. They didn't have a barricade, which was a little odd but turned out ok as the crowd was really cool.

During the day, Weaver set up one of the techno beams in their VIP area - basically a small space to the side of the bar. The technos are large, heavy lights which display a number of jagermeister images and messages on the walls. The only place he could set it up was on top of a vending machine. He gaff taped it into place with a ton of tape. Upon looking at it, Jack decided some tie down straps would be a good idea to help insure the safety of the lights - which had been broken a couple times previously.

It was only shortly after replacing the tape with the newly purchased straps that an unwitting venue employee opened up the vending machine for stock thus knocking off the light by disengaging the strap. The light faired pretty well though since it landed on Weaver's back.

St Louis, MO

Halloween!

Both bands not only got costumes but also played the show in costume.

Pepper opted to portray Sasha Cohen's various personas. Slightly Stoopid dressed as monks (some wielding lightsabers) while their crew accompanied them in priest garb.

After the show, a lot of us relaxed at the Halo bar attached to the venue.

Milwaukee, WI

For the first time in years of coming to Milwaukee our hotel room was actually in the hotel made famous by Dahmer - not that they will talk about it.

I ended up doing a lot of shots before Pepper hit the stage which fueled a fun night. I also had a few friends in attendance and it ended up being a late night out on the bus.

I'm not all that sure what, if anything, happened with everyone else.

Indianapolis, IN

While not the smallest room, this was probably the smallest show on the tour. Neither band had played in Indy before but the people who came to the show, came to party.

Chicago, IL

The Congress Theatre is an old venue with lots of interesting nooks and crannies to explore. I took a trip to the very top to check out the rigging and view of the stage during load-in.

The crowd was decent overall but also had a notably hostile element throwing ice and change at the stage. Being me, I antagonized them a bit for it. The simple fact is that whether or not I do anything for them to watch, the band is not coming out any earlier. So, it makes no difference to me to just stand there and sip a drink.When the bands did come on, they were wholeheartedly into it. I think a big part of the problem was that they opened doors at 6pm but made people wait till 8pm to start the show.

After the show things got interesting. Dave's girlfriend was visiting along with some friends. Dave and company got tanked. He ended up puking outside the bus and being cared for indignantly by his girl.

Weaver had some fun during the show and got nicely drunk afterwards. He was on a mission, successful after some effort, to get over to his friend at Coyote Ugly.

Jack and I watched the proceedings and were amused.

Minneapolis, MO

The night before in Chicago showed its effects as Wevaer worked through a hang-over and Dave was struck by a bug that kept him in his bunk all day. We played the same venue we opened at with Disturbed back in 2005. Back then, I grabbed food at the Hard Rock across the street with some of the crew and Beefcake from GWAR. This time, Jack and I hit the Irish pub on the other corner and were joined by Weaver and Joel (the local rep) for a great pre-show warm up of food and drinks.

The show went well and was followed by an after party at a nearby strip club. Strip clubs are generally fun but I do have one complaint, when we open a $1500 tab it shouldn't be too much to ask that you can a tonic water and lime for less than $10.

Detroit, MI

The thing I mainly remember about the Detroit show is some girl being carried out during the opening jager band. I party a lot and my intake is probably bordering on excessive at times but I have never lost it during an opener. You have to learn to make it through the show at least to the headliner.

Cleveland, OH

That's the coach (pepper's tour manager) backstage in the production office at the House of Blues in Cleveland. This House of Blues is another place I love to see on the routing when we start a tour. Tony, Brian, and the rest of the staff and crew there are always great to us and its good see them. Cleveland also tends to be a good city for me in terms of the crowd response.

Before the show, the jager contingent headed almost next door to Lola's where an old friend from the spring 2004 tour, Jenny, was working the bar. Another good pre-show warm up.

After the show, everyone was in party mode. We soon spilled out from the HOB into nearby bars and clubs throughout the area. Somehow, Jack, Jenny, and I ended up at Little Bar where they got burgers to soak up some of the alcohol.

Columbus, OH

Re-visiting the scene of the crime. This venue was the site of an incident on a previous tour - don't ask. The crwod was little light but very enthusiastic, as were the bands. The party spilled over from the stage a couple times and Pepper had to be reminded that this not being a 21+ show they couldn't just hand out the bottle to the crowd.

New York City, NY

After a very long drive we made it NYC and we were back at Roseland. The last two tours played at Nokia and while that room is nice, there were many headaches. Once again we set up multiple publicity shots with the bands during the show and each time the crowd responded really well and took the interruptions in stride. Tiny, one of my old rugby buddies, stopped by and hung out for the show. I'm glad because its not the same hitting NYC without catching up with him.

Atlantic City, NJ

It was Atlantic City that I first noticed the lizard references BB (Slightly Stoopid's tour manager) was inserting onto the day sheets.

The load in for this House of Blues is legendary for how long and difficult it can be. Still, things went off pretty well and we had a good sold out show night followed by partying in the foundation room.

Someone in the crowd threw something but since it was a girl's top, no problem. As I was introducing Stoopid, Miles came out and gave me a fresh bottle of jager to hit after I finished the one I started with.

Boston, MA

We had two days off in Boston before the show which meant I got to hang out with my buddy Kirk from the Boston Tattoo Convention. We did a group dinner at Generations which is always great and Jack and I caught The Prestige.

The show went well but we had to haul ass afterwards to get me to Philly for an early morning radio spot.

Philadelphia, PA

We made it Philly with a little time to spare before my morning radio spot for Preston & Steve on WMMR. Allison from live nation picked up myself and Jack and drove us over to the station. I had appeared on the show once before, so they had an idea of what they were in for. However, I brought along some different stunts and still managed to floor them. One of the crew almost threw up at one point and a couple of them had to turn away. The spot was a an unqualified success and definitely helped move some more tickets for the show that night.

The show was at the Electric Factory, a venue very familiar to myself and jager tours. It was only this time around though that I noticed an interesting sign near the alarm key pad.

A number of Germans from the Jagermeister home base, as it were, were our special guests in attendance for the evening and they got an incredible show. In the past I have noted how the philly crowd can be tough but is also pretty fair. This night I got one of my best responses from them and I think the radio spot definitely helped since usually I am an unannounced part of the show.

Slightly Stoopid took full advantage of not only of the Jager supplied decorations but also of the many fun things to be found in the venue backstage area. A large plastic camel made it onstage for their set and a six foot jager inflatable was onstage and then surfed through the crowd.

After the show we brought a large group to Whiskey Dick's, a nearby bar and partied there till last call.

Sayreville, NJ

Once again it was evident how much the great attitude on this tour could overcome most situations. At a venue that has traditionally given us issues, things went pretty well. I got fairly drunk. After the Vinnie Magic entertained a bunch of us out on the buses and then we headed out for Baltimore.

Baltimore, MD

In Baltimore, BB started doing me the favor of putting my intro times on the day sheets to help keep the local crews on track. everyone on the tour obviously knew that I would be heading out before the bands but sometimes the local stagehand or light guy would just look at the band times and not recall there was a host (me) going out onstage as well.

Before the show a number of us had a pre-show dinner at Ruth's Chris. This set the stage for a great night.

Charleston, NC

That's OG and C Money from Slightly Stoopid relaxing backstage.

Before the show Jack, Weaver, Marc, Traci, and I ended up at a french wine bar and polished off a couple bottles.

During the show, drinks flowed freely and the party atmosphere was definitely going strong.

After the show I found myself hanging out Slightly Stoopid's bus till I don't when. I was lucky my bus was only a short stumble away.

North Myrtle Beach, SC

Everyone was in recovery from Charleston when we hit the House of Blues. Still, I wasn't going to miss the Gator farm next door so I made my usual pilgrimage. Somehow the only decent photo I got was of tigers.

The show was good but as the night went on I realized I wasn't just recovering from the night before, I was fighting off some sort of bug. Once Stoopid took the stage, I wrapped in my bunk to try and sweat it out over the drive.

Orlando, FL

I woke up feeling much improved and far less congested. It was also nice to wake up to being in Orlando at the Hard Rock. I greatly prefer Universal to the land of the rat.

Fort Lauderdale, FL

It was here that I first made the day sheet as the quote - not that I actually recall ever saying that but, hey, that was never really the point of the day sheet quotes.

The venue here was an outdoor stage which meant it was rather chilly and there were issues but it stil turned out well. I had a particularly good time tormenting a girl in the front row that would not look at me.

Jacksonville, FL

The day before we had a tour Thanksgiving dinner. Jack & Weaver deep fried two turkeys, several bottles of wine were opened, and there was much gorging.

The reason I am focusing on our dinner is this the total of my notes from the Jacksonville show: 'I got hammered'. Written in an understandably sloppy hand.

Atlanta, GA

When things are constantly going well you can easily lose sight of how they can be better. The show in Atlanta was a reminder that as good as things were going there was another level the show could rise to and the Atlanta crowd made that rise.

Nashville, TN

The show was set to open at 7pm and it did. The opening band, The Toasters, was set to go on at 7:30pm and they did. When I put them on there was almost no one in the venue. We soon discovered, while they played, that the tickets and venue website listed the show as starting at 9pm. In an effort to alleviate the problem and not leave the people who were already inside with nothing to do, a plan was devised. The set change for Pepper went as planned but at their start time I came out instead. I explained there had been a mistake and that Pepper would start at 9pm. In the meantime, I would do my best to entertain them. And so, with only about ten minutes worth of props to work with from my show I put on a 35 minute set. The crowd was very forgiving and very cool - I think they actually enjoyed it, even as slapped together and hasty as it was.

Houston, TX

In the days off before the Houston show I got to go home and spend some time with Meghan. Together we drove back down to Houston on the day of the show. During the day we found time to hit the nearby aquarium, where somehow the best pictures I got were of tigers, and have dinner at a nice Italian restaraunt. She had to head home before the end of the show in order to get some rest before work the next day but it was nice having her around.

The show went well and was in the Verizon Wireless Theatre which is a very nice venue with one of the best layouts there is - it is easy to go from the bus and backstage to anywhere you might need.

Corpus Christi, TX

I could not believe how cold it was in Corpus. The stage is outdoors and they had to rent special heaters for us to make it workable. On top of this there was a pervasive smell of manure all around the place. Despite this, the crowd was fun and energetic and Weaver provided some comic relief. As I was still producing a lot of thick snot I went back to early nights in an effort to beat the bug.

Tulsa, OK

Due to restrictive liquor laws we didn't run the Jagermeister promotion at the Dallas show, giving us a day off. Weaver used it to recover, the rest of us just enjoyed the free time.

When we got to Tulsa it was fun to collect the stories about his antics back in Corpus. The result was the many signs you can see here. The truly funny part being that he really didn't do anything other than get drunk and act silly - no one was angry or bothered in the least. But, when someone gives you that kind of opportunity - you have to screw with them.

The show in Tulsa was good but I couldn't believe the snow - yes, snow! At one point Mossy got hit with an avalanche off the roof.

Phoenix, AZ

The celebrity theatre is very cool on a number of levels. They had enough space for me to get a dressing room rather than share space in production. They have a very cool staff and crew. And, they have a rotatiing stage!

This was my first time playing in the round and while a bit odd at first it was also really fun. The crowd was really hyped up all on their own and girls were flashing like crazy. It was a good night for everyone.

Los Angeles, CA

Very likely one the best shows I have ever had in LA. The crowd was into me and I felt really good about everything I went with. The venue was a really beautiful historic place but surprisingly had tons of room backstage. After the show Weaver had arranged for a party at Privilege that was fantastic.

Las Vegas, NV

Normally, this would have been a banner day with a huge entry. Sadly, I awoke just outside of Vegas on the bus with a case of what I suspect was food poisoning - a number of other people on the tour were also affected. I spent the day laying down, getting up only to do intros and vomit or have diarhea. It was not pleasant. I think the show went alright, considering my condition and others it's amazing it went at all.

San Diego, CA

We ended the tour with two nights in Slightly Stoopids's home town. The first night I was still recovering but I felt much improved and the crowd energy helped get me through. For the second day we had an end of tour lunch at Mile's house which is where I had my first real solid food. That night before the show I got some pizza down and was in good form to finish up the tour.

The hometown craziness was all that we expected and afterwards we packed up, said some goodbyes, and were on our way.

Now I get till spring 2007 before the next time.